Berlin Packaging Gives Makers of Nutritional Drink LIMU a Bronze Glow at Global Packaging Design Awards 2012

Adrienne Porter · November 1, 2012

Berlin Packaging Gives Makers of Nutritional Drink LIMU a Bronze Glow at Global Packaging Design Awards 2012

Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures, today announced it has received a bronze medal in the 2012 Beverage World Global Packaging Design Awards. The award honors Berlin’s imaginative re-design of the signature brand package for The Limu Company, a top manufacturer of liquid nutritional supplements.

LIMU ORIGINAL®, The Limu Company’s flagship product, is a marketing phenomenon sold in 19 countries. While recognized around the world, the LIMU ORIGINAL heavy glass bottle was expensive to ship and prone to breakage. Moreover, an update was needed to reinvigorate the brand and solve multiple performance issues. Berlin Packaging impressed the Global Packaging Design Awards judges with its reboot, created by Berlin’s Studio One Eleven division, which includes:

“Our goal with every design assignment is to define and raise the brand experience while accomplishing maximum package performance.”

— Andrew T. Berlin, Chairman and CEO of Berlin Packaging

An eco-friendly, BPA-free P.E.T. plastic container that significantly lowers shipping costs and virtually eliminates breakage while still communicating premium quality. A slimming, taller silhouette that speaks to the product story. A structural grip feature framing the new vertical logo and graphics. A new tamper-evident closure that replaces the existing metal cap. A two-color black and silver shrink neck band located below the closure that maintains brand identity even after opening. A modern reinterpretation of the brand’s iconic “harvest man” logo on the package front.

The one-liter P.E.T. bottle in LIMU ORIGINAL uses 86% less material than glass and 39% less energy to manufacture. It also reduces greenhouse gas emission by 66%, eliminates 229 metric tons in annual carbon dioxide emissions, and provides environmental savings of waste, gas and power during the manufacturing process.

“Our goal with every design assignment is to define and raise the brand experience while accomplishing maximum package performance. We’re pleased that the Global Packaging Design judges were as excited about our LIMU ORIGINAL package design as we are,” said Andrew T. Berlin, Chairman and CEO of Berlin Packaging. “Scott Jost and the Studio One Eleven team did amazing work on this iconic product.”

Beverage World’s Global Packaging Design Awards is an international competition honoring the best in beverage packaging design from around the world. Winning entries must demonstrate exceptional creativity and quality over a variety of elements including graphic design and structural innovation.

Berlin Packaging's Studio One Eleven Design Team Moves to Larger, Custom-Built Space

Adrienne Porter · October 18, 2012

← Back to the headlines

Berlin Packaging's Studio One Eleven Design Team Moves to Larger, Custom-Built Space

Response to continued strong demand for custom-packaging services

“Studio One Eleven provides an awesome service for our customers, and our new space will make it an even better experience for our employees, customers, and suppliers alike.”

— Andrew Berlin, Chairman and CEO

Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass and metal containers and closures, announced today that its Studio One Eleven design division has moved to a larger, purpose-built facility. The move was prompted by Berlin Packaging customers' ever-increasing demand for custom packaging design, brand strategy, visual branding, and marketing services work. This is the fourth expansion move for Berlin Packaging's design division in the last decade.

The new space, which is on the second floor of the Berlin Packaging's headquarters building in downtown Chicago, is more than double the size of Studio One Eleven's current space. Every aspect of the new studio was designed to support and enhance the collaborative process between designers, and to create a client experience that's second to none in the industry.

Studio One Eleven's multidisciplinary design team manages every aspect of creating compelling packaging solutions. The turn-key process spans opportunity analysis, concept generation, evaluation, optimization, and commercialization. The 20-person team serves clients in categories ranging from personal care and household chemicals to food & beverage and medical consumables. Studio One Eleven has received numerous "best of show" awards and top packaging honors, but the team's success is best measured in how well its designs perform in the marketplace.

The expansive new studio space provides for planned growth of the division and was conceived to promote teamwork and creativity via an open floor plan bathed in natural light. The main workspace is surrounded by windows, and all office-fronts and collaboration area partitions are floor to ceiling sliding glass panels. Berlin Packaging's customers will also benefit from expanded research and product sample libraries, larger collaboration areas, a photo studio and production room, and a state-of-the art 3-D print lab/model shop for rapid prototyping.

"Innovative packaging plays a critical role in building brands and improving users' product experiences. Our new space allows our expert development team to grow as needed and will bolster our ability to create innovative packaging solutions for our clients," said Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging's Vice President of Innovation & Design.

"Studio One Eleven provides an awesome service for our customers, and our new space will make it an even better experience for our employees, customers, and suppliers alike. By keeping the Studio next to our headquarters, we ensure the tight connectivity between design, supply chain, sales, and operations that has contributed so much to our performance," notes Andrew Berlin, Chairman and CEO.

Berlin Packaging Continues Multi-Year Win Streak at 2012 NACD Package Awards

Adrienne Porter · May 24, 2012

← Back to the headlines

Berlin Packaging Continues Multi-Year Win Streak at 2012 NACD Package Awards

Company Follows 2011 Best of Show Honors with Multiple Awards for 2012 in Drug & Pharmaceuticals, Food, Pet/Vet and Novelty Categories

Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures, was once again one of the top winners at the 2012 National Association of Container Distributors (NACD) Package Awards Competition, taking honors in multiple categories. The wins, which include designs for Mission Athletecare, Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition and IHOP (International House of Pancakes, LLC), build upon the company’s 2011 showing when it won best in show honors for Pampers Kandoo hand soap, along with six other awards.

At this year’s national competition, Berlin Packaging received gold, silver and bronze awards, including:

“Design awards are nice, but we are successful because we design products that retailers want on their shelves and consumers like to purchase.”

— Andrew T. Berlin, Chairman and CEO of Berlin Packaging

Mission COURT GRIP (Gold), a shoe traction treatment developed in conjunction with NBA Miami Heat All-Star Dwayne Wade that basketball players can apply with one hand while standing or sitting during games. The package, a joint project of Mission Athletecare, Revolver New York, and Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven design division, features a contoured, custom-molded bottle with debossed grip for sweaty hands, a custom applicator with special bonded cloth and internal valve system, and a modified 45-degree applicator angle for optimal product application.

Mission POWER GRIP (Silver), designed to help basketball players overcome sweaty hands, features an inverted package to quickly dispense the product between plays. The custom package builds on the aesthetic of the companion Mission COURT GRIP product, utilizing the same metallic finish and similar shape details that evoke an elite athlete’s body. Strategically placed contours on either side allow for easy gripping, while the hanging bottle enables the athlete easy access to the product and the oriented dispensing cap makes it possible to dispense the formula with one hand.

Gnawin’ Forever (Silver), a custom package design for Ainsworth Pet Nutrition’s breakthrough chew toy for adult dogs. To accommodate the innovative, refillable product design, Berlin Packaging developed a unique multi-resin, laminated blister pack that prevents leaching, keeps air out, and ensures freshness of the chew treat. The package also features a kick out foot as well as a hang hole to meet the customer’s display requirement for shelf or hanger flexibility at retail.

IHOP at HOME® Syrup (Bronze), a line of IHOP-branded consumer syrups, which are sold through Walmart as a completely new syrup line. The package was designed to evoke the IHOP restaurant experience at home while ensuring a good pouring experience. The result is a handled natural polypropylene bottle with an IHOP blue flip-top pouring closure, a dramatic large-panel label with matching blue IHOP branding, and a uniquely shaped handle. The package is produced in 12 oz. and 14 oz. sizes.

Glycolax (Bronze) is a private label, over-the-counter package for Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals. Berlin Packaging created a design that fits with the branded product design without infringing on any design patents; it also includes a custom child resistant dosing cap that satisfies child and elderly protocol testing. The overall package gave Kremers Urban the shelf appeal it was looking for as well as the package performance it needed.

“Our 2012 NACD awards are gratifying, especially in consideration of the breath of packaging disciplines that are represented, from design and engineering to materials and manufacturing,” said Andrew T. Berlin, Chairman and CEO of Berlin Packaging. “What we’re most proud of, however, is the success that these products are garnering in the marketplace. Design awards are nice, but we are successful because we design products that retailers want on their shelves and consumers like to purchase.”

Xango Moves to PET for Nutritional Supplement Beverage

Adrienne Porter · April 25, 2012

← Back to the headlines

Xango Moves to PET for Nutritional Supplement Beverage

Referred to by some as the “Queen of fruits,” the mangosteen “ripens twice a year and is revered for its taste and healing properties,” according to Lehi, UT-based Xango, LLC, which considers the mangosteen fruit its flagship wellness ingredient.

Recently, the global nutrition company and maker of health and wellness products switched its premium mangosteen beverage Xango Juice from glass to 750-mL PET bottles. Distributed by Berlin Packaging, the bottles are manufactured by Berry Plastics, using a two-stage reheat-and-blow process on equipment from Sidel. Empty bottles weigh 74 g.

“Xango and Berlin Packaging have a great partnership and they were selected again as a supplier because they provided solutions that met the project requirements better than other candidates.”

— R.D. Rex, Technical Director of Xango

According to R.D. Rex, Xango’s technical director, “There were many considerations in the decision to change. It was the opportunity to improve in so many areas while still maintaining the premium Xango brand image and product quality. Xango experienced improvements in many areas, such as transportation, package weight, damage, and product quality.”

Rex notes, “Xango and Berlin Packaging have a great partnership and they were selected again as a supplier because they provided solutions that met the project requirements better than other candidates.”

He explains that Berlin Packaging and Xango faced PET cost increases during the development process, with Berlin “providing a solution to Xango that met the expectations for a PET bottle of suitable gram weight to replace the glass, engineering a ‘push-up’ that provided bottles that met aesthetic expectations, and [in the] logistics and supply chain for freight of the preforms.”

The material change necessitated a conversion from the pasteurization and hot-fill process used for the glass bottles to aseptic filling, completed by a contract packager using filling and capping equipment made by Fogg Filler Co.

Bottles are decorated with two pressure-sensitive labels and a shrink band, with the shrink sleeve sourced through Zion Flex Pack.

The move to PET brought about a host of downstream environmental and economic advantages. According to Xango, these included the following:

Savings exceeding $1 million annually in the cost of goods, freight, secondary packaging, and breakage 85% reduction in bottle weight and associated packaging/shipping requirements 34% reduction in energy use 64% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, significant waste reductions with no bottle breakage and less secondary packaging, replacement of polystyrene with corrugated for bottle separation 5.7 million lb savings in annual materials 2,039 metric ton savings in annual CO2 emissions.

“The changes in secondary packaging, such as eliminating the EPS inserts used to protect the glass bottles contributed significantly to the reduction in the overall package size,” says Rex. “We can move more juice per truckload and container, which results in significant improvements in transportation efficiencies.”

Xango is supported by 28 global distribution facilities and one million distributors, with operations in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Malaysia, Germany, Australia, Japan, and other international markets.

During the PET introduction at a Xango convention, Rex says, “It was a great experience listening to the reaction from the thousands of distributors in attendance. They showed their excitement in the applause and comments.”

So, what are the future plans with regard to Xango packaging? Says Rex, “Xango is always interested in opportunities for improvement and will continue to explore various packaging options that will provide benefits to the company and the distributors. This initiative applies to all Xango products.”

Berlin Packaging’s Pampers Hand Soap Package Wins WorldStar Award

Adrienne Porter · December 8, 2011

← Back to the headlines

Berlin Packaging’s Pampers Hand Soap Package Wins WorldStar Award

One of Only 11 U.S. Packages Recognized in Global Competition

Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures, announced today that its custom Pampers Kandoo “Corner Buddy” hand soap package for Nehemiah Manufacturing has been honored with a 2011-2012 WorldStar Award recognizing the best packaging on the globe. The custom frog-shaped container – designed to fit snugly in tub or sink corners for easy do-it-yourself dispensing by children – was one of only 11 U.S. packages and 137 worldwide to earn the commendation.

WorldStar winners were selected by 23 judges from 22 countries and announced earlier this month in Sweden by the World Packaging Organization (WPO). Winners are chosen exclusively from packages that have won recognition in select national or regional competitions. Awards are based on the judges' consensus that a package is superior in its category and better in execution or innovation than others in its class.

The Corner Buddy package previously won the Best of Show in the 2011 National Association of Container Distributors (NACD) packaging competition in the U.S., qualifying it for WorldStar consideration.

“The power of this package lies not just in the unique shape and how it fulfills the mission of the Pampers Kandoo brand but, more importantly, in the way the container performs. Unlike other packages in its class, it gives children the independence to dispense their own soap without help from a parent, sibling or babysitter,” said Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging Vice President of Innovation and Design. “These awards from NACD and now WPO reinforce the importance of function as well as form in designing packages that succeed for both the end user and the brand.”

“The power of this package lies not just in the unique shape and how it fulfills the mission of the Pampers Kandoo brand but, more importantly, in the way the container performs.”

— Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging Vice President of Innovation and Design

The Corner Buddy package and label were developed by Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven design division as part of a relaunch of Pampers Kandoo, a line of children’s personal care products dedicated to “empowering play.” The custom-molded frog container provides strong play value, features a unique angled back that eliminates movement in corners and is stable on other flat surfaces, solving a problem with conventional hand soap packages that require caregiver assistance to hold the container steady.

The design was based in part on firsthand research with mothers and children to understand how they respond to and interact with other children’s hand soap packages. The development process included hand-sculpted prototypes in order to convey the subtle personality of the Kandoo frog character envisioned by the Berlin-Nehemiah team as well as satisfy the technical requirements of production blow molding.

The WorldStar awards will be presented in June 2012 in Split, Croatia.

Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven Participates in Avant Garde Art Show

Adrienne Porter · September 27, 2011

Designed Spray Can Concepts for ‘Paint the Future’ Graffiti Art Exhibit in Los Angeles

Designing The Super Hard Shell Turtle Wax Container

Adrienne Porter · June 27, 2011

← Back to the headlines

Designing The Super Hard Shell Turtle Wax Container

Why understanding the product and the user are essential for design.

In 1944, “Plastone” was introduced. It was the first premium car-wax product. And while you're probably not familiar with that brand, you undoubtedly are with the name that it was changed to in 1953: “Turtle Wax.”

And so when Scott Jost, vice president, Innovation & Design for Studio One Eleven, a division of Berlin Packaging, talks about the assignment of redesigning the container for Super Hard Shell Turtle Wax, the fact of history plays a significant role: This isn't just about coming up with a clever package. It's about respecting the history of the brand and of the product and staying appropriate to that, yet while providing some significant beneficial changes to what went before.

“Design is the process of understanding the user and the brand and understanding the problem, then responding to it creatively.”

— Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging Vice President of Innovation & Design

Case in point: The overcap. That's the plastic top that holds the sponge in place. Or, more accurately, that is supposed to hold the sponge in place. It had been a thermoformed piece. But it didn't always do what it was intended to do. For example, sometimes, it would, well, fall off, and leave the sponge separated from the container in retail establishments as well as in garages. Or, sometimes when a person about to wax her or his car removed the overcap, not only would it come off, but the lid on the polypropylene jar containing the wax would come off right along with it, and this could lead to a messy situation.

Case in point: The positioning of the jar in retail establishments. “One of the issues that they and other manufacturers who have products in round containers that are stacked on shelves is that they pay agencies hundreds of thousands of dollars to research your brand and develop your product and then they rely on a 16-year-old stocking clerk at Wal-Mart to make it look good on a shelf,” Jost says, adding, “Generally they don't have the same level of interest that our clients do.” So the products are stocked on the shelf with the front facing to this side or that, sometimes facing front, sometimes facing back.

They worked to make these things better.

But an important point about this: The designers at Studio One Eleven knew first hand that these were problems.

Jost explains: “The design process started with what we call a 'brand audit.'” So they did a significant amount of research over a period of about six weeks. They observed people shopping for the product. They observed people using the product. They researched what the brand meant. They bought competitive products.

And they were designers. This was before they “even thought about a design sketch on the back of a notebook,” he says. And he explains why: “Design is the process of understanding the user and the brand and understanding the problem, then responding to it creatively.”

“If you don't have a good grasp of the end user and the attributes they value and the characteristics of the packaging that they appreciate and don't appreciate, then you're just an artist, someone proposing random shapes in the hope that something sticks. That's the antithesis of what we do.”

Deep understanding is important before the development of the packaging begins.

Then they set about to do the “creative,” post-informed research. They tried a number of different shapes and forms; they looked at different types of materials. So while a square or an oval might have been interesting, they determined that they needed to maintain “core equity,” and the Super Hard Shell container had to be a cylinder, as it always had been.

They moved onto the functionality. They decided that it would be better to replace the thermoformed cap with an injection molded overcap because they determined that it was “more controllable and robust.” Based on a user interaction map–watching how someone with a container would actually handle it–they designed the top so that it is intuitive to use: there are two embossments that tell you to “twist to open.”

The primary cap–the one that is above the wax in the container–was redesigned. A 107-mm continuous threaded cap is used in place of the pry-off cap. The one that facilitated spillage.

The jar itself is different, too. The previous had been an injection molding. The new one is a blow-molded polypropylene.

“The big innovation on the jar,” Jost says, “is on the bottom, which is called the 'push-up.'” Jost explains that oftentimes, the bottom of a container is “an engineering afterthought.” Or, “Sort of like the junk you push under the bed.” But in this case, they designed it specifically so that when the containers are stacked there is a “one right-way application.” The push-up is designed so that there is an indexing system that mates with the ribs on the overcap (which mimic the form of a turtle shell). So when the 16-year-old is stacking, he'll either get it exactly right or will be way wrong.

The project took about six months from research to tooling. The designers created several photorealistic models, and then when the final design was selected, they made rapid prototypes of the parts with an Objet 3D printer (“We also have a fused-deposition modeler in-house,” Jost says.). Speaking of the 3D printing, he says that it is very beneficial to have the equipment on hand: “Rather than waiting until the end, the designers can use it as a real-time development tool. The old school way was you'd get all the way to the end and then make a big investment in prototyping.” Change was undoubtedly more soul-searching than when you have a model made out of a starch-like material and realize that there needs to be a tweak here or there. And while they certainly use CADD (computer-aided design and drafting) as a design tool, “You can't check comfort on a CADD terminal,” Jost says.

8 Berlin Packaging Designs Featured in Book on Packaging Innovations

Adrienne Porter · May 24, 2011

← Back to the headlines

8 Berlin Packaging Designs Featured in Book on Packaging Innovations

Company’s Studio One Eleven Division Provided Structural/Graphic Design & Brand Strategy

“Creativity is essential, as the examples in this publication demonstrate, but how people interact with the package and the manufacturing implementation itself are equally important. We have built our reputation on our ability to deliver all three.”

— Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging Vice President of Innovation and Design

Eight package designs by Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven design division are featured in The Big Book of Packaging, a recently released anthology of the latest innovations in packaging design compiled by branding and design authorities Will Burke, Lisa Baer and James Pietruszynski. The eight projects span food, health/beauty, pet care, automotive and household chemical products for which Studio One Eleven provided structural design, graphic design and/or brand strategy services, with all components manufactured by Berlin Packaging’s supply network to ensure successful execution.

The 384-page book highlights over 500 designs that demonstrate how to package products creatively, economically and sustainably. An introduction by Burke, founder and CEO of Brand Engine, states that the “common thread among this elite group [of package designs] is their ability to tell a brand story that is authentic, meaningful and compelling. These designs deliver on many levels by transcending the merely obvious and offering us the possible. The shape, material, color and graphics combine to arouse our interest and influence our decisions.”

The Studio One Eleven design projects spotlighted in the book include:

Renpure Organic Hair Care, a brand strategy, visual identity, custom bottle and closure all inspired by the brand’s emphasis on purity. Studio One Eleven helped communicate the brand attributes of purity, freshness and nature with a hand-drawn gestural brandmark, pure white typography, and brightly colored custom bottles and closures featuring a hard-to-manufacture organic shape successfully delivered by Berlin Packaging partners.

Softsoap NutriSerums Body Wash

A custom bottle and closure designed for easy one-handed use in the shower. Created after an extensive trend analysis that included sampling excursions to Europe, the patented bottle shape pushes the boundaries of PET blow molding technology while also showcasing the product – consisting of pearlescent beads suspended in a clear gel. The patented closure is bi-injected to match each SKU’s colors.

ACT Anticavity Fluoride Rinse

Featuring SpongeBob SquarePants, a structural design project for Chattem, licensee of the Nickelodeon SpongeBob character. Adding play value to a decidedly un-playful category, the package uses the familiar SpongeBob stylized seaweed pattern to frame the bottle’s silhouette. The silhouette also serves to amplify and refract the deep blue of the bottle, evoking the aesthetic of SpongeBob’s underwater world.

Downy Wrinkle Releaser

A structural design project for the oneCARE Company to improve the appearance and usability of the product’s 500ml and 1000ml package systems. Studio One Eleven unified the new bottle design with existing Downy brand equities, including shape and color, and also specified a new trigger sprayer after ethnographic studies revealed user complaints about the performance of the incumbent solution.

Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell Paste Wax

A new package with four custom components that resemble the brand’s iconic turtle shell when assembled plus a die-cut label with a foil-stamped turtle brand mark that evokes the Turtle Wax shine. A new twist-off primary cap and translucent overcap solved the outgoing package’s spilling problems, while functional modifications to the jar base improved alignment and stackability on the retail shelf.

Fischer & Wieser Cooking Sauces

A custom glass bottle with a collared shoulder and scripted brand embossment plus an exclusive brand mark featuring a hand-lettered script with flourished details. The two-toned label architecture includes an antique marble texture, watermark and a warm color palette reflecting the sophisticated flavor offering. The neck is accented by a shrink band with a recurring decorative watermark.

Amoretti Olive Oil

An upscale package for Noushig Inc. utilizing an antique green stock glass bottle from Italy with a stair-stepped pedestal foot, soft rounded shoulder, and slender neck accented by a gold neck label. Studio One Eleven also created a new brand identity, including a hand-scripted brand mark created by renowned type designer Horst Mickler as well as a label incorporating a silkscreened olive branch and ‘World Pastry Champion’ seal.

Tropiclean Pet Shampoo

A brand update for Cosmos Corporation that included a logo redesign, a custom bottle right-sized for the user’s hands and suited to the one-handed use often required for pet grooming, and a custom flip-top closure also designed to be opened and closed with one hand. The new logo retains the previous look and feel with a fresher, bolder presentation.

“The power of these packages stems not just from our grounding in the traditional creative process, but also from our pre-design discovery work. From interviewing target users to mapping planograms to analyzing our clients’ competitors, our process is designed to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of great consumer experiences. What you see on the page and on the shelf isn’t just a package that stands out, but one that functions well and thereby helps drive repeat sales,” said Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging Vice President of Innovation and Design. “Creativity is essential, as the examples in this publication demonstrate, but how people interact with the package and the manufacturing implementation itself are equally important. We have built our reputation on our ability to deliver all three.”

Berlin Packaging Wins 7 NACD Awards Including Best of Show

Adrienne Porter · April 26, 2011

← Back to the headlines

Berlin Packaging Wins 7 NACD Awards Including Best of Show

Packages in Household Chemical, Food, Drug/Pharmaceutical, Pet/Vet Categories Honored

Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures, won seven awards in the 2011 National Association of Container Distributors (NACD) Package Awards Competition, including Best of Show for a custom Pampers Kandoo Corner Buddy hand soap package. The honors, announced earlier this month, covered packages developed and supplied by Berlin Packaging in the household chemical/auto, food, drug/pharmaceutical, pet/vet and novelty categories.

The Pampers Kandoo hand soap package that won the competition’s Bernard M. Seid Best of Show award is custom-molded in the shape of a frog, reflecting the Kandoo brand’s longtime mascot. The bottle's unique 90-degree back fits snugly in tub or sink corners to restrict lateral movement, allowing children to pump the package by themselves rather than requiring assistance from a caregiver to hold the container steady. The package and label were developed for Nehemiah Manufacturing Company by Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Elevendesign division as part of a relaunch of Pampers Kandoo, a line of children's personal care products.

Berlin Packaging also received gold, silver and bronze NACD awards for:

Complete Nutrition’s TONE (Gold)

A nutritional supplement designed to reduce body fat, maintain normal cholesterol levels and promote healthy heart function. The package features a stock bottle and closure with a custom overcap that differentiates the product on the shelf without requiring packers to adjust their filling procedures and thereby slow filling speeds. The overcap snaps over the standard ribbed closure during the kit process, providing a taller closure that sits flush with the body of the bottle for a custom appearance.

Amoretti Olive Oil (Gold)

A premium infused organic olive oil packaged for Noushig Inc. in an antique green stock glass bottle from Italy with a unique pedestal base. The unusual silhouette, combined with a complete rebranding by Studio One Eleven, creates a high-end appearance that matches the product’s premium positioning.

Watson’s Swimway (Silver)

A spa chemical line packaged in a custom 32oz PET bullet utilizing a new translucent frosted bronze colorant. The new upscale package for Haviland Pool and Spa Products – replacing a plain HDPE cylinder – also features standard vented closures in custom pearl, gold and black to identify different product categories as well as a larger 38-400 neck finish for easier filling of both powders and liquids.

Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell (Bronze)

A new package by Studio One Eleven featuring an updated aesthetic as well as a new twist-off primary cap and overcap that solved the legacy package’s spilling problems. The overcap also enhanced branding with a turtle shell-inspired shape and two earflaps debossed with the Turtle Wax logo, and functional modifications to the jar base improved alignment and stackability on the retail shelf.

Jewelry Wipes by Connoisseurs Products (Bronze)

A package update featuring a custom polypropylene container in a custom red metallic color for strong shelf appeal. The curved container is designed to stand firmly on the store shelf without falling over, replaces a pull-through dispenser that damaged the wipes with an open design that preserves product integrity and is also easier to use, and features a screen-printed multi-color foil label.

Espree Animal Shampoo & Conditioner (Bronze)

A family of custom HDPE and PET 4, 12 and 20oz bottles with pinched waists that fit well in the groomer’s hand. Replacing standard bullet and cylinder shapes, the new bottles also feature a new graphic identity developed by Studio One Eleven. The new package has been a key factor in securing preferential shelf position and dramatically increasing sales.

“These awards showcase the breadth of our capabilities, from creative use of stock containers and closures to custom mold design and artwork delivered through our Studio One Eleven team,” said Andrew T. Berlin, Chairman and CEO of Berlin Packaging. “This list includes projects with major time challenges, new product launches, packages that have solved functional design deficiencies, and others that have helped companies build significant market share. Our ability to excel in all these areas has contributed to our strong growth.”

Berlin Packaging’s Pampers Kandoo Package Wins ‘Best of Show’ in 2011 NACD Award Competition

Adrienne Porter · March 15, 2011

← Back to the headlines

Berlin Packaging’s Pampers Kandoo Package Wins 'Best of Show' in 2011 NACD Award Competition

Designed & Delivered Custom Frog-Shaped Container & Label for Brand Relaunch

Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures, announced today that its custom Pampers Kandoo “Corner Buddy” hand soap package for Nehemiah Manufacturing has been named the Best of Show in the 2011 National Association of Container Distributors packaging competition. The custom frog-shaped container – designed to fit snugly in tub or sink corners – competed with over 100 other entries to receive NACD’s top honor.

The package and label were developed by Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven design division as part of a relaunch of Pampers Kandoo, a line of personal care products for children. Nehemiah Manufacturing approached Studio One Eleven with the charter to design and manufacture a range of bodywash, shampoo, hand soap and hand sanitizer packages reflecting Kandoo’s mission of “empowering play.”

Building on its previous work with package design for children's products, a Studio One Eleven team led by Senior Designer Liam Hawry began by gathering, documenting and analyzing package examples from related products. The team also engaged mothers and children to understand purchase drivers and physical interaction with other products in the category, including taking video footage of moms and kids using current offerings.

The results were used as a foundation for developing multiple package solutions to address how children clean up with soap and sanitizers at home, during play, and in cars and minivans. The development process for the Corner Buddy package included hand-sculpted prototypes created from automotive clay in order to convey the subtle personality of the Kandoo frog character envisioned by the Berlin-Nehemiah team as well as satisfy the technical requirements of production blow molding.

The final Corner Buddy package can be used on a sink basin or any flat surface, or it can be nestled into corners because of a form factor featuring sides with a 90-degree angle. Placed in a corner, the package’s lateral movement is restricted, allowing children to pump the package by themselves rather than requiring assistance from a caregiver to hold the container steady.

“Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven group not only presented us with a series of creative solutions, but supported those solutions with research insights that energized our internal team. The result-and this Best in Show award- speak for themselves.”

— Dan Meyer, CEO of Nehemiah Manufacturing

“Nehemiah is an exceptionally creative group of folks,” said Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging Vice President of Innovation and Design. “And while they are a team with tremendous product development experience, this alone wouldn’t have been enough to guarantee a positive outcome. Nehemiah proved to be true believers in the power of experiential design. It’s not just a matter of delivering a package that looks good, but also one that performs in a way that consumers want and need.”

Nehemiah Manufacturing CEO Dan Meyer concurred. “Because it was so important for us to deliver on the Kandoo brand’s promise of empowering kids with interactive products, we needed much more than unique packaging shapes from our innovation partner,” Meyer noted. “Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven group not only presented us with a series of creative solutions, but supported those solutions with research insights that energized our internal team. The results – and this Best in Show award – speak for themselves.”

The Kandoo Corner Buddy package and individual category winners will be honored at the NACD Annual Awards Gala Banquet on April 8 in Palm Springs, California.

Paul Brown Hawaii Awarded First Place At International Prestige Package Design Competition

Adrienne Porter · October 20, 2010

← Back to the headlines

Paul Brown Hawaii Awarded First Place At International Prestige Package Design Competition

Paul Brown Hawaii has continued to earn local, national and international attention this year! The HBA Global Expo announced their new 2010 International Package Design Awards in New York City. Paul Brown Hawaii proudly earned first place honors in the Personal Care Prestige Award category! The International Design Awards selected Paul Brown Hawaii’s new Hapuna Keratin Retexturizer Caddy based upon originality, design concept, creative use of new marketing materials, components, decorating processes as well as technical competency and effective brand messaging.

International Package Design Awards: As noted on the front page of the Health & Beauty Aids Global Show News this week, “International Package Design Awards Category Leaders Announced!” Outstanding HBA IPDA Awards were selected from a variety of cosmetic, beauty, skincare, haircare, fragrance and personal care categories. The International Package Design Awards finalists were selected by an elite HBA Committee of 100 leading industry executives who reviewed all entries while selecting finalists for each of 9 categories. This selection committee is made up of designers, suppliers, marketing companies and trade media representatives. The finalists were presented to independent designers who selected a leading package in each category as well as for the Package Of The Year. Other IPDA Award winners included L’Oreal Paris Makeup, Jane Iredale Cosmetics, Hanae Mori Perfumes, Bella Una Fragrances, Bath & Body Works, RE9 Arbonne Skincare and Shea Radiance.

“Paul Brown Hawaii proudly earned first place honors in the Personal Care Prestige Award category.”

Paul Brown notes, “I am extremely proud and elated with our entire Paul Brown Haircare Company team that is taking us to the next level with very exciting new branding and marketing campaigns! I am proud to share congratulation and honors with everyone on our team and most of all, the strategically keen focused Margaret Burmeister, who is president of the company as well as all of our clients.”

Celebrating Paul Brown Hawaii Teamwork: The award winning design team included the Caddy Marketing Strategy led by Paul Brown, Margaret Burmeister, Reyme Ramirez, Grant Samples and Sonya Walker of the Paul Brown Hawaii Team in Los Angeles. The actual caddy, collateral merchandising, point-of-purchase designs and branding campaign were created by the Marketing Solutions Team of Fairfax, VA. The collateral packaging was created by Jimmy Cohn Productions of Santa Clarita, CA, the bottle manufacturer is Berlin Packaging of Cerritos, CA and the bottle designer is Studio 111 of Chicago, IL.

To develop their new brand, identity campaign and image, the Paul Brown Hawaii team carefully listened to advice from their family of regional distributors as well as their affiliated hair designers. Noted as one of the primary issues was that most manufacturers do not always properly support the hair designers by giving them the marketing tools they really need to sell more services and products. This new Paul Brown Hawaii Caddy System was designed so that when selling the salon service, everything was included for the hair designer and the client by adding the professional take home products. This ensures repeat sales for the hairdresser, distributor and the manufacturer, while it helps each client to properly maintain their new hairstyles at home between salon visits.

Paul Brown owns and operates six internationally respected and very successful day spa salons throughout Hawaii. For more information or for a complimentary consultation, contact any of the Paul Brown Salons & Day Spas.

The primary focus of the Paul Brown Hawaii product company remains to always provide haircare solutions for all types of hair, in all cultures. Paul Brown Hawaii products and services are offered worldwide while sold exclusively in professional salons and spas. Paul Brown Hawaii products are supported with continuing education and research to meet the demands of the culturally diverse professional beauty industry.

Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven Sponsors Shelf Impact! Package Design Workshop

Adrienne Porter · May 3, 2008

← Back to the headlines

Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven Sponsors Shelf Impact! Package Design Workshop

Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven design division recently sponsored the Shelf Impact! Packaging Design Workshop in Chicago. The workshop focused on retail trends, consumer preferences and strategies to help designers and other professionals create packages that deliver bottom-line results.

The workshop was facilitated by respected package design and marketing experts including Berlin Packaging’s Scott Jost, Director of Studio One Eleven; Jim George, Shelf Impact; and publisher Jim Chrzan.

“We believe that our company’s success is tied to our success in increasing our clients’ net income.”

— Scott Jost, Berlin Packaging Vice President of Innovation & Design

In his keynote address entitled “The EVA of Strategic Design”, Scott Jost addressed the perennial question of how proponents of strategic design can frame their recommendations in quantitative terms.

According to Jost, “There’s no shortage of empirical evidence that design pays great dividends. From the UK Design Council’s 10-year stock market performance study to the success of such design-led firms as Apple and P&G, the beneficial effects of design are no longer a point of debate because good design is the price of entry in many categories. Now the more salient question is how to fine-tune design resources against expected outcomes. ”

Jost demonstrated Berlin Packaging’s design economic value-add (EVA) model, showing how marketers, brand managers and creatives can use the tool to model the net present value (NPV) of either undertaking a design project or not. The 2-option model applies user-specified probabilities for best case, base case, worst case outcomes against the cases’ effects, allowing Berlin’s clients to see 1, 2 or 3-year NPV projections of a custom packaging project.

“This tool is a natural manifestation of Berlin Packaging’s core philosophy.” said Jost. “We believe that our company’s success is tied to our success in increasing our clients’ net income. Helping our clients make informed investments in custom branding and packaging is yet another way that we can do so.”

Berlin Packaging Acquires Freund Container

Adrienne Porter · April 29, 1995

← Back to the headlines

Berlin Packaging Acquires Freund Container

“The strength of their company, as with any fine organization, has been their people. They are a professional and committed group we look forward to growing with!”

— Andrew Berlin, President and CEO of Berlin Packaging

Berlin Packaging, LLC, a Chicago-based supplier of rigid packaging, completes the acquisition of its long time competitor in the packaging catalog business, Freund Container. Headquartered in Chicago, Freund has been the leader in selling packaging through their catalog for more than 65 years. Thousands of styles and sizes of metal, plastic, glass and fiberboard containers, corrugate and packaging equipment are shipped to the market and supported by a staff of 34 people, each having more than an average of 13 years of experience in the industry. Freund mails over 1,000,000 catalogs annually to a variety of industries. Moreover, they are the largest packaging supplier through catalog sales in America. Berlin Packaging was the second largest. Together, Berlin’s new Freund division comprises over 30% of the market’s packaging catalog business.

Berlin Packaging introduced their catalog division, IntellipakÔ, in 1995 along with a full catalog of containers that could be purchased in any quantity. With a full staff of customer service representatives dedicated solely to IntellipakÔ, the catalog division became an ever- increasing competitive segment of the business. This division will now be merged into the Freund Container group.

Berlin Packaging is a privately owned company, who traces its roots to 1898 when the original company was started in Omaha, Nebraska. Freund Container was family owned and operated through three generations. The synergistic benefits of this acquisition are not only shared business philosophies, but also the two companies share many of the same suppliers and products. In addition, Freund Container brings to Berlin’s product mix, the expansion into flexible packaging and light machinery. With the completion of this acquisition, Freund will retain its trade name as “Freund Container, a division of Berlin Packaging.”

Gail Vargas Larson, Vice President and General Manager of Freund remarks, “We are extremely excited about Berlin and Freund joining forces. With their packaging expertise and extraordinary resources poised to invest heavily in our catalog company, our customers, employees and suppliers stand to benefit tremendously throughout the coming years!” Andrew Berlin, President and C.E.O. of Berlin Packaging, agrees. “Freund is a fabulous company that we have watched for many years. The strength of their company, as with any fine organization, has been with their people. They are a professional and committed group we look forward to growing with!” To see the complete Freund line of packaging, please visit www.freundcontainer.com.

Berlin Packaging is North America’s largest stocking supplier of glass, plastic, and metal containers and closures. The company’s annual sales are in excess of $200,000,000. Berlin currently has 21 sales offices and stocking warehouses coast to coast across the United States. For more information, please visit our website: www.berlinpackaging.com.