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Prizewinning cartonboard packaging opens with one hand, no tools

Cartonboard packaging can make life easier for many people.
That’s evident in the winner of Pro Carton Nordica’s design competition – a toothbrush package that is easily opened with one hand.
The ingenious construction was created by Joel Heinevik, Jonas Liljeros and Linus Tapper at the Polhem Upper Secondary School in Göteborg.

This is the third time that Pro Carton has invited Nordic design students to compete in creating new forms of packaging. Every year the quality of the entries goes up.

“The entries are impressive and even some of them that didn’t make the winners’ podium have commercial potential,” comments Pro Carton Nordica Chairman Esko Boman.
An ageing population is the great challenge for the packaging industry. Society needs new forms of packaging that are easy for weak hands to open without using tools. The trio from Göteborg took notice of that fact in their winning entry The Spring-Thing. At first glance it looks like an ordinary cartonboard container. The difference is that a third of the package is constructed like an accordion. The consumer pushes the bottom of the package against a flat surface, the package is compressed, and the toothbrush pushes the top open.
“An obvious solution to a common problem. The packaging has major technical and commercial potential,” commented the jury.

Second prize

Second prize went to Katri Ollila and Vilma Wallinmaa of the Lathi Institute of Design in Finland. Their entry was a range of packaging for children’s clothing. The package opening features a die-cut version of the garment’s shape, such as socks or mitts, and a crease creates the illusion of a washing line.
“Fun, slightly mischievous, and has the potential to be refined further,” said the jury.

Third prize

The third prize winner was a muesli packet, also from the Lathi Institute of Design in Finland. The designer is Maria Rentola. It is basically an ordinary packet that has been pressed together at both ends to give it a unique shape. The opening is easy to pour from and reclose. The jury felt it is well designed for industrial manufacturing and has development potential.

Special prize

The jury also chose to award a special prize to an innovative form of retro packaging. It is a portable drinks bar called Absolut bärbar and is created by Hanna Nylén of the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design and Louise Gustafsson, a former student at the Nackademin Upper Secondary School, both from Stockholm.
The outer packaging is in the shape of old-fashioned pyramid-shaped tetrahedron cartons for milk. The packaging is made of cartonboard and is opened and resealed with a zipper, which is sewn into the packaging. Inside are small tetrahedrons containing different flavours of Absolut Vodka.
“Just the concept of using cartonboard in combination with a zipper and seams indicates something new,” felt the jury.

Downloads

ProCarton design competition 2007 high-res pictures (ZIP-archive)

Competition 2007 semi-finalists brochure (PDF)

To the editorial department:
Further information is available by e-mailing nordica@procarton.com.

Pro Carton Nordica is an industry organisation for the manufacturers of cartonboard and cartonboard packaging. The organisation works to promote better and more functional packaging. Pro Carton operates throughout Europe and its overall activities are described at www.procarton.com.