Introduction
The pandemic swept the world early 2020, touching the lives of everyone, impacting them personally, socially, professionally and financially. Numerous lockdowns, social distancing rules, working from home, and changes in employment subsequently had a transformational impact on consumer food purchases and eating habits.
Many are still reassessing old spending patterns, reordering priorities, and have become accustomed to the ‘new norm’ of restauranttype dining at home versus eating at pubs and restaurants. Consumers have not yet reverted to pre-Covid habits despite the opening of indoor hospitality, opting for home cooked meals with quality food ingredients to provide that premium dining experience.
The Brief
Select a meal of the day which will be cooked at home and shared with family and/or friends. The packaging should contain a meal kit with the correct amount of all ingredients and the recipe for easy home cooking. Consider how the packaging can enhance the home cooking experience and help the consumer provide a premium home dining occasion that can replicate a pub or restaurant meal. Include sustainability credentials of the packaging to educate and engage the consumer and encourage them to recycle.
Points to consider
- Consider the protective needs of the ingredients to ensure they do not get damaged or mixed-up during transportation or prior to cooking.
- How can the design of the packaging have retail shelf and consumer appeal to attract the consumer to purchase the home-meal kit?
- The packaging will need compartments to help separate ingredients and in the correct portions.
- The packaging must have sustainability features and benefits.
- Consider the information and communication needed on the pack to attract the consumer and help them enjoy an easy home cooking experience and dining in occasion.
- Educate the consumer to ensure there is no food waste.
Materials to be used
The primary packaging will be injection moulded, made from post-consumer recycled plastic and be recyclable. The whole pack should be ‘optimised’ so that not too much or too little material is used.
Other secondary materials such as cardboard and/or labels can be used if needed but must be easily removable and recyclable. Consumer information and communication will be required so consider the packaging design and shape, as well as material selection.
Submission Details
Online registration must include upload of the developments boards and photographic evidence of the final model
The development boards (uploaded as a single PDF document) need to include the following:
- A3 Research Board
- A3 Design Exploration Board
- Net of Recommended Design Solution
The photographic evidence should:
- Showcase the front, back and sides of the model
- Be shot against a white background, and in focus. These images will be used in the Starpack Competition Book and may be used for additional promotion.
- A maximum of 4 images to be uploaded
- For students who are unable to supply a final model, 3D renderings and drawings are accepted.
Judging Criteria
What the judges are looking for:
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Originality and aesthetic qualities of the design, with consideration to commercial viability
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How the pack delivers the benefits to consumers and that the functionality has been considered as much as the branding
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The quality of portfolio, which must include evidence of research and the development of the design
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Designs which demonstrate awareness of environmental issues, through economic use of the material and recyclability
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Please also check out our past winners to see the standard of work required for winning entries.
In addition:
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Individual briefs may have specific conditions required by the sponsors. Please check each brief description carefully for full details.
Brief F Judges
Laura Donington
Prize
Winning prize
£400 and opportunity to spend a day with our teams who focus on packaging design, technical and engineering, sustainability, marketing and manufacturing.
(Subject to agreement and dependent on Covid-19 workplace guidelines in place at the time).
Awards
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We award Gold, Silver, Bronze and Highly Commended certificates but only give physical trophies to Gold, Silver and Bronze winners. All students will receive a certificate of entry |
About Robinson plc
Robinson specialises in custom packaging with value-added functionality for food and consumer product hygiene, safety, protection, and convenience. Their main activity is in injection and blow moulded plastic packaging operating within the food and drink, homecare, personal care and beauty sectors, providing products and services to major fast-moving consumer goods companies.
From soup and sauce pots and lids, to herbs and spice pots and flip top lids, to bleach bottles with caps and closures, or spray actuators and lids for shaving foam products, we create plastic packaging that combine sustainable features such as recyclability and lightweighting, with extended product shelf life, protection and consumer benefits such as tamper evident packs, child resistant closures and easy product dosing.
Contact Details
For guidance with the brief please contact Lubna Edwards or Laura Donington
Lubna: tel. +44(0) 7967 694 996
Laura: tel. +44(0) 7711 002 048
