How do you sell the value of design to senior management? What do you look for when selecting a design firm? Senior managers from five of the nation’s leading consumer packaged goods companies discussed these two topics in a panel discussion at the Fuse: Brand Identity and Package Design Conference in April in New York. Panelists were:

Merix Releev cold sore medication changes to pilfer-resistant film-laminated packaging to meet retailer demands.

Why, in product categories like OTC drugs, does packaging innovation seem to occur only after tragedy strikes? This was explored in our April 2007 issue, and it brought the following response from Bob Nall, Vice President of Packaging Design for Mattel Toys’ Boys Division:

Claudia Kotchka is a 29-year veteran at Procter & Gamble. As Vice President of Design Innovation and Strategy, her job is to “build design into P&G’s DNA.”

Successfully integrating structural and graphic branding has proved challenging for many product manufacturers. “Do we start with graphics branding and then create a structure around it, or do we create a structure and then start the graphics exploration afterward?” This question is commonly asked at the beginning of the creative process.

In our survey conducted last month, Shelf Impact! asked readers whether you think about production-line issues during package design. Not surprisingly, most of you said absolutely.

Woodford Reserve Distillery found an innovative way to leverage its sponsorship of the Kentucky Derby through packaging. The uniquely decorated bottles support the distillery’s Woodford Reserve bourbon whiskey as a super-premium brand that, like the beloved annual horse race, stands apart from competitors.