We’re inviting you into the ‘Think Tank’ to take a look at the latest consumer trends in premium packaging - what’s hot, how new manufacturing techniques will help you stand out from the crowd and how to differentiate through the use of innovative packaging materials.

This is an interactive show & tell event where speakers will engage, educate and explore the packaging journey from conception to final production.

You’ll get a 360 view inside the world of premium packaging through the eyes of a designer, agency representative, manufacturers and suppliers. Our speakers peel back the packaging journey, each sharing their insights on how to add value, highlighting the latest trends and what the future looks like for premium packaging.

This invite-only event will ensure you stay at the forefront of premium packaging as well as give you the chance to touch, feel and interact with some of the latest packaging products on the market.

More info and RSVP here.

With store shelves creaking under the strain of 1000s of products, engaging packaging is vital to making your brand stand out.

Good packaging attracts consumers, communicates your brand's virtues and ultimately boosts sales. It's an important quality indicator and it's essential when it comes to brand image. Mastering the art of great packaging means winning customers' favour and growing market share.

Be inspired by the following brands and the innovative ways they exploit the power of the pack.

1. News of the Wooled by Gwyn Lewis

For this Introduction to knitting kit, the designer used the source of wool yarn sheep, promoting the products by using representations of a sheep to catch the eye and get people interested in yarn craft.

2. Valvoline Oil T-Shirt by Eric Stevens

Borders Perrin Norrander reawakes Valvoline brand and makes it relevant to car guys again. By eschewing category clichés and striking an emotional chord with the brand's prime audience, Valvoline quickly shot to #1 for the first time in company history.

3. Fisk by Landon Larsen

Fiks is a magazine built in a unique, interactive style that integrates simple puzzles/activities with the fresh content and stunning packaging.

4. Panasonic Note by Scholz & Friends

Brilliant packaging for the Stereo Earphones Headphones RP-HJE 130 Panasonic. Inspired by the shape of a musical note the packaging is beautiful, minimal and impactful.

5. Very Very Bright by Julia Kim

Creative packaging for light bulbs.

6.Gris 12 pencil package by Kevin Angeloni

Another way of seeing the gray pencil that everyone knows being an indispensable tool for all creatives. The pencil is contained in a thin glass cylinder topped with a cork. Everything is placed in a plexiglass holder.

7. Hang Me Some Tea by Soon Mo Kang

This tea packaging is a funny take on how the simple motion of hanging a used teabag on the rim of your cup, be done. Color-coded for different varieties, the hangers are rather cute and so are the tea-shirts!

8. Cheese Pencils by The Deli Garage

Cheese Pencils are shaped like oversized pencils, where the "leads" contain three different flavours: truffles, pesto and chilli. With the built-in grating function you can sprinkle delicious, appetizing flakes of parmesan cheese on your meal. A scale lists how many calories the portion contains.

9. Socksraw by Leejiye

This not ordinary package is designed to highlight the special quality of single color socks. The name of socksraw is a combined word of socks and draw and the words represent the concept of the package, the material of the package is paper and the sketch of the package is printable.

10. Carrot Sugar Scrub

This pretty sugar scrub is a perfect DIY gift by OHMY!Creative

ThinkTank once again had the pleasure of attending the ever-expanding Packaging Innovations show, this year hosted at Olympia London.

Amongst collaborators and competition we discovered ground breaking packaging innovations across myriad industry sectors.

Here's ThinkTank's Top 5 favourites, ideas we believe are destined for store shelves near you soon:

1. Ceramics

Ceramics are back and making waves in a big way. A reinvention of what may have seemed a dated model, particularly in the beverage sector, has lead to some inspiring and highly appealing production runs of bespoke crafted designs tailored to the individual brand.

2. Foils

Foiling has come a long way in recent years with the advent of laser etching and multi-level tooling, but did you know brands
can now have their own individual bespoke foil incorporating their design or logo, and at a relatively low minimum order quantity (MOQ)?

3. Mirri

ThinkTank were blown away by the new MirriSparkle product, developed by Celloglas. We cannot wait to use this game-changing finish, it's unique glittering shimmer available for multiple applications. It was also heartening to note there's an environmentally friendly Mirri—a welcome addition to an increasingly eco-conscious market.

4. Inline Foiling

Soon available via ThinkTank, inline digital foiling utilises a Scodix set-up removing the need for a foiling die, making short
run premium packaging a reality. This cuts costs and time, whilst crucially adding edge to your communication.

5. Digital Interaction

A California-based team have created an app that allows you to augment beverages with a "message on a bottle", enabling tailored communications to an individual customer. Above and beyond this direct interaction, the product also allows data capture and the enhanced brand awareness savvy companies strive for.

Engraving can be defined as the practice of incising/ scoring a design onto a hard flat surface by cutting grooves into it. It is commonly used on metal and glass surfaces.

Engraving requires a tool to mark or carve the surface. Engraving tools can range from non mechanised, hand push tools, partially mechanised, rotary hand drill, sand engraver, copper wheel, push graver and fully mechanised: computer rotary engraver.

There are 3 types of engraving methods that are used – laser, hand and diamond engraving, let's see some examples with beautiful products manufactured by Think Tank!

Laser Engraving
The most common method of engraving today is laser engraving, which can be done on most metals, steel, aluminium, titanium, copper, brass, plastic, wood, glass and leather. As the title suggests, this method uses a laser to brand a product which is controlled by a computer programme. The laser burns into the surface of the products providing a durable and high precision, permanent branding.

The benefits of laser engraving are:

• As operated by a computer, this method is faster than many conventional methods of product imprinting
• As the laser is operated by a computer, there is less opportunity for product damage
• There are no consumables and no problems disposing of toxic by-products as some other methods
• Laser engraving produces a mark that is crisp, clean and permanent, providing greater versatility in material choices

Hand Engraving
A traditional method of engraving where sharp tools are used to cut grooves into the product. This is most suitable for individual names on pens, such as trophies and small name plaques. For example, this method would be used during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships when a quick turnaround is needed to engrave the trophies for presentation immediately after the game is finished.

Diamond Engraving
Diamond engraving is a method where machines are used to cut grooves in metal. The machines allow for 100% replication on a number of products.

Items that are engraved include: metal pens, metal keyrings, metal desk items and USBs with metal casing.

Engraving can be charged on a per position, per product basis and also in relation to the size of the branded area.

Setup costs to engrave can be slightly higher than printing setup costs because of the time it takes to set up the computer programme and the strength of the laser to achieve the right finish for the end user.

The General Benefits of Most Types of Engraving:
• Suitable for low unit runs
• Speed - since the computer is setup, the actual time taken to engrave the product is very quick
• No drying or curing time is required
• Laser work provides a clear, crisp and very detailed reproduction of a logo or design
• Permanent branding

Some Drawbacks of Engraving:
• Not always suitable for plastic items, fabrics and ceramic products
• Generally more costly than printing
• Can be tricky to engrave larger items as items may not fit into the machines
• Hand engraving can be time consuming and is only suitable for 1 offs or a very low order quantity

When you live and commute in London it's easy to understand the meaning of "being in a rush". You're often running late for something: work, the gym, meeting friends. Or sometimes it's just a state of mind—you don't have anywhere to be, yet you feel compelled to hurry, to move, to act.

Lately, more and more people feel stuck in this state. They feel they have no time, and even stopping for food is an inconvenience. We think it's for this reason there's a trend toward innovative packaging for to-go food, so people can just grab and GO!

Creating compelling takeout food packaging is a real challenge because it needs to consider:
- Appealing colour combinations
- Materials, as eco-friendly as possible
- Usability: It should not be too eccentric, since often the customer will eat their food directly out of this packaging
- Functionality: Will it keep it warm? Will it leak? Will it prevent wilting? Will it be easy to eat from without sitting down?

With that in mind, we highlight some of our favourite 2 GO Packaging projects in the images.

Wood...a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and some woody plants. Since the beginning of times humans have used it for both fuel and as a construction material. Even though there are many modern synthetic production materials, wood remains one of the favourites. In our opinion is because it has great features and benefits such as:

- It can be modified in various ways: you can screen print it, die cut it, laser etch it and custom build anything with it.
- Wood adds a sense of luxury, naturally beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.
- Wood is a durable material: when properly looked after it can last hundreds of years and can even be reused after.
- Responsibly sourced wood is renewable: forests will regrow to provide a wide range of other benefits such as further carbon storage, oxygen generation and forest habitat.
- Wood provides local green jobs: because woodwork is often done on site, choosing wood means supporting local jobs for carpenters and craftspeople.

Here is our selection of the best products & packaging made with wood.