Four elements take home the victory in SPICE:11 – Billerud and NINE’s packaging contest in association with Berghs

The winners of Billerud, NINE’s and Berghs School of Communication SPICE:11 contest based their entry on the words ‘playful’, ‘different’ and ‘smart’ when developing the winning packaging for Orrefors Kosta Boda. Using the four elements of glass blowing as a graphic profile, where earth and fire represent Kosta Boda and wind and water Orrefors, they managed to conceptualise a packaging solution that offered both innovation and functionality.

Smarter packaging is an ideas carrier and has become an increasingly important means of competition when a large number of brands want to communicate, build and strengthen their brands. This was why Billerud, along with its design agency NINE, initiated a long-term collaboration with Berghs School of Communication – to contribute with knowledge on packaging development based on sustainable materials and, at the same time, to gain inspiration from Europe’s best students in the sphere of design and communication.

For the second year in a row, the collaboration, which goes under the name of SPICE, held a course at Berghs, “Sustainable Packaging Design – SPICE:11”, which has been taken by students on both the Graphic Design and Account Management/Operative Project Management programmes.

The kick-off for the course was held at Billerud’s Gruvön mill in Grums, Värmland, and the students were able to take a tour of the mill and visit Billerud’s knowledge centre, Box Lab, where they learned about Billerud’s range of materials and paper processes and were given help with their packaging samples.

"Bergh's starting point in teaching is that we are close to reality – and it could hardly be more real than to start this course with a visit to Grums" said Charlotta Rydholm, Head of Bergh's full-time education Account Management/Operative Project Management programmes.

The final challenge of the course was the SPICE:11 contest, in which the students competed in developing a completely new concept for gift packaging for Orrefors Kosta Boda’s products. The aim was for the packaging to increase the value of the product, achieve recognition and brand identification, and streamline and rationalise packing and logistics. The students’ solutions and communicative ideas were presented to a jury consisting of Billerud, NINE, Berghs and Orrefors Kosta Boda, and were assessed based on the following criteria: originality, relevance, quality/design and feasibility.

“It was incredibly exciting to see the packaging the students finally produced. Packaging is an important tool for communicating with and marketing a product in relation to consumers, and it’s crucial to have a strategy for the entire product life cycle. Much of the work involves striking a balance between creative ideas and practicality, which the winners succeeded in doing,” says Jimmy Nyström, Business Development Director, Packaging Boards, Billerud.

The winning team, made up of the graphic designers Oskar Wettergren and Anna Jadvi along with production managers Cornelia Röslund and Peter Orre, can now look forward toa stay at Kosta Boda Art Hotel, a course in glass blowing, and the privilege of producing their own design for the glass.

For more information, please contact:
Jimmy Nyström, Business Development Director Packaging Boards, Billerud, + 46 (0) 555 410 27
Jon Haag, MD, NINE, + 46 (0) 70 207 25 57
Charlotta Rydholm, Topic Manager, Account Management/Operative Project Management programmes, Berghs, + 46 (0) 73 061 57 57

NINE
NINE is an innovation and design agency tasked with taking a leading position in packaging strategy,design and practical innovation. The company’s main shareholder is the listed company Billerud. NINE has a global network in the packaging industry and offers a mix of multidisciplinary business, materials and design expertise for brand owners looking for smarter packaging.

Berghs School of Communication
Berghs School of Communication offers strategic and creative educational programs within marketing communications at several levels and formats. We offer Professional Diploma Programs and an International Bachelor Program for full-time studies, more than 80 part-time courses, and customized programs for corporate clients. Every year about 3000 people study at Berghs in one type of program or another, either in Sweden or abroad. An additional 3000 guests attend our inspirational seminars. Berghs School of Communication is located in central Stockholm, Sweden, and is owned by the Norwegian corporation Anton B. Nilsen, which also runs several other schools, among them Westerdals School of Communication and NITH University in Oslo.

Orrefors Kosta Boda
Orrefors Kosta Boda AB designs, manufactures and sells glass and glass art of the highest quality and world-renowned design for two strong brands, Orrefors and Kosta Boda. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly listed New Wave Group AB.

Billerud provides high quality paper and state of the art packaging expertise. Together with our global network of converters we develop smarter packaging solutions that save costs, boost brands thanks to improved design, and contribute towards smoother logistics and a cleaner environment. We have a turnover of SEK 9 billion and employ 2,300 people in 11 countries. www.billerud.com

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