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The Story of the Award-Winning ‘Build Your Brand’
Our generation lives in an era in which brands are expected to support important social causes that shape today's society. Some companies address this challenge by showcasing values through commercials, ads, and corporate messaging. Others are weaving those stories and principles into their branding - starting with their packaging and labels.
In recent weeks, several prizes were won in collaboration with Avery Dennison and design agency Supperstudio at the prestigious Pentawards. A project called ‘Build Your Brand’, showcasing eight different designs that address specific social and conservational challenges, won the silver award in the branding and consumer categories.
We talked with Paco Adín, Creative Director at Supperstudio, and Miguel García, BDM Wine & Spirits at Avery Dennison, who spearheaded this project, to learn more about the partnership, the project, and the importance of sustainable materials in the labelling world.
M_use: Both Supperstudio and Avery Dennison share many of the same values, making the collaboration for ‘Build your Brand’ seem quite organic and natural. How did you come up with the idea for this project?
Miguel Garcia: My relationship with Paco dates back many years, and we have worked on several projects together. Over coffee one day, the topic of sustainability came up and we talked about how brands approach sustainability as a concept. Around this time, Avery Dennison had just launched a new sustainable range of premium self-adhesive papers, which inspired Paco to consider how we might be able to present this value to the market through a new approach.
Paco Adin: This idea about helping and supporting brands to better communicate sustainability values was indeed born during that coffee meeting and conversation. Not just during the building of their brands, but also when labelling and packaging their products. In order to develop ‘Build your Brand’, we studied different perspectives and approaches and eventually landed on the different concepts which are found in the brochure.
M_use: Miguel, could you tell us what made Supperstudio and Paco a good partner to work with on this project?
Miguel Garcia: Since I have worked with Supperstudio and Paco for so many years, I know how passionately they approach every project and how hard they work. It's an approach that's beautiful, refreshing, and really fun! In fact, if you love a design for a product label so much that you want it in your own home as a decoration or a piece of art, it's a good sign. But it's not just the product itself that matters to me - it's the stories and concepts behind these products that I'm drawn to and want to surround myself with. And it is for this reason that brands hire Paco and his team.
And not to forget, Supperstudio's approach is cutting-edge and modern. This means that when they work with a brand, they don't just look at previous concepts and industry standard approaches. They look ahead and position a brand to be modern, unique, and relevant not only now, but also in the future.
M_use: Describe how it felt to win a Pentawards’ silver award in the branding and consumer category for ‘Build Your Brand’, and what it means to you.
Paco Adin: It was a fantastic victory for us, and it was truly the result of many years of hard work by the entire team. Since we began participating in the Pentawards seven years ago, we have been constantly looking for ways to improve, develop, and streamline our processes. We won the ‘Design Agency of the Year’ award twice and were ranked eighth in the world for packaging design agencies. In addition to this, we were also honoured with two more gold awards for a couple of other designs in the 'Build Your Brand' brochure. I am confident our collaboration with Avery Dennison contributed to our chances of winning these awards this year, which I am truly grateful for.
Miguel Garcia: It was a very special moment for me because I was celebrating with Paco and the Supperstudio team at their offices. At the end of the day, we're suppliers, and we never imagined we'd have the opportunity to witness a prestige ceremony like this in person. The Pentawards are the packaging industry's equivalent of the Oscars, so even though we were already very proud of the project, experiencing it and receiving recognition for it was simply incredible.
M_use: With the increased demand for sustainable materials, what is the most difficult challenge you face as a designer when working on a project that necessitates this?
Paco Adin: Because consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of using sustainable materials, I always opt for a design approach that minimises the use of materials while selecting the most sustainable ones on the market. For example, I try to choose only one or two materials for the packaging. This way, we not only send a clear message to the consumer about a specific social cause, but we also tell them that the use of sustainable materials is extremely important. We put our words into action.
In general, I find it easy to select a paper from Avery Dennison because their portfolio of sustainable materials is diverse and of high quality. Miguel is also always very helpful in assisting us with running tests and providing ideas to find the best solutions for each project.
M_use: How do you both see the world of branding for consumer labels evolving in the next ten years?
Paco Adin: We've already mentioned it, but sustainable packaging will be a growing trend in the coming years, as consumers become more aware of climate change and the impact that packaging can have on the environment. Marked packaging with intelligent labels will also become increasingly popular, as brands need to get closer to their customers with engaging packaging that tells a story and allows for interaction. This is a novel approach that I believe will become a popular trend in the coming years.
Miguel Garcia: Similarly, I believe that the need for transparency will continue to be a major trend. Some brands will fall behind if they do not do this. Adopting a minimalistic approach to material use and becoming more efficient and with your packaging use will be critical to serving a circular economy. Consumers, as Paco stated, want to see that your processes are efficient and have logic behind them.
Make a Mark (a design innovation project developed by Estal, Avery Dennison and Leonhard Kurz) makes an excellent point about minimalism. While everyone appreciates something aesthetically pleasing, we must recognise that it is possible to achieve this with a minimalistic approach and little embellishments – it might just mean that you have to work harder to achieve this. It's all about clear ideas and clear design, with strong messages to back them up.
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