by Melissa Simmerman | Jun 19, 2026 | AI, Brand Strategy, CPG Trends, Innovation, Melissa Simmerman, Packaging Design, Prototyping, Structural Design
June 23, 2026 Since the end of last year, one topic has come up again and again in our conversations with clients, partners, and colleagues alike. Innovation. From first-time founders to global CPGs, it’s on everyone’s minds. Not that it wasn’t before, but it feels...
by Melissa Simmerman | Apr 3, 2026 | Brand Strategy, CPG Trends, Innovation, Inspiration, Material and Finish, Packaging Design, Prototyping, Structural Design, Thought Leadership
Your Packaging Is Saying More Than You Think Consumers create and assign meaning to many things. As a brand, some of that is out of your control. Much of it isn’t. Consider the name “Corona” during the pandemic. Not controllable. But how the brand...
by Melissa Simmerman | Jul 2, 2025 | Brand Strategy, CPG Trends, Packaging Design
The Summer of Candy Salad is Upon Us Ah, summer. It’s a sweet, simple time of togetherness, full of wet swimsuits and sunscreen, campfires and fireflies, s’mores and hot dogs. Unless you work in CPG. Then it’s a full-on race to sell more of the...
by Melissa Simmerman | Jun 6, 2025 | Brand Strategy, Innovation, Packaging Design, Sustainability, Thought Leadership
The CPG Packaging Lifecycle Not to state the obvious, but we are packaging designers and have been for 30 years. We’ve long understood our responsibility to our clients and consumers—clarity, communication, the need to trigger a purchase decision—but our work...
by Melissa Simmerman | May 20, 2025 | Conference Recap, CPG Trends, Structural Design
What We Loved and What We Missed at Sweets & Snacks 2025 Stop scrolling! We aren’t here to rehash what’s already been shared many, many times regarding Sweets & Snacks 2025. Lots of good, smart folks have posted photos, observations, insights, and hot...
