August 1, 2025

IPL25 – Chapter 6: The Packaging Story

LB Odendaal, Head of IPL Design, reflects on the unique experience of designing packaging for IPL’s own 25th anniversary artwork collection.

The Thought Process – Route Exploration

👐 Keeping an Open Mind (within smart parameters)

Our IPL Design team believes in exploring creative possibilities – but always within realistic constraints.

We established budget parameters early on that would work with our limited order quantity, then used this framework to guide our creative exploration of packaging directions, materials, and manufacturing possibilities.

This approach mirrors what we advise clients: set your budget boundaries first, then get creative within those parameters. It leads to more focused ideation, better outcomes and helps us meet project deadlines.

🎯 Setting the Framework

Our first instinct was to think sustainably, but also create an engaging unboxing experience that would beautifully complement the commissioned item inside. This became our creative framework.

The technical brief called for a secure and attractive way to house a single-sheet printed artwork – quite a challenge! The task was set, and design development progressed.

Decision Making – The Pulp Route Discussion

🎭 Reality Bites

Despite being packaging designers and manufacturers, we’re not immune to the same restrictions faced by our clients: budget considerations, material limitations due to volume, shipping costs, logistics, and all the factors that come up when transforming creative ideas into practical reality. We felt this firsthand…

✨ The Premium Vision

Initially, we set out to produce a package that held an already-framed artwork in a novel double-molded paper pulp pack. Pulp packaging would have been the optimum choice, with sustainability being a key requirement.

Ultimately, too, IPL has the capability to produce the highest quality thermoformed pulp, print and foil onto pulp packs in endless colours, and individual unit costs are very attractive. But…

💭 Ambitious Dreams Met Hard Numbers

Yes, we were ambitious but eventually, even we were surprised by the framing costs.

… We became even MORE ambitious and decided to attempt a picture frame in paper pulp too.

HOWEVER, due to our limited run, aspirations needed reining in. Tooling costs – usually easily amortised into large production runs – meant the overall cost to realise our vision seriously dampened our spirits. But these are realities clients face daily, and we – being the client this time – adapted and rethought.

🔍 Finding Alternatives

Whilst pulp works beautifully for higher-value items, for this particular application, we investigated two tried-and-tested processes: a wood and paper combo that would be durable, luxurious and tactile, alongside a paper, board and card solution that would still be single-stream recyclable, still attractive when applied correctly, and still able to provide a unique unboxing experience.

✅ The Final Decision

What really directed our choice was cost: material and production costs, plus increased logistics costs, including adjustments for recent global trade events. Paper became the clear winner.

The Role Reversal Experience

👀 Fresh Perspective

This project gave us a fresh perspective on the design-manufacturing dialogue. There are always ambitions to produce amazing solutions – not only from clients but also, naturally, from creative teams such as ours.

💊 Tasting Our Own Medicine

As with every project we advise clients on, we were obliged to take our own advice to produce an attractive and functioning solution on time and on budget.

📚 Lessons Learned

Walking in our clients’ shoes reminded us that it’s worth exploring creative ideas at the beginning. The more work done on paper and screen at project start, the more time saved down the line. Once decision makers agree on design, and research is complete, costings can be compared using CAD models.

Alterations and final creative decisions can be made before any physical structure is produced, saving time and money on expensive tooling and sampling revisions.

As we’ve always understood, the experience reinforced why communication between design and manufacturing is so crucial.

🚀 Looking Forward

Right now, we’re working hand in hand with our NPD and production teams to refine the artwork, tweak the structures, review the mock-ups and white samples, and refine all details. We’re addressing any small challenges in material, artwork, printing, and structure to ensure our final package is as true to our creative vision, and as high in quality and functionality as possible.

Follow Along

This isn’t just a celebration – it’s a 12-month journey of memories, milestones, and magic:

• Follow our story’s unfolding chapters on LinkedIn
• Dive into exclusive newsletters
• Witness our anniversary project’s evolution
• Be part of our quarter-century narrative

For more information on packaging solutions or to gain insight into our latest packaging trends, follow us on LinkedIn, or join our community of packaging enthusiasts by signing up to our monthly newsletter below. Keep an eye on our news section for insightful articles and innovative ideas around packaging materials, product development and design.