They used the premium design paper PERGRAPHICA® from Mondi, an ideal platform for creative design work thanks to its look and feel. The result was a resounding success: Inspired by Japanese culture, the students developed an impressive branding concept and created the perfume brand "Kadō Sky" in distinctive packaging.

Beautiful and unique things emerge when young talents have the opportunity to give their creativity free rein—especially while pursuing a specific task with practical relevance. Both the students from NABA in Milan, which specialises in design and packaging, and paper manufacturer Mondi came to this conclusion based on the experience.

The collaboration with the students arose from Mondi's decision to participate in Touchpoint Packaging (tpp) at drupa 2024. The European Brand & Packaging Design Association (EDPA) was responsible for designing and implementing the drupa tpp. The association promotes an exchange between design agencies, the packaging industry and brand owners. It has been collaborating with Milan's NABA Academy for several years now, and organised a design project as part of the tpp, which exhibitors were invited to get involved in.

"We were immediately excited by the opportunity of designing luxury packaging together with NABA students. We applied and were promptly accepted," recalls Marlene Langthaler, Senior Customer Experience Manager at Mondi, who coordinated the project on behalf of the paper manufacturer.

The joint project gave Mondi a chance to work with young, talented people who use their creativity to develop new and innovative ideas and outside-the-box concepts. In turn, the NABA students were given an opportunity to implement their design ideas and learn more about the various processing options and special qualities of Mondi PERGRAPHICA® paper for luxury packaging. "We are always looking for projects that demonstrate which applications our premium paper is suitable for. We want to give our customers the chance to see, feel and experience what is possible with our papers," says Marlene Langthaler. On the other hand, in an increasingly digital world, it was a special experience for the students to work on a use case and produce an analogue, tangible object from paper.

The project started in late 2023 with an essentially open briefing for the students. The challenge was to design luxury packaging for a fictitious perfume brand, while showcasing the advantages and versatile finishing options of the premium PERGRAPHICA® paper. The students were tasked with developing a concept showing the brand identity they wanted to use to position the new product and the message they wanted to convey through the brand. They were also asked to consider how the packaging can be reused and upcycled. Another focus was on the unboxing experience, which plays a decisive role in luxury packaging. Market analyses show that an exciting unboxing experience strengthens consumer loyalty to both product and brand, and increases the likelihood that they will buy the brand again.

After the first meeting, Mondi supplied the students with the entire range of PERGRAPHICA® premium papers. The paper manufacturer also provided information on possible finishing techniques. Mondi made no stipulations with regard to colour or grammage. "We simply indicated what kind of result we expected and that the qualities of our PERGRAPHICA® paper should be demonstrated to full advantage," says Marlene Langthaler.

Three teams of students from NABA submitted their designs and presented their ideas and concepts. "All the designs were well thought out, exciting and aesthetic. They all deserve great praise," says a delighted Marlene Langthaler. "We really didn't have an easy decision to make." In the end, the Kadō Sky design won out. The essence of the brand, its positioning, target group and corresponding packaging were virtually perfect. The logo was stylised in the shape of an iris flower.

For the packaging, the young artists chose PERGRAPHICA® Classic Rough 120 g/m² (white), Precious Purple 330 g/m², Curious Green 330 g/m² and Timid Grey 330 g/m². The students used the thin, white paper for the outside. It is perfectly suited to premium packaging and can be optimally laminated without the edges separating. The thicker grammages were used to design the interior.

What was particularly impressive about Kadō Sky was the unboxing experience. When the packaging is opened, a blossom unfolds to reveal the bottle. The surface was laser-engraved and areas of the papers were punched. In addition, embossing was used to create a tactile effect. These techniques give the packaging a unique texture, making it visually and haptically appealing. Hot lamination in gold added a final touch, lending the paper packaging a luxurious appearance. "Each sheet has its own finishing technique. The students understood very well what is essential and what is important to us," explains Marlene Langenthaler.

The students also found a perfect solution to meet the requirement of reusing the packaging. With a socket, cord and light bulb, the packaging can be transformed into a functional table lamp. In addition, all product components are made from fully recyclable materials. The PERGRAPHICA® range is produced in Austria with wood sourced from sustainably managed forests, and meets the strict international requirements of Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze, the EU Ecolabel and FSC®.

The students drew inspiration for their brand idea from Japan and its rich and diverse traditions. Its multifaceted eastern culture is characterised by aesthetics and art, colourful festivals and customs, as well as distinctive architecture. The Far Eastern country’s cuisine and pop culture, including mangas, animes and J-pop, are also currently trending. These special features of Japan, its balancing act between the traditional and the modern, were to be reflected in the name and design of the perfume and its luxury packaging. The students named their newly created product "Kadō Sky". The word “Kadō” is synonymous with Ikebana, the Japanese art of arranging cut flowers. It incorporates irregular, asymmetrical arrangements and places emphasis on lines, rhythm, colour and the immediate surroundings.

The Wabi Sabi principle of Fukinsei also played an important role in the packaging design. This traditional Japanese concept of aesthetics celebrates the beauty of the imperfect, the ephemeral and the incomplete. It describes the Japanese way of honouring the ageing process and the awareness that perfection lies in imperfection. Asymmetry is an essential component of Wabi Sabi, as it expresses imperfection and natural beauty. These characteristics are reflected in the design of the luxury packaging and the curved shape of the perfume bottle. The asymmetry was modelled to emphasise the naturalness of an imperfect world and the harmony of irregularity.

At drupa 2024, the students presented their projects to a professional audience for the first time, together with Mondi. Technical implementation and production of the mockups, as an exclusive edition of ten copies, was managed by 08/16 Printproduktion GmbH in Vienna.

The presentations met with an overwhelming response and the project was a complete success. "The students worked very conscientiously and with a high degree of professionalism. They did an amazing job and exceeded our expectations. It was great to see how visitors to Touchpoint Packaging marvelled at the packaging, touched it and interacted with it," says Marlene Langthaler. In view of this very positive experience, Mondi is planning to expand this type of co-operation in the future. "This certainly was not the last collaboration of its kind. We liked the unbiased and unprejudiced way of approaching projects. The students bring fresh impetus and new perspectives to our work," summarises Marlene Langthaler.