Iggesund Paperboard, a member of the Holmen Group, Sweden, reports that it has been operating its Black Box Project for almost a year now, with exhibitions in Paris, London, Amsterdam, and New York. Iggesund has challenged a number of leading international designers and design agencies to fill a black box of specific dimensions with contents that in some way test the performance of the company's flagship paperboard, Invercote.
"We're looking for creative minds who really push the limits of what can be done with Invercote," explains Carlo Einarsson, director Market Communications at Iggesund Paperboard. "But the project is also a tribute to all of the designers who have chosen Invercote over the years to be the starting point for their fantastic packaging designs."
He emphasises that the Black Box Project is not like a traditional advertising campaign in which the client expresses detailed wishes and closely supervises the outcome. The designers who have chosen to take part in Iggesund's project have great freedom. The only stipulation is that they must work with Invercote and create something that reflects their own distinctiveness and Invercote's possibilities.
On November 15, the Black Box Project will present the work of a fifth creator. Designer and illustrator Sebastian Onufszak is based in Augsburg, Germany, but is active throughout Europe. His contribution will be unveiled at an event at the Prototyp Museum in Hamburg.
The other exhibitors include the Dutch firm of van Heertum Design, Landor from Paris, L. Brunazzi & Associati from Turin, and Marc Benhamou, a Frenchman based in New York. Sebastian Onufszak will now add his own contribution to this challenge series. His concept focuses on the idea of closed loop recycling.
"This project is an adventure and we don't really know where it will end," Einarsson concludes. "But Invercote is the strongest brand on the European paperboard market, and that strength makes it possible for us to try new ways of communicating."
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