How To Design The Impossible Packaging
With Sonderegger.ch makers of impossible packaging
Pushing the Envelope: Innovations in Packaging From Sonderegger AG
In an industry where "impossible" is a challenge rather than a constraint, Sonderegger AG stands as a testament to innovation, creativity, and daredevilry. The transcript from a conversation with Evelio Mattos, host of the "Package Design Unboxd" podcast shines a spotlight on a company pushing the boundaries of design and packaging.
Key Takeaways:
Limitless Possibilities: Sonderegger AG is redefining the rules of what is possible in packaging by persistently breaking through supposed limits in processes like embossing, foil stamping, and laser cutting.
Engagement with Materials: By manipulatively engaging with the behavior of materials and machinery, Sonderegger crafts unique packaging solutions that signal quality and precision.
Collaboration and Risk: The most innovative results are born from a joint willingness to shoulder risks between the packaging producer and their clients, aiming for unprecedented outcomes.
Marrying Philosophy to Packaging: The Sonderegger Way
What resonates throughout the conversation with Evelio is the philosophy underpinning the approach to design and production at Sonderegger AG. "They said it's impossible, so we did it," quotes Evelio, tying this ethos perfectly with the company's attitude. As Dmitri Sonderegger explains, the testament to the company's striving for excellence is in pushing past the known into the realms of the unknown, making the impossible, possible.
"And we always try to reach the limit. And quite soon we realized that reaching the limit, it's hard to say where the limit is… Therefore, often we produce an extra die or extra two or three dies to figure out where actually is the limit." — Dmitri Sonderegger
Sonderegger emphasizes that innovation is not just about reaching the limits but finding them by boldly transcending them, which they do weekly. It aligns with how the adventurism in Dmitri and Bruno's sky-diving cross-pollinates with their business practices - both realms complement each other in terms of exploring the unknown and leveraging risk for monumental payoffs.
A Journey Through Techniques: As Seen Through the Lens of Sonderegger AG
The transcript gives us a tour of the various techniques that have been game-changers in packaging. We start with laser engraving, a sophisticated technique that Sonderegger AG has mastered to a degree that even the coloration that results from the process is leveraged as a design feature. We move through to their 'so-box' technology which represents a paradigm shift in box assembly.
Adding to that, the overlapping strategies used in creating embossing with varying depths further capture the essence of the company's commitment to precision and quality.
"It's a laser engraving. So we just burn away the first surface of the cardboard… you don't add anything, you just take away the first surface." — Bruno Sonderegger
The discussion also highlights that not just the technique, but the material plays a crucial role. Paper, often taken for granted, becomes a playground of potential in Sonderegger's hands, from micro-embossing to smart integration of foils and offset print interactions.
The Creative Exchange: Clients, Designers, and Packaging Redefined
The dialogue between Evelio and the Sonderegger team delves into the collaborative heart of innovation in packaging design. Sonderegger AG cultivates relationships not just transactions, looking for partners who can match their boldness and creativity. Dimitri and Bruno drive the point home that for truly groundbreaking packaging solutions, one must seek graphic designers and clients willing to take risks.
"We need to find the customers who having the balls to say, we run through the process, we don't know if it's going to work… and if he's willing, then we have the chance to produce something unique." — Dimitri Sonderegger
They emphasize that designers need to be made aware of the possibilities that exist today, and once they are, the ideas begin to flow, creating a symbiotic relationship where each challenge is met with inventive solutions, where packaging is as much about curiosity and exploration.
The Sonderegger team revels in the joy of creation, which is evident in the varying projects that have engaged in, from packaging enterprises to crafting their own gin brand. Their conversations also underscore that when a designer is aware and a client is open to exploration, that's where true innovation in packaging emerges.
As we've journeyed through the dialogues and examples, Sonderegger AG has provided a glimpse into the essence of innovation in the field of packaging: the fusion of imagination and daring execution. Their process of continually improving and pushing the limits, paired with a deep understanding of materials and an openness to collaboration, shows us the phenomenal potential that lies in the intersection of art and craft in the packaging industry.
By constantly exploring new horizons and aiming for the extraordinary, Sonderegger AG propels the entire industry toward a future where the once-impossible is now vivid reality. This transcript serves not only as a portfolio of their capabilities but also as an open invitation for likeminded pioneers to converge and create the packaging feats of tomorrow.