Latest Digital Media Techniques Used to Connect Visually
with Food, Beverage and Consumer Packaging Designers and Brand Owners
KINGSPORT, Tenn., June 19, 2006—Just imagine. What if you could mix oil and vinegar instantly in its container just before pouring it over a freshly tossed garden salad? What if you didn't have to haul the economy-size container of dishwashing liquid to the kitchen sink every time you washed dishes? What if you could measure out a teaspoon of cough syrup by simply squeezing the medicine bottle? What if packaging designers and brand owners could learn about the inherent benefits of material solutions upfront? Thanks to Eastman Chemical Company, such a resource is now only a mouse click away!
To effectively communicate its materials expertise in food, beverage and consumer packaging, Eastman has launched a new Custom Containers section (www.EastmanCustomContainers.com) within its award-winning Eastman Innovation Lab Web site—www.EastmanInnovationLab.com—an interactive, community-based resource for designers and brand owners. The Custom Containers section of the site showcases the exceptional clarity, durability and infinite design flexibility characteristics of Eastman's Eastar copolyester. Through visual demonstration, designers and brand owners can experience and learn about this combination of Eastar's unique advantages, and thus, make informed material decisions.
“Until now, material limitations have strictly dictated the final package design and aesthetic. Eastar copolyester finally puts the designer back in control, while supplying brand owners with an affordable material solution,” said Gaylon White, manager of design industry programs for Eastman. “The Custom Containers resource brings concepts to life, demonstrating Eastar copolyester’s unique molding characteristics. It allows designers and brand owners to explore complex ideas that are possible with extrusion blow molding process without sacrificing the material’s crystal clarity and strength.”
Using animation and digital media techniques, Eastman is able to convey complex technical information in a way that is easily understood by a variety of audiences. The Custom Container section of the Web site graphically illustrates how Eastman copolyester resins can be extrusion blow molded to achieve clear, handled containers. Concepts are intended to intrigue and inspire packaging designers and brand owners to consider Eastman material solutions to make their designs possible.
"By using virtual representation and animation to tell our story, we are helping bridge the knowledge gap that has always existed between the material and design worlds," said Courtland Jenkins, Eastman's global industry leader for custom containers. "Through visualization, we are demonstrating the attributes of our materials by vividly illustrating the difference they make in packaging applications. In this way, we are transferring our technology to designers looking for material solutions that offer both aesthetics and superior performance."
A container not only packages the product, but it also 'packages' a message. Eastar copolyester makes this possible by offering superior shelf appeal. Having a crystal clear container offers a two-way advantage by allowing consumers to actually see what they are purchasing while enabling the product to sell itself. Eastar copolyester's unique molding characteristics allow designers to explore complex ideas without sacrificing its stunning clarity.
The Custom Containers' enhancement to the Eastman Innovation Lab Web site virtually demonstrates how the functional benefits of Eastar copolyester enable various packaging forms. Digitally rendered application concepts featured on the site include a buddy pack, which features a large container molded along with an integral, interlocking smaller container; dual chamber, allowing customers to package complimentary products into one convenient ready-to-mix container; clear handleware containers with fully integrated, ergonomic handles; and dosing bottles, enabling consumers to accurately dispense products.
Also featured in the new Custom Containers section is a case study with Freshco, marketers of Florida's Indian River juices, highlighting their unparalleled success with Eastar copolyester. In the study, Freshco attributed its ability to competitively differentiate its products and ultimately gain customer satisfaction to Eastman's material solutions.
About the Eastman Innovation Lab
Eastman launched the Eastman Innovation Lab Web site in March 2004 to better connect with designers and brand managers, working with The Brewery, a design consultancy based in London, England, to develop a simple, relevant story for each material. The Web site earned a gold award for digital media and interfaces in the 2005 Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) competition co-sponsored by BusinessWeek Magazine and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). The IDEA recognizes excellence in design innovation, user benefit, client/business benefit, ecological responsibility and aesthetic appeal.
As an interactive online resource for designers and brand owners, the Eastman Innovation Lab's reach is not limited to the food, beverage and consumer packaging market. In fact, the custom containers area represents only one of several new features added to the Web site. A specialty additives section illustrates how Eastman cellulose esters and adhesion promoters can both protect and enhance surface finishes for cars, laptops and cell phones. Additionally, a section highlighting the capabilities of Eastman copolyester resins for custom containers provides several concepts for packaging designers to consider. Also featured are a story and interview with Giancarlo Venelli, the designer and manufacturer of the 12,000 crystal-clear stadium seats in the Palasport Olimpico, an arena which featured the XX Winter Olympic ice hockey games in Torino, Italy, this past February. The seats are made from Eastman's DuraStar copolyester, making the arena the world's first sports venue with all-transparent seating. To learn more about the Eastman Innovation Lab, visit www.EastmanInnovationLab.com.