Blog

Once regarded as an aside to the actual contents, these days product packaging is every bit as as important as what’s inside the box. Perhaps even more so. The rise and rise of social media has seen the word ‘unboxing’ enter our vocabulary. A whole genre of entertainment based on people who film themselves taking products out of their packaging, with particular focus on unusual or luxurious boxes. Of course, this whole culture has emerged because, in an increasingly crowded retail space. Brands need their packaging to bring something extra to the table.  Having the best product isn’t enough to get you picked off the shelf and increasingly, customers are seeking the kind of experience that only luxury packaging can provide. The fact that they want to share these experiences online, often for free, in one of the most powerful marketing formats ever, makes investing in packaging a must for forward-thinking brands. Of course, it’s not only luxury items that benefit.  You may have a very ubiquitous product, but with great packaging you can command a bigger share of the market or even sell your product at a higher value than other, similar items.  We recently heard a very interesting anecdote about one brand that used a box wrapped in luxury paper to transform a nondescript £1 pen into a covetable £15 writing instrument. Proof that when it comes to marketing, visual perception is everything.

the facts

And the research backs this theory up. A recent SmithersPira report found that 32% of consumers said that packaging brand and design is a very important or important part of their purchasing decision, while 58% said they would be put off buying a product in store if the packaging was damaged. Meanwhile, with consumers increasingly focused on sustainability and governments seeking to eliminate plastic, paper and board look set to be the future for product packaging – and the possibilities are endless! Paper’s versatility means even small brands on a tight budget can create something that looks and feels really special as well as ticking the eco-friendly box.  By spending a few pence more, you can achieve a really premium feel, bringing incredible texture and depth while benefiting from a never-ending array of colours to complement your branding. From paper-wrapped folding boxboard to duplexed card hangtags and stunning printed cards, a suite of beautiful, quality paper elements has the potential to elevate any brand to the next level.  Combined with clever design and luxury finishing, paper can be used to create an inspiring experience that captures the imagination and loyalty – not to mention the organic online reach – of your customer. Get in touch with us about your premium paper requirements!

The team at Wigston Paper is excited to launch a new collaboration – having been announced as the sole UK stockist for the Gmund Colors System, produced by German papermakers Gmund Paper. The Gmund Colors System is the first colour system for paper with a ‘Mix & Match’ guarantee: each of the 48 colours has been designed and produced so it can harmoniously combine with any of the other 47 colours, as the paper for every day and every project. Gmund Colors is perfect for companies producing a range of materials who wish to improve their visual communication guided by a colour system, for example when creating corporate materials such as catalogues, annual reports and brochures, product packaging and hang tags, stationery and mailouts. The system includes eight colour ranges, including clear, bright white and natural cream tones; a perfect gradation of grey tones; nude and “non”-tones that can strengthen moods; plenty of blue (because 70% of all companies work with blue in their corporate design); the one perfect red (Gmund Colors No. 92) among the warm shades; the purest yellow and other fruity colours; and a bright mint and a dark olive in the greens. To find out more about the range, visit www.wigstonpaper.com/gmund-colors/ Rob Walker, director at Wigston Paper explained that the company was keen to take on the Gmund Colors System as its proven success in other countries such as Italy showed that it had great potential for the UK market. He said: “As a premium paper system that’s already well known across the world, Gmund Colors is a great choice for design and print companies who want to compete in international markets as it offers both consistency and stand-out quality.” Papers from Gmund Colors are suitable for all common printing techniques, including offset, digital printing, letterpress, silkscreen, blind embossing, hot-foil embossing, paper etching and die cutting. They are available in five different surfaces: matt, felt, metallic and transparent. As each finish has the same colour profile, this offers designers new ways to play with colours and surfaces. To develop this new colour system, the team at Gmund Paper analysed how colours are chosen by designers across a range of industries and worked to create a brand new system that offers a more simplistic and less confusing choice of colours that work together, which makes it easier for designers to use to truly harness the power of colour. The Gmund Paper sales team felt an affinity with Wigston Paper as both companies are oriented towards bringing creative innovation into the markets. They said: “We’re excited to be working together to establish Gmund Colors as an easy to use standard for colour applications. This will enable global companies to use the same colours of paper in any market, as Gmund Colors is already available on all other continents. By promoting Gmund Colors in the UK market, we can help deliver a marketing boost for design-driven global brands.” To find out more about the range, visit www.wigstonpaper.com/gmund-colors/

The stunning colours and versatility of Wigston Paper’s Senses® range have been ‘spelled out’ by artists around the world, in a paper art challenge run by the Paper Artist Collective. The collaboration– sponsored by Wigston Paper – challenged 26 artists from 12 countries to create an alphabet letter using three designated colours from the Senses range of papers. #PACAlphabet was the brainchild of artist Samantha Quinn, a freelance designer who was introduced to the new Senses range through work. She was delighted to agree to a collaboration through the Paper Artist Collective, so that like-minded artists could also have a chance to try out the new paper. Samantha, who joint leads the collective, said: “None of the artists knew what letter or colours they had been allocated until they arrived in the post which made the challenge even more exciting. “Our members love any excuse to try out new materials and have really enjoyed using the paper to craft their letters. Senses create the most beautiful smooth and vibrant papers in a broad range of weights and colours.” Feedback from the artists who took part included:

• “The paper was beautiful to work with. The smooth surface was great to draw on and then to cut it was clean and strong, even with some finer details and I'm sure it would hold up to even finer work. Some paper can be fibrous and doesn't give a clean edge but the Senses papers definitely cut smoothly without any fluffy bits. The colours are vibrant and I would be very interested to see the rest of the collection in real life based on these three colours alone I will definitely be adding them to my suppliers list.”
• “The Senses paper was very smooth and a pleasure to cut. I was really impressed with the richness of colour in the papers.”
• "I enjoyed working with Senses paper very much! Looking forward to using different colours in future projects.”

Rob Walker, director at Wigston, said: “We were delighted to work with the Paper Artist Collective on this project, which really highlights the quality and stunning colours available in the Senses range of 35 contemporary and complementary colours. “It was exciting to see what the artists came up with and the different ways they worked with the colours and weights of paper in their paper art creations. We believe Senses offers unrivalled smoothness for excellent results across the full range, from 90gsm paper to 3mm board – and the standard of the entries reflects that perfectly.” The Alphabet challenge has now been opened out to the fans and followers of the Paper Artists Collective as an Instagram paper art competition. Three lucky winners will win features in both their Instagram stories and feed, and prizes from Wigston Paper. To check out the full project, details of each work and reviews of the paper go to https://www.paperartistcollective.com/pacalphabet. For more information on Senses paper, go to https://www.sensespaper.com/

Whisky has been part of Western society since the 15^th century.  First distilled as a medicine, it quickly evolved to become a much more social remedy – a steadier of nerves, a relaxant, a tonic, a celebratory tipple. Today, whisky is enjoyed by people from all walks of life around the world and has inspired an entire culture of appreciation by connoisseurs and collectors.  Famous distilleries are constantly developing their ranges, releasing new vintages, blends, collaborations and limited editions – and for every new whisky launched, new packaging is essential to help it stand out from the crowd. Historically, whisky packaging was all about the bottle, but the modern consumer is increasingly looking for a more layered and luxurious experience, so we’re seeing a constant evolution of presentation packaging, with boxed presentation now seen as standard for luxury aged spirits. Whisky bottles themselves have always leaned towards the conservative; many of the world’s most revered distilleries have hundreds of years of history behind them and in the minds of their loyal customers, the very essence of these brands are tied up in the colour, look and feel of their labels and bottles. More recently, however, new brands have started to pop up – many of them small, independent distilleries targeting a new generation of whisky drinker with avant-garde packaging and products, from clear corn whiskies to contemporary bottle shapes and even unusual coloured glass that’s a far cry from the traditional green. As the market for craft spirits continues to grow, those iconic brands – the Glenfiddichs and Ardbegs of the world – know they need to raise the packaging stakes to draw the customer’s eye while staying true to their position as heritage brands. Boxes offer the ideal solution; providing scope for brands to push the creative boundaries on the outside while remaining true to their iconic image on the inside.  Putting a bottle in a box also adds an extra dimension to the opening experience – ‘the reveal’. Largely user driven, this is a whole genre of online video content built around the physical experience of opening a product, adding an extra layer to the consumer’s sensory experience of the product (often before they’ve even bought it!) This kind of marketing – voluntary consumer endorsement with potential to go viral – is gold dust to the distiller and well worth the investment in packaging. At Wigston, our range of luxury papers brings all the nuance of colour and tactile appeal designers need to breathe new life into trusted branding, or help new brands to achieve the kind of premium look and feel they need to compete with some of the biggest names in the business. Use them to create labels, wrap boxboard or produce innovative swing tags; apply effects like spot varnish, foil blocking or laser cutting and discover how paper can transform a classic into an icon! To discuss how Wigston Papers could enhance your clients’ brands, get in touch with our team today.

   It’s been many years since the design world has seen a new range of creative coloured papers for print and packaging and so when Wigston Papers launched the Senses® range couple of months ago, it caused quite a stir within the creative community. Swatch books are in high demand, with over 1000 already delivered to designers and printers around the UK, within the first few weeks of launch. But how does a company go about designing a swatch book for such a purpose and what design concepts are employed to ensure that the end product not only reflects the beauty of the papers but is also purposeful and pleasurable to work with? Rob Walker, Managing Director at Wigston Paper explains how they came up with the original concept, “Initially we started out with a basic rectangle, soon to realise that the bottom corners hindered a smooth, ‘gliding’ experience between the colours. A curved edge seemed like a logical solution, which also accentuated the smooth curvature of the Senses® logo. Designed to fit neatly in the palm of the hand, the Senses® colour swatch book is in the style of a finger swatch because colours are often selected together, offering the best way of looking at colours side-by-side. Rob continues, “Our own experiments informed us that most people push the paper samples in a swatch to the left, with their thumb, so we aligned the text on each colour swatch to the right - making sure that the permutations are easily visible.” The swatch contains at least one sample of every substance in the range as well as every shade; 67 different sheets comprising 35 colours and up to 12 different grammages from 90gsm up to 3mm thick board. The main design concept conceived for the brand is that there was no need for colour in the logo; the very essence of the range is colour, so the selection of Senses® Lace White for the cover represented the Senses® brand at its best. Encapsulating the beautiful array of trend-driven colours in a clean and fresh design – which is what Senses® is all about. The print company selected to produce the swatch books is Leeds-based Pressision Creative Print and Finishing. Kieran Dallow, Marketing Manager at Wigston explains, “We selected Pressision because of their clear attention to detail and experience in the field of paper swatches.   It’s difficult to really understand the complexities and the art of creating a paper swatch book, until you start production, and we felt Pressision clearly demonstrated their ability to fulfil this project.” The workflow involved in producing the swatches spanned from plan and layout through to print, foil, die-cut and finish. Imposed and set out for manufacture by the production team, the swatches were printed on their HP Indigo 5900, foil blocked on a Heidelberg Cylinder SBB and Die-cut on their Heidelberg Platens. Collation, final build and quality control was done by hand in their presentation department. Kieran Dallow, continues, “There were some creative issues that Pressision had to overcome but their team met the challenge head on and provided creative solutions in order to complete and deliver the project.” James Taylor, Managing Director at Pressision said, “As a printer, I find the Senses® range very interesting. There is a great range of colours and the feel is great. It’s imperative that we have a range of weights. For instance, if we are producing a box, we would want 140gsm for the outer covering, a mid-weight board, like 250gsm, for some of the inner linings and then a heavy weight board, like 500 or 700gsm, for plinths etc. We also require it to be produced on all our processes; HP Indigo, Foil Blocking, Die-cutting etc., and Senses® handled each of these processes beautifully – in fact, all of these are actually shown on the swatch which should really help designers and printers alike when they are choosing the right paper for their project.” For more information on the Senses® range of trend-driven coloured papers and board and to request a swatchbook, visit www.wigstonpaper.com/senses.  

Leicestershire, UK 14^th June 2018. Industry leaders Wigston Paper today announced their  global distributorship of a new range of high-quality contemporary paper and board – Senses®. Senses® is a premium range of 35 modern shades of coloured paper and board designed specifically with creatives and designers in mind. As an alternative high end brand, the Senses® range was developed in partnership with Wigston Paper a family-owned company spanning four generations, established in the UK in 1932. Managing director Rob Walker explains the reasoning behind the Senses® range, “The world of packaging, printing and design is changing rapidly. The growing trend in influencer marketing means that the “opening experience” is being documented digitally, live with vloggers and on social media channels and so great packaging and presentation has never been more important.  We believe that this premium range will fast become a fundamental factor in the creative agency’s design development process as well as offering them a reliable and comprehensive range for their customers that is bang on trend.“ The Senses® range was developed in conjunction with trend reports and in-depth research over twelve months.  The range is 100% trend driven and answers the demands of the creative industry for a new modern and inspirational range of creative paper and board for the 21^st Century. New digital print technologies are also enabling printers to produce short run high quality packaging that the market is now demanding and so Senses® is compatible with both digital and analogue technologies. Rob continues, “Swatch books are available and we encourage customers to request a short consultation with our specialists who are happy to come and visit and go through the range on a one to one basis. We are delighted to be the distributor for this new premium range and look forward to seeing some amazing results with Senses®.” For more information on Senses® visit: www.sensespaper.com or www.wigstonpaper.com/senses-coloured-paper/

In our daily digital life we are bombarded by messages, banners, stories, feeds and our brains are now trained to either click on and view, or scroll up until we find something that piques our interest. Generally during this daily and sometimes hourly ritual, we view videos and images, rarely do we read full articles on our phones. For longer news articles, our brains are programmed to want to read this off a physical paper. The reasons for this are simple – we only skim screens, reading in an “F” configuration, but when we actually read text on paper, we digest the words and gain a deeper understanding as well as being able to remember what’s written for longer. Even editors like to print, read, mark up and then edit on screen. This is because our brains still prefer us to read in the traditional manner, from left to right and top to bottom. It’s in stark contrast to how we read online or on screen reading during which we scroll up and down, left and right, click links and multi-task. There are numerous benefits of physical paper. Reading on paper is a calmer, more focused way of immersing ourselves in the content and our brains prefer it. By focussing on the topic in front of us, we gain a deeper understanding. We are matching our natural preference for a sensory experience. It’s also been shown to be good for our health – in fact, a recent study which appeared in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences, found that elderly people who regularly read are 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.   Digital Advertising vs Paper We have to ask ourselves then, in this age of banner blindness, how do we as B2B advertisers reach our customer base with messages that will not only be read, but digested and inspire our customers to take action. We must still remember that digital consumption of information is important but as evidence mounts for the benefits of reading on paper, the pressure is also mounting to find a way of using both channels of communication to enhance our business messaging. We can do this by delivering well planned, cohesive and comprehensive campaigns where both mediums are built into the messaging. Whether its banner advertising with moving gifs and links to videos or to download physical white papers or mailing catalogues, in general the industry agrees that multi-channelled marketing with multiple connection points is key to the success of any campaign. Choosing the right paper to evoke feelings that echo the messaging will not only enhance your campaign but will deliver subliminal messaging to the brain that strongly reinforces the message and encourages the reader to take further action. This is all achieved by activating the senses – touch, smell, sight. This isn’t really possible with digital. Digital is a much more remote way of delivering a message and heavily relies on one sense (sight) and some very clever graphics.   Notebooks and journals – bucking the trend According to a recent NPR report, Moleskine notebooks are on an upward trend, with the famous Italian company reporting double digit increases in sales.  They state that in our digital world, analogue methods are valued. Writing something down uses a different part of the brain to typing and we are more selective, giving our brains more time to process information before we put pen to paper. Time and effort has been spent selecting and shaping the information before we have written it and therefore, we value what we write. As a society we also place value on artisan and hand crafted items so we are seeing an upturn in luxury and hand crafted notebooks with modern designs and even bespoke and one-off pieces possible through digital print. Surface pattern printers see the power of digital as a means by which to be able to deliver their designs in a massive range of products including postcards, booklets, and notebooks – making their designs more accessible to the wider public.

Paper and print media takes a lot of flak in the press about sustainability and recyclability. However, with the recent spotlight on plastics and plastic packaging, could paper be the solution after all? With new innovations and invention using paper and paper based products, can we reduce the amount of plastics we use as consumers and will this be the boom we are all looking for in the industry? When it comes to recycling waste within our own print organisations, what are the ways we can improve? Here’s our pick of the best recent articles discussing paper and the environment with the aim of shedding some light on the subject.

1) What Printers Can do to Recycle Waste

Printweek’s Rachel England discusses the various ways in which printers can recycle waste including inks and solvents. The UK is the world’s fifth largest manufacturer of printed products, and while there aren’t any statistics to indicate the level of overall material consumption in the industry, it is probably safe to assume that it’s a significant amount. Read more here…  

2) Plastic V Paper Packaging

The Verdigris project is an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print's positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. This article details why sustainable print is in the hands of publishers and therefore they have a responsibility to print with the environment in mind. Read more here…  

3) Protecting Papers’ Reputation

A great article by Genevieve Lewis at Print Monthly who runs through the latest report from Two Sides on the impact of the printing industry on trees. Many people believe that the paper industry destroys thousands of trees every year, and that these trees are not replaced. Trees are crucial for the air we breathe, and have inhabited the Earth for millions of years. It is true—large areas of the planet are deforested, and areas the size of multiple football pitches are destroyed. However, what many people do not know is that most of these trees are replanted.   Read more here..  

4) Two Sides Anti-Greenwash Success

Another great article stemming from the people at Two Sides, detailing their work in holding corporates to account when they make claims that reducing paper usage reduces their carbon footprint. Read more here…  

5) Can Paper replace Fantastic Plastic

Rachel England discusses the latest news on plastics and paper alternatives and the Smithers Pira report on paper and paper packaging. Thanks to China’s ban on waste imports, Theresa May’s environmental action plan and, perhaps most influential of all, the depiction of humanity’s devastating impact on sea life in BBC series Blue Planet, plastic has regained its position as public enemy number one. Our consumption of the material is prominently unsustainable, and all eyes are on the industry to find a feasible alternative.  Paper coatings could be the answer. Read more here…  

Revitalised Wigston builds on trusted reputation

You may have noticed something a bit different about Wigston recently – and we hope you’ll think our new logo and design offer a stylish, fresh and professional new look. But the changes we’re making aren’t limited to the face we present online, on our packaging, in our brochures and so on. In fact, our recent rebrand has been inspired by changes within the company - our vision for growth, new business strategy and expanded product portfolio. But while we’re looking forward with excitement for the future, we’re not turning our backs on our core values of trust, integrity and commitment to customer service. As a company we’ve seen the paper industry evolve over the years, and we’ve always worked to remain at the cutting edge, predicting and responding to customer needs. In the spring of 2017 we made the decision to reinvigorate our portfolio with the addition of more specialised products, beginning initially with a range of high-spec tinted papers. Now in 2018, we’re developing our range even further and restructuring our business model to ensure that we’re well set for the years to come. Find out more. 

So what does all this mean to our customers?

By mining the rich seam of our heritage, putting our clients first and building on our on our customer care, we hope to offer an even better service with teams that continue to be reliable and willing to go the extra mile, and with products that  impress and add value. Traditional yet innovative; old fashioned yet dynamic. We’ve recently invested in infrastructure, with a large purpose-built facility that enables us to purchase and stock large consignments and to handle customer requirements more efficiently and effectively – helping to build reliability and customer satisfaction into everyone’s business. We’re also responding to some of the big corporate governance issues of today such as sustainability and provenance, by ensuring all our stock is fully Mill Guaranteed for quality and consistency, and by obtaining certification from and sourcing within the FSC® chain of custody, actively extending our recycled paper ranges. As an expert supplier with the simultaneous capacity to innovate and be responsive to the needs of a fast-moving and evolving industry, we believe that Wigston offers a superior choice of partner for the creatives, packaging professionals and printers out there who share our values and ambitions. Explore further. 

It’s the buzzword in packaging – the “unboxing” experience. If you don’t know what this means, it’s the feeling you get when you unbox a package and it fills you with delight, or dread, or amazement. With the popularity of video bloggers now testing and trialing products, they now include opening the package as it arrives. Meaning your brand and packaging is on trial from the minute the camera starts rolling. This has many challenges but some brands have built their reputation on their unboxing experiences and this set of our top 5 articles on the unboxing experience aims to show you how.

1) How to create a memorable and shareable unboxing experience for your Brand

Everything you needed to know about the “unboxing” experience, using The Trunk Club as a great example of how to do this brilliantly. Inside the trunk, the contents are thoughtfully laid out to create a presentation and experience when opened. To further build a custom branded experience for their customers, all orders include a handwritten card from a personal stylist explaining the selection of products. It truly makes you feel part of something special and exclusive. Read more here…

2) How your packaging improves customer experience

This is a great article from branding guru Roger Dooley who discusses how companies ship their products and the outer box experience and says, “In an era where "unboxing" videos can get millions of views, such attention to packaging details isn't obsessive, it's practical.” Read more here…

3) Why Your Product's Packaging Is as Important as the Product Itself

Your product's packaging is meant to communicate a purpose: what your brand stands for and what it means for your customer. This article by Joshua Conran sites Tiffany as the perfect example of how iconic packaging can build a brand. Read more here…

4) Ecommerce packaging is an important part of brand identity

A good article by our friends at DRUPA on reverse corrugated packaging for ecommerce, ensuring your luxury goods inside maintain brand visibility yet remain secure on the outside, out of the preying eyes of would-be thieves. Read more here…  

5) Public prefer environmentally conscious packaging

Another good article detailing the recent Smithers PIRA report on luxury packaging. Data from the Smithers Pira report The Future of Global Packaging to 2020 estimates a total world market for all packaging in 2015 worth $839 billion. This will grow steadily at a rate of 3.3% year-on-year through to the end of the decade; with the market will be worth nearly $1 trillion in 2020. Luxury packaging is a lucrative, fast developing segment of this; Smithers Pira values it at $14.8 billion in 2015. Read more here…