PIDA, Korsnäs Packaging Impact Design Award, is entering its seventh year. PIDA has evolved into an important meeting place for people in the industry and also functions as a conduit of knowledge transfer. It is already a popular and important event in France, Germany, Spain and Sweden under the aegis of Korsnäs, one of Europe’s leading producers of cartonboard and paper.

The culmination point of the event in France is when the contesting students present their design projects. Students from the IUT (Instituts Universitaire de Technologie) of Reims-Châlons-Charleville compete with students from the École Supérieure Européenne d’Emballage (Ésepac) in Puy-en-Velay. The best project wins on the merits of form, function, consumer appeal and innovativeness.

In the development of packaging design, knowledge is key and knowledge is a living thing that needs constant replenishment and rejuvenation. And this is where the students come in,” explains Agneta Rognli Business Communication Manager Korsnäs. “PIDA is one of the ways we connect with tomorrow’s design professionals. It’s an event we stage where they get an introduction to the industry. And it’s our way of contributing to the dynamic development of packaging design.

At the seminar, speakers share their outlooks and insights. Converters, designers and brand owners mingle with students, trade press members and Korsnäs’ own experts in papermaking, product development and forestry.

The brief for this year’s PIDA had the headline “The Silent Salesman”, a theme based on the fact that a package in a self-service environment is entirely on its own in selling the product, dispersing consumer information and building trust. The challenge for the design students is to come up with a fictitious brand in a given premium segment and create a packaging concept that is eye-catching, functional, protective and tamper-proof. And of course to make the most of the main benefits of Korsnäs White – a packaging material that combines an excellent printing surface with outstanding strength and shapeability.

This year, the event including a seminar and the award ceremony is being held on 7 June at the Marriot in Champs-Elysées. The programme commences at 12.30.