{"id":2616,"date":"2015-06-12T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-12T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=2616"},"modified":"2018-02-09T14:03:02","modified_gmt":"2018-02-09T20:03:02","slug":"pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/","title":{"rendered":"The User Takes Center Stage in Package Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

The landscape is shifting when it comes to package<\/a> design.<\/p>\n

For some time now, change in the packaging sector has been driven by developments in materials or processing machinery, according to Peter Schmitt, managing partner of Wilmington, Del.-based consultants Montesino Associates. Perhaps a materials company would tweak the properties in its formulation or some aspect of its calendering or extrusion line, see better performance in processing or speed or other properties, and then go to the market in search of a suitable application.<\/p>\n

\"Peter-Schmitt-headshot\"
Peter Schmidt is Managing Partner of Montesino Associates based in Wilmington, Delaware.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But now the focus is shifting to the consumer, Schmitt said, meaning that manufacturers increasingly are asking: \u201cWhat\u2019s the user going to do with the package, and what can we do to make the package work better for him or her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Take, for example, what Schmitt calls \u201cthe war between rigid and flexible packaging. Do you want a bottle or do you want a pouch? It\u2019s becoming more about creating a package that\u2019s easy to open and easy to re-close.\u201d Stand-up pouches, which are exploding in popularity, are a great example of this.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting because they stopped worrying about whether it was rigid or flexible \u2013 it\u2019s kind of both \u2013 and so the idea is to make the package more user-friendly, in a number of ways \u2013 in the space it takes up, in how you open it, how you close it, all of that,\u201d said Schmitt.<\/p>\n

This trend is going to be disruptive, he suggested, because the user-centered approach doesn\u2019t fit the mindset of a lot of polymer companies, or sometimes even their design engineers. \u201cBut if we\u2019re going to get there,\u201d Schmitt said, \u201cthe package is going to have to serve the user rather than the producer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nowhere is this trend likely to have a bigger impact than in healthcare and medical packaging, in part because nowhere are the stakes higher.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Steven Wilcox, Founder and Principal of Design Science, a consulting firm based in Philadelphia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Stephen Wilcox, founder and principal of Philadelphia consulting firm Design Science, explained:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my world which, these days, is primarily that of medical devices, there’s also another dimension to the increase in elderly product users.\u00a0Usability is actually mandated by [the] FDA. This focus on \u2018human factors\u2019 began with devices and has now migrated to drugs as well, which means, for all practical purposes, pharmaceutical packaging.\u00a0[The] FDA requires procedures, such as product testing with users, to assure that drugs, particularly device\/drug \u2018combination products\u2019 (e.g., prefilled syringes) are adequately usable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to assure that neither the safety nor the effectiveness of a drug is compromised by a packaging design that contains usability problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilcox acknowledges that user-centered design, which has been regularly applied to products for several years, is now increasingly being applied to packaging, as well. \u201cPackaging long has been a key tool for enhancing the desirability<\/em> of products, he said. \u201cWhat\u2019s different is the growing focus on usability<\/em> as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilcox said he believes this trend is driven, as in other areas, by a need to get out of the commodity category as products begin to converge. \u201cPatents run out, manufacturing techniques get mastered by rivals, proprietary technology gets copied, etc., so companies look for another way of differentiating their products.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AustenAngell_BW\"
Austen Angell is the Founder and CEO of Modern Edge, Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Charles Austen Angell, a designer in Portland, Ore., agrees. Angell, founder and CEO of 8-year-old Modern Edge, Inc., noted: \u201cMuch of this trend is driven by a shift in generational value and social dialogue regarding what is valuable and meaningful.\u00a0The millennials are the first generation to choose work balance over income level. But it is a mistake to interpret these lower income goals as an opportunity for commodity pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Millennials and an increasing number of other consumers, contends Angell, are willing to pay more for the experiences they desire, in part because they no longer are willing to\u00a0accept sub-par commodity experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means that [the] commodity market is going to become tighter as the gulf between commodity and premium value increases. The big brands understand this \u2013 and have a clear mission to maintain a premium value position.\u201d<\/p>\n

This tendency for up-and-coming consumers to be less tolerant of less-than-optimum user experiences can manifest itself in other ways, as well. Consider the aging of the population.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs consumers get older,\u201d says Wilcox, \u201cparticularly consumers with money, usability issues with packaging become a bigger issue.\u00a0Most of us have probably watched as an elderly person in the next seat on a plane or a train tried without success to open a package of, say, peanuts or potato chips. The boomers are simply not going to tolerate this disdain for the challenged user.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning to the high-stakes issue of drug packaging, Schmitt gave as one example the development of MeadWestvaco Corp.\u2019s Shellpack Renew package, sold via WalMart and other retail pharmacies. The package features a tear-resistant, recyclable outer paperboard carton, an easy-slide blister and an integrated calendar for patients to easily track their medications.<\/p>\n

Developed based on feedback from pharmacists and patients, Shellpak Renew packaging has a smaller footprint requiring less shelf space, and includes color-coded spine labels to help distinguish among drugs, as well as easy-open, child-resistant push buttons.<\/p>\n

The package actually is more expensive than a simple bottle, Schmitt said, but it is both child-resistant and senior-friendly, and instead of doing something to the polymer in the blister pack, MWV used design to produce this type of advanced package.<\/p>\n

\"Dave
Dave Parrillo is the Global Research & Development Director for Dow’s Packaging & Specialtiy Plastics business.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A senior technical official with Dow Chemical Co., meanwhile, has his own take on the intersection of materials and design. Dave Parrillo, global research and development director for Dow\u2019s Packaging & Specialty Plastics business, sees materials as having the power to enable user-centered design. In a June 1 telephone interview, he said that Dow sees its customers wanting to have broader conversations about such topics, and expecting their suppliers to be fully versed in design and other aspects well beyond basic materials data.<\/p>\n

He offered some real-life, creative examples from Dow\u2019s product portfolio. Two years ago Dow worked with converter Printpack Inc., to create a more sustainable frozen chicken package for Tyson Foods. Together, they developed the first 100 percent polyethylene stand-up pouch with a PE reclosable zipper. It was Dow’s ability to create a film formula suitable for freezer conditions in an all-PE format that made creating the fully recyclable stand-up pouch structure possible. The product rolled out first in Mexico and since has been launched in other markets, including in Argentina last year, where it is being evaluated for use with liquids.<\/p>\n

Also last year, Dow commercialized its PacXpert packaging technology, which now is available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Many converters around the globe license it.<\/p>\n

Billed as an innovative alternative to traditional rigid packaging, PacXpert Technology<\/a> has a flexible, lightweight design that enables various sustainability benefits. It addresses a common consumer concern by allowing users to extract all of the content, whether dry or liquid, from the package. It therefore reduces content waste by achieving a better product yield and also requires less overall raw material during the manufacturing process when compared to rigid packaging alternatives. Additionally, empty packages can ship flat.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Creative examples of Dow’s PacXpert and stand up pouch packaging technologies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

European licensee O. Kleiner uses PacXpert to produce a novel-looking, yet user-friendly, flexible stand-up pouch that is cube-shaped. While it is flexible, its also is shelf stable and can stand equally well upright or on its side.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, we\u2019re supplying the materials to converters,\u201d Parillo said. \u201cBut the expectation is that, if all you can talk about are the basic materials, and you can\u2019t bring material innovation coupled<\/u> with design, then you\u2019re going to be history.\u201d<\/p>\n

To which Design Science\u2019s Wilcox adds: \u201cAt any rate, these are interesting times for packaging design. It\u2019s a pleasure to see methodologies that have been applied to other things now being applied, increasingly, to packaging.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The landscape is shifting when it comes to package design. For some time now, change in the packaging sector has been driven by developments in materials or processing machinery, according to Peter Schmitt, managing partner of Wilmington, Del.-based consultants Montesino … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":2633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[274],"ppma_author":[1244],"class_list":{"0":"post-2616","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-plastics-2","8":"tag-design","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nPlastic Packaging: How the user take center stage in design<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The landscape is shifting when it comes to plastic packaging design. Read how manufacturers are making packages more user-friendly.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Plastic Packaging: How the user take center stage in design\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The landscape is shifting when it comes to plastic packaging design. Read how manufacturers are making packages more user-friendly.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Prospector Knowledge Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-12T14:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-02-09T20:03:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Packaging03.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"495\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bob Grace\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bob Grace\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bob Grace\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1ccb877b39b97b6edffea515566df093\"},\"headline\":\"The User Takes Center Stage in Package Design\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-12T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-02-09T20:03:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1409,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/06\\\/Packaging03.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Design\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Plastics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/\",\"name\":\"Plastic Packaging: How the user take center stage in design\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/06\\\/Packaging03.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-12T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-02-09T20:03:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1ccb877b39b97b6edffea515566df093\"},\"description\":\"The landscape is shifting when it comes to plastic packaging design. Read how manufacturers are making packages more user-friendly.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/06\\\/Packaging03.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/06\\\/Packaging03.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":495},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/2616\\\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The User Takes Center Stage in Package Design\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Prospector Knowledge Center\",\"description\":\"Welcome to the blog for UL Prospector, the most comprehensive raw material search engine for product developers.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1ccb877b39b97b6edffea515566df093\",\"name\":\"Bob Grace\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/media\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg9c3cf61917eeafce529135a60aa75f87\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/media\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/media\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Bob Grace\"},\"description\":\"Robert Grace has been in business-to-business communications his entire career. He has broad global experience and for more than 35 years has worked as a journalist, editor-in-chief, publishing executive and key connector of like-minded parties. He has launched successful publications and C-level events on three continents. While with Crain Communications Inc., he oversaw the relaunch of the 100-year-old European Rubber Journal in London and helped to start Urethanes Technology magazine there. \u00a0In 1988 Bob returned to Akron, Ohio, to serve as founding editor of Plastics News, an award-winning, weekly business newspaper. In 2005 he oversaw the editorial launch of the bilingual (Chinese and English) PN China e-newsletter and website. For more than a decade at PN he also held the titles of associate publisher, editorial director and conference director, and most recently served as business development director. A long-time affiliate member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, Bob has organized numerous design-focused events, earned a Personal Recognition Award from IDSA in 2013, and constantly strives to help bridge the gap between the design and manufacturing communities. In 2014 he left Crain and created RC Grace LLC in Akron, Ohio, as a consultancy that aims to help companies to enhance their branding and market presence, find business partners, connect with design resources (here or in Asia), secure funding and advance their growth initiatives. Email Bob or visit his website at www.rcgrace.com to learn more about how he can help you.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/author\\\/robert-grace\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Plastic Packaging: How the user take center stage in design","description":"The landscape is shifting when it comes to plastic packaging design. Read how manufacturers are making packages more user-friendly.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Plastic Packaging: How the user take center stage in design","og_description":"The landscape is shifting when it comes to plastic packaging design. Read how manufacturers are making packages more user-friendly.","og_url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/","og_site_name":"Prospector Knowledge Center","article_published_time":"2015-06-12T14:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-02-09T20:03:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":495,"url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Packaging03.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bob Grace","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bob Grace","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/"},"author":{"name":"Bob Grace","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1ccb877b39b97b6edffea515566df093"},"headline":"The User Takes Center Stage in Package Design","datePublished":"2015-06-12T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2018-02-09T20:03:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/"},"wordCount":1409,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Packaging03.jpg","keywords":["Design"],"articleSection":["Plastics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/","url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/","name":"Plastic Packaging: How the user take center stage in design","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Packaging03.jpg","datePublished":"2015-06-12T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2018-02-09T20:03:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1ccb877b39b97b6edffea515566df093"},"description":"The landscape is shifting when it comes to plastic packaging design. Read how manufacturers are making packages more user-friendly.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Packaging03.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Packaging03.jpg","width":800,"height":495},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/2616\/pe-user-takes-center-stage-package-design\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The User Takes Center Stage in Package Design"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/","name":"Prospector Knowledge Center","description":"Welcome to the blog for UL Prospector, the most comprehensive raw material search engine for product developers.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1ccb877b39b97b6edffea515566df093","name":"Bob Grace","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg9c3cf61917eeafce529135a60aa75f87","url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg","caption":"Bob Grace"},"description":"Robert Grace has been in business-to-business communications his entire career. He has broad global experience and for more than 35 years has worked as a journalist, editor-in-chief, publishing executive and key connector of like-minded parties. He has launched successful publications and C-level events on three continents. While with Crain Communications Inc., he oversaw the relaunch of the 100-year-old European Rubber Journal in London and helped to start Urethanes Technology magazine there. \u00a0In 1988 Bob returned to Akron, Ohio, to serve as founding editor of Plastics News, an award-winning, weekly business newspaper. In 2005 he oversaw the editorial launch of the bilingual (Chinese and English) PN China e-newsletter and website. For more than a decade at PN he also held the titles of associate publisher, editorial director and conference director, and most recently served as business development director. A long-time affiliate member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, Bob has organized numerous design-focused events, earned a Personal Recognition Award from IDSA in 2013, and constantly strives to help bridge the gap between the design and manufacturing communities. In 2014 he left Crain and created RC Grace LLC in Akron, Ohio, as a consultancy that aims to help companies to enhance their branding and market presence, find business partners, connect with design resources (here or in Asia), secure funding and advance their growth initiatives. Email Bob or visit his website at www.rcgrace.com to learn more about how he can help you.","sameAs":["http:\/\/ulprospector.com"],"url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/author\/robert-grace\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":1244,"user_id":23,"is_guest":0,"slug":"robert-grace","display_name":"Bob Grace","avatar_url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2616"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}