Earlier this month, fourth-year Graphic Design student Mhairi Robertson was selected as the top designer in the Packaging Consortium, formerly the Packaging Association of Canada, (PAC) student design competition.
The PAC competition challenged design students from Seneca/York, Durham College, Humber College, Mohawk College, George Brown College and OCAD University to create packaging for a hypothetical Berry Blend real fruit smoothie with added protein line of products. Each institution was assigned a different form of packaging, with one leading student submission to be selected to go forward into the competition. OCAD U was assigned to create a foil pouch package form.
With guidance from Associate Professor Stuart Werle, six OCAD U students participated in the project with three presenting final designs earlier in September. A small committee of faculty and students convened to pick the best design to move forward in the challenge, with Robertson’s jive+ design winning out.
“Mhairi understood from the very beginning that her design needed to sit between two different categories, the energy drink category based on the need to be sporty and energetic while appealing to a younger demographic, and the second, the health beverage category that needed to look nutritious, tasty and promoting a healthy lifestyle,” said Werle.
Robertson presented her design at the PAC’s “A Day in the Life” Symposium at the Steam Whistle Brewery on October 1 to an audience of more than 200 conference delegates who voted to make her the top designer via mobile devices.