Meet Jeff Lin, president and co-founder of Zenpack. From finding manufacturers in Asia to exploring new materials and just generally seeing how many businesses he can start, helping people is at the root of everything he does.  Jeff Lin may be in three companies and juggling four roles at any given time, but for the last two years, one city has been his home: Taipei. And yes, there are three companies: Zenpack (packaging), Haptik (branding), and Katris (cat scratchers). Taiwan is a good place to be for all of them. Not only is he from there, but he can use his post to foster business in A ..read more

This is something that’s brought up constantly when people talk about sustainability, and it’s often a marker of how much they pay attention to it: the interchangeability or not of the words compostable and biodegradable. So pitting them against each other, compostable vs. biodegradable: What do they mean, which one should you use, and why does it matter?  Sustainability professionals are careful in how they use these words because everything is biodegradable, but not everything is compostable, and when it comes to communicating product disposal, brands often use them willy-nilly. So firs ..read more

Uffda. The cost of eco-friendly packaging? “It’s an easy question to ask, but very difficult to answer,” said Robin Tan, Managing Director and Co-founder of Zenpack.  While it might seem simple on the surface—the obvious direction to go is price—there are so many factors and angles that make up the idea of “cost” that to get some semblance of a full answer, it involves probing deep. These include price comparisons, the notion of cost vs investment, ownership of packaging, and the cost of not using more sustainable packaging, which includes the less business-y but equally important areas o ..read more

If you’re new to custom and sustainable packaging, Jessica Diatlo just might be the person you want to talk to. As the Director of Business Development at Zenpack, Diatlo spends her days coordinating between clients and the design and manufacturing teams, and helping prospective clients on the nuances and processes of custom packaging design. Between learning about sustainable materials and what her clients need—either as established businesses or start-ups—listening and creative problem solving drive her every day.  In her free time, Diatlo—who goes by Jess—builds Legos with her kids and ..read more

Packaging is advertising, branding, protection, recognition. It drives consumer behavior. Just as the advertising industry created demand for orange juice and shiny rocks, designers also drive and change consumer behavior and wants through creative, emotional presentations. “We’ve done it before,” Zenpack Creative Director said, referring to how plastic was once positioned as the material of the future by fashion and packaging designers. And that’s why now there are courses in every college business and marketing department dedicated to consumer behavior and psychology. That’s why there’s coun ..read more

Pharmaceutical packaging is different from pretty much every other industry in one very notable way: the stress customers feel when they use it. At least that’s what Leo Chao, the Creative Director at Zenpack, says.  “It’s a pretty special user group,” he said. “Most of the products we create, you don’t anticipate that people open the box under stress. An iPhone or something—most people are happy about it. Except probably pharmaceutical stuff. They’re usually either hurt or not feeling well. They have a pretty bad mood from the beginning.” And while customers aren’t exactly excited to use ..read more

From Taiwan to the US, Robin Tan feels like he has two cultures in his head. The co-founder and managing director of business development at Zenpack uses his multicultural upbringing to bridge the gap between US clients and Chinese manufacturing teams to produce sustainable packaging with a premium feel.  I sat down with Robin recently, one of four co-founders of Zenpack, to talk about how they’ve defined the culture at the packaging design house, what sustainability means to him, and dogs. Because every good conversation eventually leads to dogs, right? (This interview has been edited fo ..read more

Cosmetic and beauty packaging designs used to be simple: trends came in, stayed hot, and eventually were replaced, with some brands riding the waves and some sticking to their roots. While that last part is still true, trends are now weekly. And while no brand can adapt that quickly—nor should they, that would be monumentally expensive and wasteful—how should beauty and cosmetic brands position themselves with their packaging design in this increasingly niche world? This isn’t to say there aren’t trends—there are. Overarching, societal trends that encompass much of what we’ve all collectively ..read more

While ink is a much-talked about topic these days, with everyone using soy ink and such, packaging glues are even more invisible—but obviously just as important. Just like if a baseball player slips on the warning track and announcers start questioning whether he was wearing cleats or spikes. Out of mind until it matters. A well designed label won’t stay on the bottle without the right glue. A new phone falling out of a box that won’t stay together isn’t a new phone anymore, dinged up and cracked screen.  Packaging glues—adhesives (dictionaries and adhesive companies alike can’t seem to a ..read more

Sustainability is the hot trend these days, and should be as long as humans have a need for packaging. Few people are going to be drawn to a plain, unmarked cardboard box.  “Oh, this is the one. I can feel it.” Nope, just no. Well, unless it’s my two year old. But he ate cat litter last week, so his opinion is questionable. You need sustainability and creativity. Check and check, we have them below. Have a look and see if any of these unique packaging ideas get your brain gears moving. Brooklyn Robot Foundry Speaking of gears, robots have them. Brooklyn Robot Foundry (BRF) provides STEAM ..read more