Lars Wallentin does not mince words when packagingsense.com is introduced. His new blog
is a well-aimed kick at the decay of communicative packaging and - of course - a deep source of know-ledge about how to add efficient communication to packaging.

Lars Wallentin has had a long career at Nestlé as head of packaging design and also as a lecturer to producers, distributors and marketers worldwide.

"There are books and schools that teach packaging design, but very few deal with packaging communication. So the technical aspects are improved, but not packaging communication. Seems people no longer understand that every piece of pack-aging is an advertisment," says Lars Wallentin

Stressing the importance of communication has good reason. In a modern supermarket, packaging replaces people. There's nobody to introduce you to various products, nobody to help you choose what's right for you, nobody to explain the benefits of a specific product. Packaging has to do all that, replacing the live salesperson.

But Lars finds ever less packaging that meets the mark. In fact, he thinks packaging lags five years behind the development of communication in general.

"Just compare with movies like "Avatar". They run in 3D, making packaging of today look really 2D," he says.

"I hope my blog will be a wake-up call. To the major European companies that tend to see a lot of legal obstacles to creative design and communication on packaging - there's not. And to the new generation of communicators that are being fed massive amounts of information on the web, but haven't been given the knowledge of how to use it."

"Those who follow my blog will, step by step, learn how to make efficient packaging communication!"

About Lars Wallentin

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Born in Sweden and educated at the Graphic Institute in Stockholm, Lars Wallentin moved to Switzerland in 1964 to work at the Nestlé headquarters. During his almost 40 years at Nestlé he was responsible for the development of creative design solutions for strategic brands such as Nestlé, Nescafé, Maggi, Buitoni, Nesquik or KitKat.

Teaching design, communication and packaging around the world he became a reference for many young marketing people. Lars Wallentin, a true European speaking several of its languages, is an avid jazz fan, former table tennis champion and an amateur photographer.

He now spends his time writing about packaging design and consulting for various consumer goods companies. He is a highly sought-after lecturer and has received a Pentaward for "many years of teaching packaging design and communication worldwide". He's also on the jury for several design awards.

Lars Wallentin's message is best summarised in three words: simplify, surprise and synergies.

Born in Sweden and educated at the Graphic Institute in Stockholm, Lars Wallentin moved to Switzerland in 1964 to work at the Nestlé headquarters. During his almost 40 years at Nestlé he was responsible for the development of creative design solutions for strategic brands such as Nestlé, Nescafé, Maggi, Buitoni, Nesquik or KitKat.

Teaching design, communication and packaging around the world he became a reference for many young marketing people. Lars Wallentin, a true European speaking several of its languages, is an avid jazz fan, former table tennis champion and an amateur photographer.

He now spends his time writing about packaging design and consulting for various consumer goods companies. He is a highly sought-after lecturer and has received a Pentaward for ”many years of teaching packaging design and communication worldwide”. He’s also on the jury for several design awards.

Lars Wallentin’s message is best summarised in three words: simplify, surprise and synergies.<-->