Brief A: Sustainable Materials Innovation

Innovation and sustainability within the luxury cover material market | Sponsored by Winter & Company UK Ltd

Nominations will open in September

Luxury is unique to everyone, and cover materials play a huge part in that process. You would generally choose to purchase on that initial appeal. Paper is widely used on boxes and for books, which is where we would like you to enter our world. Everyone does judge a book by it's cover and packaging is no different, consumers judge s product by the box. Luxury goods deserve a luxury material to influence that final sale. The Design process is a hgely important part of the process from the mterial itself, to the print and foiling - so it must be fit for purpose. 

Brands need to attract consumers and market products successfully  by using POS displays that grab the attention of shoppers and differentiate from the competition, as well as being functional and easy to assemble.

The Brief

We are always looking at how we can innovate and elevate our materials and would like you to create your own texture or inclusion using our paper. We would like you to look at texture and olour to create a new innovation on an existing material. You can choose to create your own material using the paper base as a starting point or look at textures and how you can create a new emboss.

Choose from a paper weight of 120gsm as your starting point.

Points to consider

  • Is the material fit for purpose? If the paper has inclusions will this stand the test of time on a book or a box? If you choose an emboss, would you choose a heavier paper to ensure this isn’t compromised?
  • Consider how the material fits within a luxury space, is it something that visually appeals to you, or is the story important to how we promote this?
  • Consider the impact on the environment. Is it locally sourced? Is it recyclable? Is the sustainable element readily available? Do you envisage small-scale availability or mass manufacture?
  • Colour Palette – Can be as many or as little as you deem fit, however, what is the story behind this? Is it a natural paper showing off the inclusion? Is it neutral shades to show off the emboss?

Materials to be used

Wibalin® Natural or Recycled as a starting point – we will supply samples to enable you to visualise how you would like to innovate and elevate.

Entry Guidelines 

Submission Details - Brief a 2025

  • No model required.
  • To visualise the texture/inclusion on how you believe it should look/feel.
  • Access to the Winter & Company UK Ltd on the website will help to visualise the final outcome.

Entry Requirements

  • The entry fee is £20 per entry
  • You will be invoiced for the entry payment once you have submitted your entry. If you have indicated that your college/university is paying for your entry, please ignore the invoice directed at you as another invoice will be sent directly to your college/university.
  • The invoice will be received by Monday 7 April 2025 at the very latest and the deadline for payment is Thursday 1 May 2025. If your invoice is not paid, your entry will not be shortlisted for judging.
  • The online regstration must be completed on or before 23:59 BST on 1 April 2025.

  • Development boards must not show the entrant’s name or university/college

  • The project names submitted at the time of entry will be printed as typed, if there are any errors and certificates/trophies need replacing, then the entrant will be liable for these costs.
  • If you are not able to attend the ceremony in person or the ceremony becomes virtual, certificates and trophies will be delivered directly to the university/college listed in the entry. We will be unable to issue replacements for certificates/trophies sent to wrong addresses.

About the Entry 

Judging criteria

Entries will be judged against the following criteria:

  • Visual appeal: does the new material have visual appeal for the luxury space.
  • Sustainability element with a new emboss: does this fit within the ethos of recyclability or re-use, OR
  • Inclusions: the process of creating the materials / Emboss: the process in the design work to create the pattern. The Individuality of the material.
  • Reality – is this something that is possible to create.

Brief A Judges

Area Sales Manager, Winter & Company UK Ltd

Abbie Smith

Area Sales Manager, Winter & Company UK Ltd

Zoey Cheetham

UK Sales Manager, Winter & Company UK Ltd

Maxine McGrath

 

Prize

Winner: full day Winter visit experience, including expenses & £250.00 cash prize

2nd place: £150.00 cash prize

3rd place: £50.00 cash prize

IOM3 presents trophies to Gold, Silver and Bronze and certificates to Highly Commended entries. 

About the Sponsor

Winter and Company is a 4th Generation globally local family business supplying cover materials into the luxury packaging world, the publishing world and everything in between. We supply cover materials to leading designers and international brands based on trust that the materials are excellent quality and unique within the market.