Goodbye to packaging that is bulky, superfluous, non-recyclable, illegible, and unopenable. PACKPLAY at the UQAM Centre de Design celebrates user-centred packaging. Organized by Sylvain Allard, Professor at the UQAM School of Design, this exhibition offers a current approach to packaging that puts users and their needs at the centre of the design process. PACKPLAY presents ingenious projects, submitted by nine North American and European universities.

PACKPLAY

At the intersection of graphic design, environmental design and industrial design, successful packaging design must take six facets of user needs into account. It must be responsible, practical, functional, seductive, informative and dynamic. 

PACKPLAY brings together the best projects from universities studying and teaching this approach to packaging design. "A good package is more than just a functional box labelled with a brand", says Professor Sylvain Allard. "Putting users at the centre of the design process entails understanding their expectations and assessing whether the packaging adequately responds to them."

Unfortunately, in reality, industrial constraints, such as cost and ease of production, often take precedence when the time comes to produce a package. The vision of the PACKPLAY project explores the possibilities for improvement in this growing design field. The quality projects by Professor Allard's students frequently appear alongside professional packaging in specialized publications (e.g. The Art of Package Design, Sandu Publishing; Boxed and Labelled Two, by Sylvain Allard, Gestalten Publishing; and Ecological Selection Packaging, Monsa Publishing), in addition to winning prizes on the international stage (e.g. the grand prize and several other prizes and mentions in the Young Package competition in the Czech Republic from 2006 to 2011; the Pentawards BIC Prize 2013, won by Simon Laliberté; and the Gaïa Awards 2013 Netpak Student Award, won by Sophie Pépin).

For ten years, Sylvain Allard has expanded the field of research in packaging design. Through his academic work, his research and the active influence of the publication of work on the Packaging UQAM blog, UQAM is now recognized for its creative work and critical thinking in this area. Professor Allard organized this PACKPLAY exhibition to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Packaging UQAM.

Competition and Publication
An international jury of 27 judges, composed of two people from each participating school and nine design professionals, will present the best packaging design projects with three awards, ranging in value from $1,000 to $1,500, and nine mentions.

A comprehensive publication presenting all the packaging projects in the exhibition, as well as the creative process behind them, will be available for purchase at the venue.

Participating Universities
ECV Atlantique (France)

FIT New York  (United States)

HTW Berlin (Germany)

LUAS Institute of Design (Finland)

Nackademin (Sweden)

Politecnico di Milano (Italy)

Strate (France)

Université de Montréal (Canada)

Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada)

Support

This exhibition is made possible through the collaboration of Éco Entreprise Québec (major sponsor), IPL, Madame Bouteilles, Edikom, Gespro and Maison Orphée.

Address and opening hours
UQAM Centre de Design
1440 Sanguinet Street (corner of Saint Catherine East)
Montreal (Berri-UQAM metro)
Open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
Free admission

Information

Phone : 514 987-3395

High-resolution photos

http://centrededesign.smugmug.com/Saison-20142015/PackPlay-Oeuvres/

Interviews
Interviews can be arranged with exhibition curator with Sylvain Allard.