On August 16, the results of the first National Esko Star of Packaging Design Contest (NESPDC) were announced in Shanghai. Designed by undergraduate students Yang Mei and Yang Jiayao from School of Printing and Packaging, Melodic BOX, stood out from 180 works and finally won the first prize. Associate Professor Gao Zhiyong from School of Printing and Packaging is the director of the team.

The work Melodic BOX was designed by the software ArtiosCAD. Adopting the principle of the stability of the triangle, it was fixed by grooves and protected by inner convex. “The design can let dishes have a breath of fresh air, and let customers intuitively experience the texture at the same time”. Through redefining dish packaging, the work has successfully subverted the traditional thinking of tightly wrapping the dishes. Ingenious product structure design, rational padlock position and convex size design make the plate convenient and safe to pick up. What’s more, appropriate design of the handle details optimizes the customer experience. The work was briefly cut and folded from a corrugated cardboard, ensuring a quick and convenient molding process as well as environmentally-friendly and low-cost materials. The work has combined packaging with pop elements two-dimensional code for the first time. And by scanning the two-dimensional code customers can enter micro-blog for more relevant packaging information.

Jointly Launched by the Ministry of Education of Institutions of Higher Learning Packaging Teaching Steering Committee and China Packaging Federation Packaging Education Committee, the first NESPDC was undertaken by Esko, the well-known enterprise in the industry, which was committed to promoting the development of China's packaging and printing industry as well as strengthening the cultivation of high-quality students majoring in packaging design. Judges of the competition include industry experts, business leaders, university scholars and end users.

Cultivation of talents in School of Printing and Packaging pays great attention to Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Students from School of Printing and Packaging have won remarkable prizes in national packaging design contests and “Challenge Cup” Contest during recent years. Students’ overall quality and practical ability are favored by employers and graduates' employment rate has been at the top of the whole school.

(Edited by Yang Mei, Yang Jiayao)