The best of 2011: The top three Branding & Packaging Seeds of the year

Jennifer Rieker encouraged engagement with local craftsmen with her design of a leather package, which when opened, revealed the components of a deconstructed shoe ready to be assembled. The package included information about the enclosed materials and instructions to take the leather packaging to a local cobbler to make it into the inner shoe.

Print company Sideshow Press designed packaging for the food hamper for a picnic organised for a group of local chefs. The packaging also acted as an invitation, and was printed with details of the date, time and location of the picnic, forming an intrinsic element of the event.

Lighting and design company Watts Up created a transformative packaging design in which the packaging for a light became the light itself. A black bag handle turned into a cord and a white box became an angular opaque lampshade in this interesting example of viewing surplus packaging as product.

I expect to see a growing number of brands adding interactional elements to their packaging design in 2012.

Every day from 22 December until the end of the year, the LS:N Global team is choosing its favourite stories from 2011. We will resume normal service on 3 January 2012.