TikTok, Pantone, Disney and Steven Bartlett to explore ‘Design with Purpose’ at 2023 Pentawards Festival

Newsroom Branding, Creativity, Festivals & Awards

Pentawards, one of the world’s leading packaging design organisations, will be returning to the Science Museum London on 9th November with the Pentawards Festival. 

Gathering global brand leaders, designers, marketeers, and design agencies, the festival is created for anyone wanting to learn more about the latest challenges in design and prepare their business for its next projects, with an emphasis on networking, creativity and collaboration. 

This year, there will be opportunities to meet one-to-one with C-suite level attendees from global brands such as PUMA, Carrefour and Microsoft. Attendees will be also able to put their creative talents to the test in an interactive pop-up in partnership with design innovation project Make a Mark, and can even have their say in deciding one of Pentawards’ competition award-winners. 

Leading suppliers such as UPM Raflatac (festival sponsors), James Cropper and O-I will also showcase the latest in material and packaging innovations, and there will be an exclusive performance from visual artist Craig Black showcasing his Acrylic Fusion technique, which involves hand-pouring layers of acrylic paint to create one-of-a-kind artworks.

Throughout the day there will be multiple keynote sessions that will focus on Design with Purpose, exploring the following key themes: AI & the digital world, ESG & Sustainability, Engaging Gen-Z, the Cost of Living and Accessible Design. Each session will aim to leave attendees with three key takeaways to take back to office, share with their teams and implement in their next project.

Speakers include:

  • Steven Bartlett, Entrepreneur and Host of Europe’s no.1 podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’ 
  • Stefan Sagmeister, Sagmeister Inc
  • Hannah Kops, Head of Experience at TfL
  • Carola Seybold, Head of Global Key Accounts at Pantone
  • Jeremy White, Senior Innovation Editor at Wired Magazine
  • Kris Keiller, Brand Design Manager at Patagonia
  • Anita Kuit, Branding & Packaging EMEA / Global Product Creation at Disney

Last year’s festival attendees included Founders, CEOs, Partners, Directors and other senior leaders from companies including Unilever, Design Bridge, Meta, Mars Food, Pentagram, PepsiCo, JDO, LEGO, Diageo, Vault49, BBC Creative and more. 

On Pentawards chosen festival theme, ‘Design with Purpose’, Stefan Sagmeister, Graphic Designer and Pentawards Festival 2023 speaker commented: “Put simply, design without purpose has no purpose! In order for something to be called ‘design’ it needs to have a function. In order for something to be called ‘good design’ it needs to be delightful. If it can be both of these things, it is satisfying for the designer and for the audience. Moreover, we all want to live meaningful lives. Creating projects with a purpose enables a life that makes sense. We must continue to promote long-term purpose and thinking.”

Anita Kuit, Branding & Packaging EMEA / Global Product Creation at Disney and Pentawards Festival 2023 speaker commented: “As creatives we have an opportunity to create packaging that goes beyond its core purpose of protecting and selling a product. Packaging can be a canvas to deliver a brand’s responsible values, whether this is offering a more sustainable material, an easy opening solution for added inclusivity, enhancing someone’s mental state, or sharing a message of social responsibility. Purposeful design is design that connects with the consumer on an emotional level, that can change how they think, feel or act.”

Adam Ryan, Head of Pentawards, commented: “For this year’s Festival we wanted to highlight packaging design that has a purpose. As a business we’ve been driving a push for more purposeful elements like sustainability and accessible design, so wanted to put the spotlight on these features whilst also exploring what some of the challenges are in integrating new audiences and technologies into developing packaging design with purpose. The variety of activities and talks throughout the day will give attendees a strong overview of these challenges, whilst embracing the good that our industry is doing”.

Founded in 2007, Pentawards is the leading global platform and community for packaging design.

The Pentawards annual competition recognises the best of the best in global packaging design, with entries judged by an incredible line-up of over 50 experts from brands and agencies like Estée Lauder, Microsoft, Pentagram and PUMA.

Now in its 17th year, the Pentawards competition has received in excess of 30,000 entries from over 64 countries globally since launch. Winners are celebrated at an exclusive annual Gala Ceremony, and are featured in The Package Design Book, a staple for any packaging designer.