‘Pack It!’ Reality Show Pits Designer Against Designer

“Pack It! The Packaging Recycling Design Challenge,” a competition show from the Paper and Packaging Board, has rolled out four new episodes in a bite-size, social media-friendly format. The show challenges designers to create recyclable, environmentally friendly packaging from paper-based materials,

The latest competition, which plays out over the course of four mini-episodes, features two young designers creating packaging for a catnip plant — with a prize of $1,000 at stake. In addition to protecting the plant during transportation, the contestants’ packaging designs needed to double as cat scratch pads.

Episode 1:

In the first of the new episodes, host Cassie Stephens explains the Pack It! challenge and introduces a rematch of two former contestants, Emma Dayton and Zachary Weston:

Episode 2:

Episode 2 focuses on Emma’s trials in designing a package that meets the contest’s criteria.

In the original competition between Emma and Zach, which occurred in an earlier season of the show, the two were challenged to produce a subscription box using paper-based materials. Emma, then a packaging design student, won that competition:

Episode 3:

Zach, a creative structural designer, is featured in Episode 3. His package design is elaborate, considering the three-hour time limit for the competition. The design includes several “cat entertainment devices” that incorporate scratch pads. The host’s orange tabby makes a cameo appearance in the episode, as well:

Related:New Reality Show Dramatizes Packaging Design Challenges

Episode 4:

In Episode 4, the two packages are delivered to the host’s door. She evaluates each design, and her three cats also check them out, providing end-user insight into the packages’ functionality.

Who do you think should win?