From the Desk of PackagingChic | August 2026
This month’s photo is of a Starlink launch. We get to see these here in San Diego when they launch from Vandenberg and it’s at the right time of day/evening.
August has been one of those months where I look at my calendar and wonder if several different people are using it.
Packaging sample reviews. Client calls. AI training. Industry webinars. Mentoring. Follow-up from the Summer Packaging Challenge. And now I’m getting ready to head back to Cal Poly, where I’ll be speaking to a GrC 1000 class of students just beginning to figure out where Graphic Communication might take them.
Apparently, I like variety!
The funny thing is, all of these things actually connect. I’ve spent a lot of August learning, teaching, asking questions and going down a few new rabbit holes. Packaging Waste Intelligence was one of those rabbit holes. The Summer Packaging Challenge turned into a much bigger learning experience than I expected. And preparing for Cal Poly has had me thinking about my own career and all the unexpected turns it has taken.
So maybe August wasn’t quite as scattered as my calendar makes it look. There seems to be a theme here: stay curious, keep learning and see where it takes you.
How Did the First Summer Packaging Challenge™ Go? Thanks for asking!
The very first Summer Packaging Challenge™ is officially in the books, and I learned almost as much from watching it unfold as the participants did from doing it. I had the idea to do it and you never really know how it will go!
Over two weeks, designers worked through real packaging structures, dielines, mockups, production questions and professional feedback. What I loved most was seeing how differently people approached the same briefs—and how quickly the conversation moved from “Does this look good?” to “Will this actually work?”
I put together a full recap of the Challenge, including what participants and reviewers learned, what surprised us, what I’ll change next time, and why there will definitely be another one. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a design leaves the screen and has to become a real package, this is a good one to read. Read the Summer Packaging Challenge™ recap →
What actually happens after the recycling bin?
We spend a lot of time making packaging recyclable. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it actually gets recycled.
I recently went down a new rabbit hole: Packaging Waste Intelligence. Saw it on Linkedin! This one company is using AI to see what happens to packaging inside recycling facilities and why some materials are recovered while others aren't. I took a deeper look at their technology, how a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) actually works, and why this kind of real-world data could be valuable for brands making packaging decisions.
Read: Packaging Waste Intelligence — What Happens After the Package Leaves Your Hands?
How much do you really know about what happens to your packaging after someone puts it in the recycling bin?
September is here. Feels like back to school because so much of my travel this month is about students - here’s where I’ll be!
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Cal Poly Advisory Board meeting
Guest lecturer at GrC 1000 - the beginning of the student journey!
Print United Alliance Expo, Las Vegas - Student Day speaking about that same journey and the possibilities in our world of graphic communication.
