Writing Can be Fun When Rob Vermeulen, Managing Director of the design agency Vermeulen & Co, decided to pack ball point pens in 50 cl steel beverage cans his Japanese customer, Sakura, was surprised but thought the idea was original and could lead to a new trend in packaging and at the same time reposition their image. Rob had been working on a project for Sakura pens and pencils using conventional packaging such as cardboard and wood. The idea of using steel beverage cans was initially considered a non-starter due to the narrow opening in the top of the can, which Rob thought could only be used for liquids. It was only when he realised that a full aperture opening end could be adapted giving total access to the interior, did he realise that he had the ideal container for the presentation of Sakura’s new line of Gelly Pens. Gelly Pens are transparent ballpoint pens, filled with a transparent gelly coloured ink, containing decorative flakes or sequins. The product had to be protected from damage during distribution and could be sensitive to extreme dry conditions so that a hermetic container was a perfect choice. It was decided to further improve the protection by packing under vacuum. The effect of air entering the can when opened gives the consumer a definite sense of freshness increasing the novelty of this unusual packaging concept. The Vermeulen company was established as a design agency in the late seventies and has recently been involved in steel packaging design mainly for the beer and beverage industry. Rob Vermeulen insists that when designing packaging one of the most critical issues is to ensure that whatever the initial choice, the design must be adaptable to all packaging materials. This is in order to maintain a consistent brand image if there is a decision to change or use another package. It requires a profound knowledge of the technological potential of the materials, including manufacturing, printing, forming and embossing to ensure that the quality of the design can always be perfectly replicated. Another important issue that has to be considered is the consumers acceptance in terms of handling, opening, closing, and resealability etc. «This critical information», Rob Vermeulen said, «is not always readily available and can result in a packaging material not being selected". Using some of the latest computer programme technologie, Vermeulen has reproduced amazing three dimensional images giving a realistic impression of the final impact of the design.