Research amongst the design community
revealed a need for more information on the creative
potential of steel. How versatile and flexible is
steel to work with ? What range of material thicknesses
and finishes are readily available ? How easy is it
to create new shapes ? How durable is steel ? How
well does steel protect food, beverage and personal
care products ? These - and many more questions remain
unanswered because designers did not know who to approach.
There was also a lack of awareness of the material's
environmental efficiency both during production
and disposal and how easily steel prototypes could
be manufactured. And this challenge - of advising,
informing and supporting the design community was
met by launching Space, a unique service to help designers,
who play an important role in material specification
for new products.
The three-strong Space team, based
in London, acts as a gateway to the technical expertise
and experience within Corus Packaging Plus and Corus
Research Development and Technology. Space works with
designers to effectively bridge the gap between design,
technology and implementation, ensuring that they
have access to all the support and information they
need to create new and innovative packaging solutions
to differentiate their clients' brands.
The approach is flexible for some,
input encompasses everything from brainstorming workshops,
advice on material performance and technical support
to prototyping services. For others it is simply a
case of offering advice about the material. A steel
binder has been created which demonstrates the versatility
of steel, the potential for creating flexible shapes,
the finishes available, technical and product information,
case studies and material samples. Binders are presented
to design agencies as a resource for their studios,
giving instant access to information about the creative
potential of steel.
