Bruce Lee x Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whiskey

I just caught the new Johnnie Walker Blue Label ad on TV last night, featuring none other than the legendary Bruce Lee! Apparently it took 9 months to create this rendition of him in CGI. While it does look very cool, I am not sure Mr. Lee would be to thrilled about it as he was in to clean living and NOT a whiskey drinker. I guess somebody got paid A LOT. 

The script is taken from an interview he did in the US in the 70's I think. According to director Joseph Kahn: "The video is not about drinking, or an advertisement with Bruce Lee doing condoning it.'s A short inspirational sponsored by the brand. Analogy between water and alcohol is wrong. The last thing want to be that alcohol is water.'s a metaphor for life.'s his metaphor in his own words. spent a year living and breathing the story of this man, thinking of him daily. for me, it's not an ad.'s, its an celebration of the man. "

The Ramune Type Japanese Carbonated Drink Experience

Our designer Eric brought in a couple of old school RAMUNE Japanese soft drinks into work the other day. If you have not seen one before, it is a sweet carbonated beverage in a glass (or PET) bottle with a pinched off bubble in the neck that contains a small glass marble.This one looks a bit like a face to me. But its actually there to prevent the marble from rolling up the neck, to the mouth of the bottle and sealing up against the rubber washer. 

We had a little fun opening them at the office and brushed up on some beverage history. Our director who caught notice reminisced about soft drinks in India that used to be packaged the same. It turns out that they still manufacture the brand BANTA in India the same way. 

We followed the instructions but still managed to make a mess. We got it all on video and put together a short clip to document 'The Experience'.

The Codd-Neck bottle was designed and patented in 1872 but Hiram Codd.

source: Wikipedia 

Mobile Phone Case with Bottle Opener

Another new product to hit our catalogs this year is a compete range of mobile phone cases with integrated bottle openers. This is a great promotional product for beverage brands and we have sent some out to our favorite bars already. Constructed from metal and PC resin, this case has been developed for iPhone 4/4S/5 and Samsung as well!

You can order customized cases with either embossed or silk screen printed logos of your brand or company. 

Can Simple Package Design Be Too Simplistic?

This is a question our designers at PAE grapple with on a daily basis. How simple is too simple? With our attention focused on Africa we follow different trends than the US and Europe but we have also found that simple design concepts are very effective. But is there a line where we leave brand identity and recognition behind?

I came across a great article on www.brandpackaging.com that shed some light on the subject.

'A prominent trend has been to contemporize packaging by making it simple. Clutter isn’t desirable, but in the haste to keep it clean, is packaging being oversimplified? To the point that it’s starting to look generic? Is this causing more problems than it solves? Are important brand drivers omitted to the detriment of sales and profits because it doesn’t communicate enough to the consumer? Finally, is this hampering otherwise strong brands from becoming category leaders?'

Read the rest of this article here...

Source: Brand Packaging

PAE-EM15 Computerized Embroidery Machine 12-15 Colors

One of the biggest problems our clients face when placing orders of promotional materials for new customers is meeting the minimum order quantity requirements set by Chinese manufacturers. In order to remain competitive most reliable factories only accept quantities of 3000 pieces and above for various embroidered garments. At PanAsia we believe in supporting growing brands and want to make high quality marketing materials available to all market players. We have installed our computerized embroidery machines with several of our distributors in Africa so they can  provide their clients with a variety of high quality promotional items despite working on a slim budget.

Our easy to operate system is compatible with USB and also WIFI for your local area network.




● 3.6" Color LCD display showing real time stitching USB port
● Manual,Semi-auto, Auto Color Change
● Function keys including Menu, Speed up and slow
● Multi languages available
● Frame-moving keys, Manual Trimming
● Dot ket to return to 100 degree● Start, Stop, and emergency Stop
● Embroidery Status (Page Up/Page Down), USB Input,
● Parameter Settings, Clear, ESC, Enter, etc.
● Numeric keys for selection of needles






This simple embroidery machine is ideal for branding logos with up to 15 colors on a variety of garments ranging from shirts and caps to neck ties and socks. The PAE-EM15 come with a variety of hoops and frames to accommodate embroidering on shirt pockets, collars, and sleeves. We also provide attachments to accommodate embroidering on cap rims and visors.

Check out this video to see firsthand the smooth operation of our computerized embroidery machine and how easy it is to operate. Do not let high quantity requirements hold you back from getting your brand name out there and competing with the bigger players in your market. Contact PAE to find out more about how we can help you stay one step ahead of the game.

Amazing Resource - Packaging Dictionary

I came across an amazing dictionary of packaging terms from the Best in Packaging website recently. They have alphabetically categorized numerous terms and abbreviations and a simple to use format. Not only do they give detailed descriptions of terms and processes, but where applicable they also provide diagrams with links to the source. See the example below.

Flame Lamination – Flame lamination is often used to bond film and/or fabric to soft polyurethane foams. The process, shown below, involves the passing of the soft foam over an open flame, which creates a thin layer of molten polymer. The film and/or fabric are quickly pressed against the foam while it is still in the molten state. The strength of the bond depends upon the film, fabric and foam selected and the processing conditions (i.e., gas type, flame height and spread, foam burn-off and nip pressure).

Flame lamination is a continuous process that, depending on the equipment, adheres fabric or film to one or both sides of the foam in a single pass. (source:http://www.dow.com/)

You can check out the complete packaging dictionary here.

The Evolution of Soda Can Designs (1950-2013)

When is the right time for you to update the design of your brand? Are you afraid to loose customer loyalty by making changes to a design that your consumers are well connected with? When is the right time to move forward and what are the challenges you will face when keeping up with the latest trends? These are all very difficult questions to consider as a brand manager, but you can look to the giants of our industry and take a page out of the history books for reference. 

Classic brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7-Up, and few others have been on shelves around the world since the early 1950's. They understand the need to redesign their appearance every couple of years, to stay fresh and yet not loose their distinguished credentials. It is the most difficult challenge to take that step forward without drawing too far away from your last appearance. Check out some pictures below of how these iconic brands have evolved over the last 60 years. 

PEPSI

DR.PEPPER

COCA-COLA

CRUSH

7-UP

Get in touch with our team at PAE to find out more about how you can keep your brand image up to date without compromising consumer recognition. Stay ahead of the game and keep your competition in check at all times.