Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how bubblegum companies have stepped up their game when it comes to packaging? While chewing some Wrigley's 5 the realization hit me that gum packaging has undergone a serious evolution. From just plain wrappers and childlike graphics, packaging is now stylish, sophisticated and costly.

Take the packaging for 5, which is constructed of luxurious heavy weight matte black stock, and features pretty much every special printer effect possible. Spot gloss, complex die cuts, embossing, foil graphics...it's all there. To round out the sophistication, each stick of gum is removed from the package like a cigarette. Like every other product out there, gum has caught up, and now expects you to be making a lifestyle statement by whatever brand you flaunt.

Just released for the new year is the redesigned White Oaks Resort Giftcard. The look, which strays from the typically over-extravagant giftcard packaging, is based on the five-star properties' recent campaign of natural excellence. Sometimes simple and understated is the way to go. Flower imagery is used throughout the project and campaign to underscore natural beauty. To continue the green friendly theme, the outerholder is printed on post-consumer recycled craft stock with one colour vegetable based ink. The simple one-fold cardholder tucks into an envelope, for minimum packaging waste.

Packaging can make or break a product, crowded along the shelves with millions of other alternatives, crying out for attention. More often than not, this importance is reflected in the quality of design that goes into the packaging, as well as the budget behind it. Some of my favourite places to check out fresh packaging ideas, are Winners and Homesense. These places have lot of products that people don't really need, but they might buy if they get snared by appearance. I often find myself really excited about a set of flatware, because of its luxurious packaging, even though I have no interest in the actual product.

A nice example of unique, fancy packaging is this box for dorset cereals. Grainy type cereal is a dull sell, but the packaging makes it seem a bit more luxurious. Decent colour combos and simple typography compliment the die-cut window and foil stamped logo. The paper type used for the box even has a textured feel to it. Not that I dislike the zany packaging in the kid's cereal aisle but when every cereal looks the same, sometimes doing something different is worth the risk.