‘60° – creative boxes to inspire: number two’: LEONHARD KURZ brings packaging design trends to life once again

Fürth/Germany, October 2, 2025: LUXE PACK in Monaco, which took place from September 29 to October 1, is the annual meeting place for brands for premium packaging design in the luxury segment. This year, LEONHARD KURZ once again presented the latest version of its award-winning packaging concept ‘60° – creative boxes to inspire.’ The boxes on display are redesigned annually by Design Management and combine state-of-the-art surface embellishment with inspiring designs and trends. This year's edition once again takes up the triangular shape introduced in 2024, whose base surfaces are at a 60-degree angle to each other, and interprets four central design trends: Average Hero, Sportify, Shades of Armour, and AntiThesis. Each of the elaborately designed packages tells its own story, reflects social developments and current trends, and shows how design, materiality, and color can be combined to create expressive surfaces. High-quality materials from paper manufacturer Gmund were used for the current edition. The elaborate embossing was created using tools and technology from KURZ subsidiary Hinderer + Mühlich (H+M).

“With the new designs, we want to inspire, inform, and appeal to the senses at the same time. The packaging series is based on our internal KURZ trend research, in which we observe which socio-cultural developments are having an impact on the creative industry. The results, in the form of our packaging, tell complex stories and convey emotions at the same time,” explains Annie Kuschel, Global Head of Design Management at KURZ. Julia König, Senior Designer at KURZ, adds: “The triangular shape opens up completely new possibilities thanks to its unique geometry. It breaks down the question of front and back, top and bottom, enabling a completely individual, immersive experience.”

‘Average Hero’: The silent hero of everyday life

Average Hero celebrates the ordinary and turns its gaze away from the superlatives of a world turned upside down and toward everyday life. The design puts the spotlight on the ordinary. Ordinary people are heroes of the moment. And they inspire designs that still stand out thanks to their copy shop aesthetic. "Average Hero shows that heroes don't have to be loud. It is often the small, inconspicuous moments that convey inspiration and emotion," says Annie Kuschel. "By highlighting individual everyday elements, we have made something normal visible."

The design deliberately focuses on simple shapes and materials. Unspectacular everyday objects are highlighted by blind embossing, so that the embossed, heroic ‘H’ in its simple color scheme catches the eye in a subtle way. The soothing, metallic green of Plain Green LUXOR^® 111617N is reminiscent of a walk through a quiet forest, while Mundane Beige LUXOR^® 111618N, with its metallic matte effect, captures the everyday environment in a warm and inviting way, touching the senses. SILVER LINE^® Trivia transforms small, seemingly insignificant details into exciting patterns with a surprising depth effect. The design playfully conveys how everyday life can be something special, depending on your perspective.

'Sportify': The dynamics of play

Sportify brings movement and energy to packaging design. This trend focuses less on the competitive nature of sport and more on the Olympic ideal of bringing people together through their shared passion. It's about equality, inclusion, and diversity. Inspired by sports beyond soccer - such as water ballet, figure skating, and shooting - the design focuses on clear geometric shapes reminiscent of swimming pool lanes or playing field markings.

Ambitious Yellow LUMAFIN^® 711 sets eye-catching accents, while Light Pink LUMAFIN^® 761 provides lightness and precision with playful, transparent layers. Julia König explains: "Sportify shows that movement can be felt not only physically, but also visually. Rhythm, dynamics, and coordination can be experienced through the interplay of color, transparency, and structure." The elements of SILVER LINE^® Dotted emphasize the impression of rhythm and order that are constantly rearranging themselves, creating an interplay of depth and surface that captivates the eye and reflects the dynamic aesthetics of sport.

'Shades of Armour': Resilience in design

Shades of Armour symbolizes retreat and reflection on inner strength. The box stands for pausing and recharging your batteries in safe spaces. Instead of loud actionism, the focus is on building deep resilience – subtle but effective. The colors are reduced and appear muted, while robust materials convey security and stability. Julia König explains: "Shades of Armour shows that resilience can be quiet but powerful. The design follows the idea that inner strength and self-reflection are essential for meeting current social challenges. The blind-embossed grid structure represents a safe space without isolation."

Protective Metal LUXOR^® 110331, a dark silver with a cool blue tint, was used to implement this trend. The color acts like a metal shield that powerfully reflects light. The light shade of Resilient Beige LUMAFIN^® 712 covers all underlying layers like a multi-layered shell, lending transparency with a greenish depth and enhancing the effect of the surfaces. The density of SILVER LINE^® Closed is reminiscent of a sturdy mesh of steel cables that oscillates between static and dynamic, providing support without constricting.

'AntiThesis': New narratives through contrasts

AntiThesis is a game of contrasts. Young people in particular are increasingly questioning themselves and daring to take positions that contradict their own attitudes. Coping with ambivalence requires courage, irony, exaggeration, and absurdity: AntiThesis combines contradictory materials, colors, moods, styles, and functions, tearing apart what belongs together. As a clear plea for sustainable change, AntiThesis is disruptive, absurd, and shocking, but it is not designed purely to provoke. "With AntiThesis, we want to show that contrasts do not have to be conflicts, but can unleash creative forces. This trend conveys that ambivalence and different perspectives can be understood as enrichment," says Annie Kuschel.

SILVER LINE^® Multiple combines hand-painted structures that are both clearly defined and blurred, appearing in small patches and over large areas. Separate layers repel each other, yet flow into one another, symbolizing how we deal with contradictions. The color scheme supports this approach: The washed-out yellow of Unique Yellow COLORIT^® 307098 initially appears restrained, matte, and impenetrable, but allows subtle revolutionary traits to shine through, while Hybrid Blue LUXOR^® 111616, a metallic, high-gloss light blue, changes to reddish depending on the perspective and at the same time conveys depth and movement.

Inspiration for brand worlds

The new edition ‘60° – creative boxes to inspire: number two’ underscores LEONHARD KURZ's commitment to combining current trends, social issues, and state-of-the-art surface finishes in fascinating designs. The boxes, which are dedicated to individual trends, exemplify the creative combination of aesthetics, function, and inspiration, providing design inspiration for both the packaging industry and the visual communication of international brands. The new, innovative trend colors also inspire application and can help brands increase their relevance, evoke emotions, and thus strengthen their own brand identity.