Episode 80 - A Bowl of Nostalgia: Neenah x Print Design Academy Cereal Box Collab

In this episode I sit down with Michelle McDermott-Pautz, who runs channel marketing for Neenah Paper in North America, to walk through the two-year journey of building a mini cereal box collection that shows off what's possible with Neenah Folding Board.

We get into where the "weird" cereal box idea came from, why nostalgia was the whole point, and how Dallas Franklin brought a cast of illustrated characters to life across four different substrates.

Then we go deep on production: foil stamping, sculpted embossing, white-ink-first passes, the deep black board with no white edges, scented stickers, and the 30 hours of press and bindery checks across three trips to the printer. If you've ever wondered what actually goes into a showstopper print piece, this is the true behind-the-scenes.

In this episode

• Why a mini cereal box collection was the right way to showcase folding board, and how the nostalgia angle nearly didn't make the cut
• How the characters were designed to lean into each board's attributes, not just sit on a box
• Every print technique they threw at it: foil (holographic, red, clear), embossing, debossing, metallic inks, white ink first
• The on-press save that mattered: pulling a metallic highlight that disappeared under light and swapping it live
• Why scented stickers (and a full cereal bar) turned the launch party into a full-circle experience
• What designers can steal from this: emotional connection, shelf presence, and why real, tactile work beats the screen

Want to see it

This piece exists in extremely limited quantities. There's a blog post with expanded photos and the full behind the scenes on the Print Design Academy site, and if you want to get your hands on the collection, head to Neenah's website, use the contact form, and ask who your local rep is.

Print Club Pro Small Group Coaching: The Details

See photos of the collab: The Blog

Come say hi on Instagram @printdesign_academy

Tags: print design, packaging design, folding board, Neenah Paper, foil stamping, substrate selection, print production, nostalgia branding