They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but in this age of Instagram-oriented design, we're not sure we agree — at least not entirely. The package something comes in, be it a newly released novel, a handcrafted leather wallet, a crisp linen shirt or a soothing hand cream, has to communicate to potential customers what the product is about. And with ecommerce, the stakes are even higher: the way your goods are packed and shipped is an important part of the shopping experience, too.

This issue, we’re talking all things outer layer: Corinna digs into optimizing your unboxing experience, and Kat speaks with some experts on making your packaging more eco-friendly. We're also looking for your packaging questions and conundrums to help inspire future stories. (For instance, as we heard on Instagram this week: are compostable mailers really compostable? That is on our list to find out.)

As always, we’d love to hear from you. Just click reply to drop us a line and tell us how your week is going.

Yours in making,

Co-founders Corinna vanGerwen and Kat Tancock

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