Matter is an antimicrobial technology platform powered by Designsake Studio. By leveraging our expertise in branding and packaging design, our studio was able to bring a new safe and sustainable solution that protects products and the consumers that interact with them a midst a global pandemic.

As a studio, we’ve witnessed the shifts in attitudes and behaviors in ourselves and consumers alike for the past 9 months due to COVID-19. People everywhere are stockpiling disinfectant wipes, soap, gloves, and hand sanitizer. New laborious disinfecting routines are carried out on our groceries and delivery boxes are left outside for days.

Unfortunately, these new rituals are yielding more landfill waste and aren’t providing long-term solutions in addressing consumers’ fears about the products they bring into their homes. We asked ourselves, what if brands could provide protection from high-touch surfaces? And what would this mean for packaging as a communication tool for companies? These questions gave birth to Matter.

What Is Matter? Matter is an antimicrobial coating that provides protection against 99.9% of microbes including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Advanced silver ion technology eliminates the opportunity for microbes to exist on a protected surface. It stops bacteria’s ability to metabolize by preventing it from converting nutrients into energy, which inhibits bacterial survival, reproduction, and colonization. While antimicrobial technology primarily exists in the medical and food industries, we saw an opportunity to bring this technology to our clients by way of consumer-packaged goods.

“With MATTER, Designsake continues to push the boundaries of packaging design by innovating where consumers care the most, the precise touchpoint where human hands meet packaging surfaces,” – Dallas Franklin, Neenah Paper Creative Director

Matter can either be aqueous or solvent-based, making it compatible with all materials. Applying Matter as a coating is the easiest and most cost-effective way of providing antimicrobial protection, but the possibilities are truly endless. It works 24/7, lasts the lifetime of the product, is EPA and FDA certified, and never compromises the integrity of your product’s aesthetic or functionality.

We hope brands and agencies join us in creating a new standard in packaging— one that provides protection for the collective good. Matter isn’t a cure-all to the host of challenges companies and consumers face in the wake of COVID-19, but we believe it is a necessary step to bringing joy back to the unboxing experience and in helping shift consumer expectations towards a new, safe and sustainable standard.