The shelves of America's supermarkets and drug stores are cluttered with bland design. But if Christine Mau had anything to do with it, that would cease to be true.

In fact, Mau does have a lot of influence over our shopping experience: As the associate director of packaging graphics at Kimberly-Clark, she is in a position to re-envision the way many basic consumer goods are purveyed-and she has taken full advantage of that opportunity. Under her direction, the Kleenex box has become a personalized thing of fun and beauty, an object of décor rather than just a receptacle for a hygiene product. In this talk, she will explain how she's been able to create breakthrough work at one of this country's largest companies-and why it pays to think way outside the (tissue) box.

Christine will talk about:

• Identifying the greatest risk: Is it doing the expected or doing the unexpected?
• How to move away from category norms, and break the rules-with a purpose.
• Why some brands' packaging has helped them retain value, as others risk extinction.
• A simple equation for designing with a sense of relevancy, without forgetting the business objective.
• How to remain tenacious when clients don't immediately jump on board for a new idea.

About presenter Christine Mau

Christine Mau is the associate director of packaging graphics at Kimberly-Clark. She leads the team responsible for the branding and packaging of the company's consumer portfolio, including the Kleenex and Huggies brands. Christine is passionate about exploring the power of design and applying it strategically to forward business objectives. She put that approach into practice with the Kleenex-brand oval carton design and patent. Her work has been recognized by the American Advertising Federation, AIGA, HOW and Print.