The Competitive Edge: 5 Iconic Boxes of all time
Nike is one of if not the most iconic sports brand, recognised worldwide. Its bright orange shoebox coupled with the legendary white swoosh created this memorable design. What stands out about this box is not its bright colour but its simple yet sophisticated logo. Nike is a perfect example of how a good logo can go a long way. Creating a logo is the easy part, but making one that lasts and that people want to wear takes time. Arguably people pay more for the logo than the actual product, as the value of the product is significantly increased due to its association with the Nike brand. Nike can use their logo on virtually any product and it will sell. The logo creates a superficial value, and that is what makes Nike’s orange mailer box design stand out.
Nikes packaging and design caters towards their active and sporty target market. According to this blog, the colour orange suggests confidence, success, bravery and sociability. All these qualities fit Nike’s brand and core values perfectly. In essence, the brand itself makes the packaging more memorable, illustrating the interdependence between developing a successful brand and packaging.
Clean cut, smooth finish and sleek. This is the iconic box packaging one of the world’s most beloved smartphones. Apple uses a highly minimalistic design. This accentuates the product itself as the consumer’s attention is focused on the product as they open the box. Another memorable trait is the way in which the box opens. As it is opened the box slides up slowly revealing the product inside. Together these aspects add to the suspense and excitement as consumers unbox their new product. The box shows the product as it is on the top surface which adds a modern touch to the design. This could be to accentuate the picture-perfect product contained underneath, allowing consumers to compare the product to the picture.
A key takeaway from Apple’s iPhone box is it uniqueness embodied through its minimalistic design. To enhance your packaging, try using a simple design. Don’t be afraid to leave large white spaces. Empty spaces in packaging designs can help highlight other more important elements on the packaging such as the logo or text. Think about the material you use and it’s functionality. To create a more dramatic unboxing effect like Apple you could use a more unconventional box shape. The material of your box is crucial as it can reflect the quality of the product inside. Apple does an excellent job of using reinforced cardboard to produce a smooth and sleek finish.
The box itself is made out of bio-based materials and is 90% recyclable. It is also what we like to describe as a super-efficient box. This is due to Apple’s ability to use up all the space inside the box. The box is designed to fit the iPhone’s shape precisely and has compartments under to hold the phone’s accessories. Everything fits into the box perfectly, with little to no additional space inside. This saves money for Apple as they spend less on packaging costs as they only use up the amount of material they require for each product. This can save a large amount of material when magnified to the larger quantities they produce. An additional benefit from this is that they are reducing the amount they consume and in a way is an eco-friendly practice. This method can easily be implemented in the packaging of products and allows companies to reduce their costs and environmental impact, whilst presenting sophisticated and highly functional packaging. Remember the most effective strategy is not to reuse or recycle but to reduce.
Toms is known for its ethical and socially responsible corporate behaviour, with its business model including donating a pair of shoes to a child in need with every shoe bought. What makes Toms packaging unique is that their shoe boxes come with a reusable stylish bag to keep them well maintained. Their bright blue and white colours make the bag stand out. The reusable bag is an eco-friendly practice as a plastic bag would more likely be thrown out. This helps target sustainably conscious consumers. The reusable bag also acts as an additional form of advertising as consumers can use it for other purposes after purchase. This provides consumers with an extra benefit when they buy a pair of Toms.
Toblerone’s triangular box is a classic, timeless and distinguishable way of packaging.
The unorthodox triangular shape of the box is what makes this chocolate company unique. The strong, red font combined with the gold background makes Toblerone bars stand out on the shelf. The colour gold suggests luxury, importance and warmth. When paired with the red font makes the design bold and demonstrates strength. Together this packaging’s colourway reflects the premium and high-quality chocolate bar inside. Aesthetic, bold and good quality packaging has allowed Toblerone to enhance the superficial value of their chocolate, ultimately leading to an increase in revenue and sales. Mondelez International is one of the largest confectionery companies in the world and are the owners of big brands such as Cadburys, Milka and Toblerone. According to this blog, Toblerone created a quarter of Mondelez’s revenue in 2015. This exemplifies that sticking to conventionally shaped boxes isn’t always a necessity for your packaging to be successful and in fact, obscure boxing can become a great selling point.
The ‘Tiffany Blue Box’ is without a doubt one of the most recognisable containers in retail history. In 1886 when Tiffany introduced their signature diamond engagement ring, it came inside a blue jewellery box. A box that till date is one of the most memorable jewellery boxes made. The box ended up becoming just as popular as the ring itself. The colour became paramount to Tiffany’s whole brand so, in 1998, they decided to have the colour and the white satin bow that completes the box trademarked. This shade of blue has become one of the most protected colours in branding along with Cadburys purple and UPS brown. According to the Institute’s executive director at Tiffany, Leatrice Eiseman, the iconic light blue colour “evokes positive thoughts and reactions, and this, combined with the status that Tiffany has assigned to it, makes for perfect packaging.” This reinforces how important it is to make sure that the colours picked for your packaging represent your brand values.
The Tiffany Blue Box has become so recognisable and popular that Tiffany released the box as a wearable charm.
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