Cardboard box design is something we take for granted. It appears every day in our lives, and we don’t think twice about what has gone into the design of the innovative cardboard packaging we use, whether it’s a milk carton, a book delivery through the door, or a box that we use to move to a new house. It’s simply always there. Imagine, however, if we woke up one day and cardboard packaging was banned!
There have been several innovations in cardboard packaging, since 1821, the year that cardboard was developed as a packaging product. The first cardboard packaging as we know it today arrived in 1890 and was designed by Robert Gair a Scotsman whose discovery was made by accident.
But have you stopped to think how over the decades these early innovations and developments have led to the versatile use of innovative cardboard packaging design as we know it today?
- Cardboard Tubing
Who said cardboard boxes had to be square? Over time the human tendency to “think outside of the box” and innovate according to both functional need and creative growth has been fed by the versatility of the cardboard box. When cardboard tubing first became an everyday product, many problems were resolved. The lowly toilet roll, something we all use every day could now be packaged and rolled without any further packaging issues, Architectural drawings, posters and prints are kept safe both for long-term storage and transportation. Cardboard tubes are frequently used to package high-end wine and spirit products, to name but a few.
- The Classic Flatpack
Most modern boxes with six sides are now designed to be flat packed. This is exceptionally handy for mass production so that once the box has been used, it can be flattened again and then stored for reuse at a later stage. Good examples of flatpack boxes that we see and use every day are boxes made for house moves, packaging for posting, and other bulk product packaging boxes.
- Milk And Juice Cartons
Intelligent and innovative cardboard packaging design for the function hasn’t only been about how boxes flatten down and can be rebuilt. Using cardboard for food packaging continues to surprise anew. Milk cartons are coated with a waterproof coating, and the type of waterproof layer will vary depending on the laws of the country in which it is manufactured, but had it not been for cardboard, the milk and juice cartons that are so familiar today would not exist.
- The Pizza Box
The humble pizza box, shallow, wide and long, depending on the size of the pizza has become a favourite, and its design and use has expanded to other food ideas such as the munchie box specials offered by takeaways, but also enabled designers to work around awkward products such as clocks. The pizza box is definitely an innovation with the feeling of hunger and optimism that it provides the minute you see one.
- The Wine Carrier
Ever been shopping for a party and discovered the round shape of the bottle make them difficult to carry, even in a plastic carrier bag? The bottle carrier has rescued many a bottle from an untimely demise. These cardboard carriers can usually transport anything from four to six bottles with a convenient carry handle and are remarkably robust and secure. Usually, these can be flat packed for storage and reuse.
- The Fold Open Cardboard Package
If you have ordered a book from one of the large online suppliers, you’ll be familiar with this packaging, and it’s relatively new on the scene. All you need to do is pull a tab or use a little – not a lot of force to pull it open, and it stretches out to a flat piece of cardboard with your product lying slightly off centre, having been delivered safely and securely.
- The Archive Box
Storage boxes, come by many names and should not be confused with the flatpack, product packaging or moving box. These come with handles cut out of the side of the box and a lid, which enables continued use of the box and access to the box long before it needs to be discarded. These boxes can be utilised for decades before they require replacement. Sometimes referred to as file boxes, they are an investment that many businesses make and are often used as evidence storage by law enforcement across the world.
- Egg Boxes
Eggs are probably the one item in the supermarket trolley that are the easiest to break and yet the design of the egg box is one that is light, practical and offers safety and security to the contents like few other packaging ideas. Cardboard is the best material because not only is it functional in design, but it also can absorb a substantial amount of movement and compression before the contents become damaged.
- The Tissue Box
The tissue box made it into this list because it has to be open to serve its purpose. This little space saver comes in all shapes and sizes, can be kept anywhere, be it the home, the car, the office and even mini boxes in the handbag. The beauty of it is that no matter how few tissues are in it, it continues to serve its purpose until the last one is gone. Without the tissue box, we’d have tissues and napkins everywhere, making a huge mess of the surroundings.
- The Pet Carrier
Thinks pets, you may think cats and dogs, but the widespread and bespoke use of cardboard carriers for animals can be seen at veterinary clinics, airports, rescue centres and elsewhere. They are to carry many animals from reptiles, to kittens, hamsters to hedgehogs. The cardboard packaging is robust, yet safe to the touch this design is perfect for scared or aggressive animals, and they come in larger sizes too that can accommodate sedated dogs too.
Innovative cardboard packaging solutions from Ribble Packaging
Whether you are at home or out in town, have a look around you, and you’ll see a diversity of packaging that we use every day and simply take for granted. Just imagine if we woke up one day and none of it was there!
If you need an innovative cardboard packaging solution, then talk to the experts at Ribble Pack who may be able to meet your design and product needs for your packaging to become the next most innovation cardboard solution. Whatever your packaging needs, the Ribble experts are here to help.
