During the holiday season, a lot of mail is sent across the world, some is sent across continents, some across countries and some to people within the country. It has been man’s tradition for centuries to send loved one’s gifts and seasonal greeting cards at this time of the year. The ways of sending items has become more advanced with time with packaging particularly being improved greatly. In the early days people used naturally available materials to package their mail items. Some of the favoured packaging means included baskets of reed, woven bags and wooden barrels. Today with the advancement in technology, polyethylene material is used to make plastic mailing bags that are more efficient.

When Christmas time comes, plastic mailing bags are in huge demand since almost everybody would want to use the best bags to package gifts to loved ones, workmates, spouses, former schoolmates or workmates, and friends. The plastic mailbags are especially favoured for the way they preserve the contents inside. The plastic bags are tear free and will not expose the contents inside, they are puncture resistant and they are water proof and airtight (a condition that helps to conserve even foodstuffs). Some of the bags, the jiffy bags, are made with added air cushioning to further protect the contents inside. Some of these bags also have a metallic foil that helps protect electronic items from magnetic or electronic charges.

Plastic mailing bags have a shiny attractive surface that is supplied in many beautiful colours. The aesthetic nature of these bags makes them a favourite above the plain brown or white colours of the erstwhile packaging. The printable nature of the plastic surface also allows for the printing of any kinds of patterns, writing or images. The printing of mailing bags is usually done by the suppliers on order. Many companies that buy mailing bags will order for the bags and instruct on the kind of decorations they would prefer on the mailing bags. Companies often order for the printing of their logos or trademarks on the bags and use this as another advertising means.

Personally when sending gifts to one’s own friends or relatives, one can decorate the bags using felt pens and markers that have ink that will stick fast. Attractive patterns can be drawn on the surface and one could use different ink colours to make it more attractive. With the pens one could even write messages on plastic mailing bags.

Far Falla is a well known bow tie brand that appeals to modern young men around the globe. Matteo Giuseppe Pani has designed packaging for an off the shelf range of bow ties the  combine style with convenience. The simple shape of the packaging represents the basic elegance of a bow tie, a distinguished shape that all can relate directly to the product without much trouble.

Image from packaging of the world

The boxes come in a range of different colours, containing bow ties of different materials. The classic black dressy bow tie comes in a, somewhat stereotypical, black box. The typography used for the brand logo appears quite simple and reflects the uncomplicated views of the modern man. The benefit of these boxes being shaped as they are means that they can be beautifully stacked and the sliding drawer element of the packaging makes it seem far more like a luxury product.
 

Sometimes in the packaging world, things take a turn for the peculiar and this wine packaging is just one of the moments. Putting clothing on product packaging is not an unheard of concept, famously every year innocent smoothies have their fans knit hats to be placed on the little smoothie bottles for charity. However putting a paper t-shirt on a bottle of wine does sound altogether odd.

Images from packaging of the world

Without having seen the product up-close the whole thing looks a little bit childish. Putting hats on smoothies is fun and cool but wine is very much a mature product that is enjoyed by adults. When looking at the packaging more closely however, the t-shirt has information about the wine not usually explained in such detail. Where it was ‘born’ and a rather humorous explanation of its growing and production process that puts into the way we see our lives progress. Despite being quite childish it is also a charming and unheard of way to give the packaging some extra character and those with a sense of humor may find this packaging highly amusing.

Cardboard packaging boxes, originally, are intended as packing materials. In other words, they are used in order to contain materials and items which you intend to send, mail, or ship to someone far away. They are the most preferred means of securing items primarily because of the fact that they are hard and versatile, thus giving a feeling of assurance that the materials and contents inside will be secure during the travel period.

Of course, apart from its original purpose, many households have long realized that the packing materials can also be used as a daily item at home. This is especially true for families which are just starting and are in short supply of resources. Basically, the packing box can be used as a storage device where you will be able to keep and organize your kids’ toys. It can even come in handy as a laundry basket.

The most famous application of the box in our homes, however, is that it can be made into a playhouse. What does this mean? Basically, because of the fact that the boxes are mostly made from cardboard, which are very sturdy, you can use them as toy houses for your kids. As you may already know, kids love to play with toy houses. They like to pretend as princesses and soldiers and their houses are their forts. Basically, they want to roam around the castle and they like to move around tight corners of their forts and pretend that they have enemies outside and that they are universally safe in their cardboard mansions. This, indeed, makes your children very happy. The best thing about them is that children will never get tired playing with the houses. They might renovate, they might add a thing or two, but they will always look forward to playing with their toy houses.

So, how do you make one? It is very easy, as a matter of fact. All you need to do is prepare, say, more than a dozen boxes. The boxes should be large enough for your kids to fit through. It is basically useless if the boxes are not wide enough because children expect to be able to move around their castles. Next, connect the openings of the boxes, and you might also want to create an opening along the body of some of the cardboard packaging boxes. At any rate, you should have a crude idea of what you want to create. If you do that, then you are good.

The objective of packaging is to attract the consumer to it, with product related imagery and relevant information that is likely to persuade them to make a purchase. There is some packaging out there however that seems to just be designed for the amusement of others which is more likely to cause a consumer to purchase it.

Image from Pentagram

This squid soap would definitely attract children to the product, it can double up as a bath toy and certainly be kept as one after it is finished. The bright colour and fun typography give this packaging a great sense of character.

Image from Germanium

This packaging contains massaging body soap, it is a startling piece of packaging purely because there is nothing else like it around and it contains a certain amount of indecency. This packaging is likely to turn heads and attract consumers despite being essential weird.

When you buy a luxury or well made product, often it's packaging is in some way re-usable. In todays throw away world it is highly important that we take advantage of these re-using and recycling opportunities, to help the environment and to find cheaper alternatives to otherwise expensive products.

Image from Chloe Chocolat

Tea caddy are an excellent form of packaging to keep and reuse, made for tea specifically it is great for keeping tea that didn't come in a proper package. This pink tea caddy is very feminine packaging and is highly suitable for female tea lovers. The metal is also quite durable so you could re-use this packaging again and again.

Image from Etsy

Alcohol bottles are generally made from quite good quality glass and if it was a good quality alcohol brand then it'll have a nice label too, great for re-using. Small spirit bottles like the one shown above would make a great soap dispenser, larger spirit bottles are great for holding sweets such as m&m's or skittles.

Image from pincookie

Jar packaging from jam and other glass products are great for baking cheesecakes, cupcakes or jam. Individual desserts are very popular for dinner parties so re-using your packaging means you don't have to purchase any expensive glass pots.

Cardboard boxes are famous because they are easily recycled and put to other useful things. The cardboard is tough yet it can be bent and cut easily; it is light and can thus be carried around easily; it is also safe health wise and is friendly to the environment. Most of the items made from cardboard boxes are temporal but they could last longer if handled with care. Most cardboards have the flat brown colour and one may want to decorate items made from the cardboard, be it a kids fort, a pet house or just a packaging cardboard box that one want to look attractive. Painting is the easiest way to decorate but one should be careful with the kinds of paint they use.

Cardboard being basically paper, will absorb liquids and this will compromise the strength of the cardboard. Usually after drying up, the cardboard will regain some of its toughness but may end up a bit brittle. When painting therefore, one should not apply too much paint and one should use paints that don’t get absorbed so freely. Another great disadvantage of the absorbing quality of cardboard boxes is that the cardboard will warp when drying up. To minimize this, again one should use minimal paint per coat and one should paint on both sides for the initial coat. The warping on one side will be countered by the warping on the other side hence one should be keen to apply equal amount of paint on both sides.

Acrylic paint is the most preferred type of paint to use on cardboards. Acrylic is very similar to oil based paints having similar advantages but is less expensive and easier to use. Before painting the final pattern or image on the cardboard, for better quality and a stronger finish, a coat or two of primer is necessary, gesso primers or an acrylic based primer are advised. One can also use spray paint; though it could be more expensive, one may find it easier to use. It is crucial that after each coat one should let the cardboard dry completely before painting on another coat.

Other ways to colour your cardboard boxes is the use of poster paint and water colours. An advantage of these paints is that they take to the cardboard very well and will need only one coat a disadvantage is that these colours are a bit dull and may need some lightening up with varnish. One could also use added decorating materials such as crayons, inks, chalk, colour pencils and markers and anything else including nail polish!

Written by:

Chris Roche - Digital Marketing Manager at Storm Trading who stock a wide range of packaging supplies including cardboard boxes and bubble wrap. Chris enjoys arts and crafts as well as technology and films.

Packaging is generally a way of keeping a product together, providing the consumer information about it and trying to get them to make a purchase and some of the following examples continue to do just that, but with a little added wow factor.

Image from Fun Cage

The purpose of this packaging is to show that the watch in question is made to survive superbly underwater. It comes out of the packaging looking brand new despite having already been 'used' underwater. Generally speaking it's not every day you see a watch in a pouch of water, the element of surprise has been used here.

Image from creative repository

Despite being precisely what the packaging says it is this product and its packaging still has the cool factor - literally. The shake of it looks as though it has been cut from ice and if it isn't kept in the freezer it would defrost and ruin the beautiful nature of it. The simplicity of the text also add's to the 'made from nature' element to the packaging.

In the packaging industry it is common to find packaging designs and themes that make no real sense. Abstract images that look cool and trend but have no real relation to the product. There are however some new designs that at first glance may not have anything to do with the product at all, if you look closer however you will see the connection being made between the packaging and the product itself.

Images from packet

At first glance this wine packaging appears to have characters who's colours coordinate with that of the rest of the packaging. There is no clear link between the wine and the characters that the packaging design is clearly centered around. Upon closer inspection however (despite the packaging being in a foreign language) it appears that each character represents something about the culture from the country the wine comes from. Female characters are the white and rose, the more delicate wines. One of the female characters is a flamenco dancer which shows that this wine has been produced in spain. The male characters represent the heavier red wine, the character in the gondolier hat is Italian (gondolas are mainly found in Venice in Italy) showing that the wine is italian. Creating product packaging that is not only attractive and mildly amusing but also makes the consumer think is a great way to attract them.
 

Moving home is an activity that is dreaded by many although we all must go through it sooner or later. It is a time marked by indecision and confusion. These complications arise when we consider the job as a whole. We simultaneously look at the little things and the large things, the heavy and the light, the delicate and the sturdy, and all these details make the job overwhelming. The secret to moving lies in sequential packaging; and the most important items in moving house are the packaging boxes

Packaging boxes are not made of very hardy material and so one cannot carry very many things at once, but the size and strength of the packing boxes allows for luggage that is easily lifted using only hands and can be manipulated around easily; these attributes are necessary for materials used for packaging house items. The number of packaging boxes needed for moving house will be determined by the number of items in the house, the average size of the boxes and how the items are packed into the boxes.

While planning, one should consider the size of the boxes. Normally one chooses a size that will contain a weight easy to carry. Heavy items will normally go to smaller boxes while light items which are normally bulky go into bigger boxes. For example bigger boxes can hold cooking pots or pillows, while smaller boxes can hold books and tools. Therefore one can decide how many size (x) boxes they need by considering the number of corresponding items.

During packaging, one should follow some form of criteria to avoid confusion during unpacking and to protect the items integrity during transportation. For example items from one room should be packed together and those of a similar kind into one box. For example, books are packed together in one box while glassware is packed together in a different box. If put together in one box, the books will likely crush the glassware. Hence one should acquire boxes that fit the different unique types of items.

Finally the total number of items should be considered. If you have glassware, how many boxes will contain all the glassware? If it is for the books, how many boxes will contain all the books?

Obviously, one cannot always be accurate on the number of boxes, but acquiring slightly more than the estimate is the wise thing to do. You would rather have a few remaining extra boxes than end up with unpacked items and no boxes. Also, during packing, some packaging boxes may get damaged and need replacing.