Cardboard boxes are made up of thick, heavy, sturdy paper that is commonly known as cardboard. Box types vary from cereal boxes to storage boxes, to packaging boxes and food boxes. The cardboard box is widely used around the world. Here we look at the history of cardboard and corrugated cardboard boxes and how they came to be; 1817- The first cardboard box was made in England, by a man named Sir Malcolm Thornhill. The box wasn’t what we associate nowadays with ‘packaging’ boxes but rather resembled more of a shoebox. But his idea was to make a box using single sheets of cardboard. However, as a result, they were rather laborious to create, but that didn’t make them any less popular. 1840 – silk manufacturers started using cardboard boxes to transport moths and their eggs from Japan to Europe 1850 – the cardboard box went mainstream because the Kellogg Company started using it for their cereal packaging. 1856 – corrugated cardboard was invented. Two Englishmen, Edward C. Healy and Edward E. Allen patented corrugated cardboard, its purpose was to line the inside of hats. 1871 – American Albert L. Jones patented the single-sided corrugated board which was used by the packaging industry to wrap around fragile items such as bottles and glass lanterns. 1890 – Robert Gair, a printer and paper bag manufacturer in Brooklyn, America, accidentally invented the pre-cut cardboard box when he was supposed to be printing paper bags in 1890. The mistake happened when he accidentally shifted the metal ruler that was used to crease the bags and as a result cut the bags. Gair put two and two together and realised that he could create pre-cut cardboard boxes in one operation. 1895 – Robert Gair applied the same principle to corrugated board, thus inventing the corrugated cardboard box. The world welcomed his invention and soon the packaging industry started replacing wooden crates and boxes with corrugated cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes remain one of the simplest ways to move things from one place to another. Whether it’s a case of taking a juice box in your lunch box or you’re moving from one house to another, cardboard boxes help collect numerous amounts of...
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“With nothing more than a little imagination, boxes can be transformed into forts or houses, spaceships or submarines, castles or caves. Inside a big cardboard box, a child is transported to a world of his or her own, one where anything is possible.”– National Toy Hall of Fame You don’t have to go to the extreme that the parents pictured in the photograph have done (see more on cardboardboxoffice.com) but a simple cardboard box can have your children, and maybe even you, entertained for hours on end. More than that though, a cardboard box build skills in children that the fancy toys in the shops or smartphones or tablets cannot. By being allowed to play with cardboard boxes children are encouraged to use their creativity, imagination and resourcefulness to build upon, transform and reinvent the basic cardboard box. We’ve identified the following domains of development and how a cardboard box provides the learning dimensions that help with the child’s development; Physical Domain: when it comes to a child’s development the physical domain takes into account the body size, body proportions, appearance, motor development, coordination, perception capabilities and a child’s physical health. Cardboard boxes help development in this domain by teaching children about spatial awareness; how big they are in relation to the things around them. As a result, children are constantly testing their own size by crawling/ climbing in, through, around or over things. Cardboard boxes are often the perfect size for children to test this out on. Another aspect of the cardboard box that helps children with the physical domain is that cardboard boxes are often light-weight which enables young children to lift the boxes and move and manipulate them (this also helps empower the children because they can do it themselves). Cognitive domain: deals with a child’s development through processes and intellectual abilities which include attention, memory, problem-solving, imagination, creativity as well as everyday knowledge and language. Empowering your child is a good way of developing your child’s cognitive abilities. A cardboard box helps in this sense because it makes a child feel big. Children live in a world where everything is made for ‘big people’, so feeling big themselves helps empower them and build their confidence....
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In a world full of technology, that’s ever changing and evolving, it’s nice when some things stay the same. Take cardboard boxes for instance. Ninety percent of all products shipped across the world are still sent in some form of cardboard packaging. Unfortunately, this means that there are many cardboard boxes filling up refuse/ rubbish dumps. This shouldn’t be so as corrugated cardboard does not lose its usefulness once the package has been opened. There is an unlimited amount of ways you can reuse cardboard boxes. We’ve listed five ideas here to get your creative juices bubbling; Playhouse: these days children are over saturated and stimulated with an abundance of interactive and electronic toys. The simple cardboard box is often overlooked. But it shouldn’t be. A window here, a door there, and suddenly you’ve transformed an otherwise would-be piece of trash into a playhouse. Watch out for our next blog where we talk about how the cardboard box is important for your child’s development. Storage: This is an obvious, yet easy and effective way to repurpose your corrugated cardboard boxes. Wrap some twine or decorative tape around it, line the inside with some hessian and now you’ve got the perfect storage unit for trinkets and other goodies – and it barely cost you a thing! Lightbox: Are you a budding photographer? Make your own lightbox out of a cardboard box. You’ll need a cardboard box, white fabric, packing tape, and white cardboard paper. All you need to do is cut windows into the sides and top of a cardboard box. Then, tape white fabric or tissue paper to the windows and then fit a slightly bent piece of white cardboard paper to create a blank background. To top it all off, cover the outside of the fabric covered windows with black cardboard paper – to block the light as needed. You can then use flashes or lamps to create your desired lighting effect. Crafts: Cardboard is the cornerstone of any craft project. The only supplies you’ll need are plenty of cardboard and some everyday items, like glue, that you’re bound to have lying around the house. Lacking inspiration? The internet is flooded with creative things that will keep you,...
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It’s certainly not the most exciting thing you can own, and it isn’t an item that springs to mind in the midst of a crisis. But it offers more functional benefits than you ever could imagine. Double-sided tape can certainly be considered your best-kept secret. Whether you need to repair something or are having trouble getting items to stay in a fixed position double-sided tape is the answer! We’ve listed a few instances where double sided tape can change your life; Arts & Crafts Whether you are a professional graphic designer, scrap booker or a 5-year-old with an imagination, double sided tape will revolutionise the way your projects are done. Not only can it be used for bonding items together, but you can come up with crafty ways of using it – like rolling it through glitter or creating pop-up, 3D effects. Safety Slipping or tripping is some risky business and it can be easily avoided by using double-sided tape! Apply double-sided tape to the bottom edges of any carpets or rugs and then press firmly against the floor. This will prevent you from tripping over any of those pesky corners that like to curl over! Double-sided tape can also be used on stairs. Similarly, to applying double sided tape to your carpets and rugs, you can place it on the treads of your stairs to avoid slipping. All you have to do is apply double-sided tape to the bottom of the stair treads (cut to size) and then place it on the stairs! Beauty: Did you ever think you could use double-sided tape to help you with your beauty routine? Well, think again. Some women like to or have to, use wigs. Double sided tape helps the wig stay in place all through the day – keeping a natural appearance. Fashion: Double-sided tape is a fashionista’s dream. It helps keep clothing in place like pesky colours that don’t lie flat, or belt straps don’t sit perfectly together. Additionally, the tape can be used to keep the fabric attached to the skin; creating a tailored and well-presented look. Make sure you keep a roll of double-sided tape in your bag in case of a fashion...
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A lot of the food that gets distributed around the world never makes it onto a plate. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, food is often so badly packaged that it spoils before it reaches its destination. Often, food gets to the supermarket shelves, but is not bought quickly enough and so, passes its use-by date. All this waste is often due to poor packaging. The impact of packaging People complain about the environmental impact of food packaging, particularly if it is not an eco-friendly variety, but packaging has less of an impact on the environment that spoiled food and malnourishment. Using food packaging effectively, means that more food reaches its destination and can stay on shelves longer. Vacuum packaging meat for example gives it a much longer shelf life – up to 6 days longer! As long as consumers are practising good recycling habits, stores can ditch the “deli counter” sales method and reduce tons of waste each year, by keeping food properly packaged until it is ready to be cooked and consumed. Grocery stores can get creative with their packaging and marketing, and save even more waste by packaging an entire meal together, for one or two people. This saves on needless plastic wrap for each individual item, when it will be consumed at the same time. Consumer Education Consumers, on the other hand, need to be aware of the different types of food packaging like self-seal bags and plastic wrap that is available. This will encourage people to repackage food that is not used, or defrosted but not cooked, to consume it at a later date. This simple change in food preparation and storage habits will drastically reduce not only food waste, but also spending and consumption too. Food waste emits tonnes of carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere, in fact, this has such a detrimental effect on the environment that it is better to package food correctly and increase the demand for better recycle efforts, than let food go to waste. Visit our extensive online range of packaging and contact us to discuss how you can save on waste, and save our planet with the right packing tools for your...
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One of South Africa’s most exciting branding and packaging success stories, comes from a small food factory in Airport Industria, Cape Town. NOMU is mostly synonymous with delicious hot chocolate, but more so for its fresh, striking packaging. Interesting and recognisable packaging People are visual thinkers and anything that appeals to us aesthetically is going to get our attention. This is an especially good thing to keep in mind if your product will be sitting on a supermarket shelf with other brands selling the same product. Interesting packaging is the key to getting shopper’s attention. The NOMU packaging is instantly recognisable, whether its their hot chocolate or spice-rub, you will see it because it stands out. One of the first things we notice is the unusual shape of its hot chocolate tins. NOMU have gone for a thinner more cylindrical look, in brushed silver. The logo and information is printed in rich browns (the colour of chocolate) using a chic, yet simple, easy-to-read font. Beating your competition with packaging The other brands on the hot chocolate shelf all use bigger, rounder shaped tins, with brightly printed paper wrap. This may appeal to children, but it can also seem cheap and communicate something about the quality not being as high as that of the more chic NOMU products. Life beyond the shelf NOMU products are cleverly designed to continue marketing themselves even after they have been bought. People are more likely to displaying the tins on the kitchen counter, rather than hide them in a pantry cupboard, or even use them for storage after the contents have been finished. This type of design thinking is incredibly smart, because it plays right into the psychology of consumerism. Their products are priced higher than their competitors, yet there is no doubt that consumers know that they will get exactly, if not more than what they are paying for. Customers want authenticity in a brand, and nothing says “we are unique” more than clever, visually tempting branding and packaging. The science behind product packaging is that it should always echo the “voice” of the brand, making it immediately obvious that the brand is appealing, without forgetting...
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Packaging is a part of every consumers life. Whether it drives a person to try a new brand, because of its aesthetic appeal, or helps them shop a little quicker as they subconsciously reach for a recognised, favourite product, there is no denying that it is something consumers respond to on a daily basis. But what are the behind-the-scenes costs of packaging – the type borne by you, the brand, that could be having a detrimental effect on your business? Returns Bad packaging is the cause of a lot of returns. Either the customer is dissatisfied with the product, or the product is damaged by the time it is bought. Packaging that doesn’t sufficiently fit the product is an almost sure-fire way to get a product returned. This will always leave a negative image of your brand in the minds of consumers, and even one bad purchase will cause a person to think twice about purchasing from that brand again. This is a costly and unnecessary mistake. Storage While consumers never have to consider how products are stored before they reach the retail shelves, incorrect warehouse storage by businesses can have a huge impact on the financials. If packaging is taking up too much space, you may consider moving to bigger storage facilities or having to store goods off-site. This is extremely costly, when all that is necessary is re-thinking the type of packaging that is used, and using smart space-saving packaging alternatives that will reduce your business overheads. Waste Is packaging waste really necessary? Using incorrect packaging for a product may result in unnecessary waste, and apart from being bad for the environment, it will have a huge impact on your packaging costs. Use good quality packaging and tape, and you will not have to use excess or doubled-up packaging to keep the product safe from damage. Consumers are becoming more conscious of their environmental impact, and are using social media to share their experiences of having to deal with packaging waste. This can have damaging consequences for any business. If you need to reduce your packaging costs, we can help. Packaging is a necessary outlay for any business, but we can help you to...
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Once your product leaves your capable hands, its fate lies in the hands of those who are shipping it do its destination. While a certain amount of trust is left to the shipping company and its employees, you can ensure that your packaging will reach its destination safely with the right packaging. The big dilemma faced by those needing to ship products is to go with a lighter and therefore cheaper option, or heavier (better protected) but more expensive. However, costs and an intact package should go hand-in-hand. The best way to ensure this is to be strategic with your packaging planning. Don’t use whatever you can get at the cheapest rate – in the long run, that’s a costly recipe for disaster! The right packaging will protect your shipment from any type of damage. Boxes are the natural choice, especially those that are corrugated, to protect from bumping and movement. The extra corrugated protection also helps to keep the product dry if it is in a humid environment or is set down in a damp area. To avoid moisture damage from humidity that occurs inside the box, it is helpful to use desiccants which will absorb moisture before it causes mould or rust. Plan carefully Manufacturers can underestimate the volume of a finished product and may have to squash goods into its packaging; this is often the case with clothing. When the garments reach their destination they are crumpled and creased and need to be ironed before they can be displayed. This is unnecessarily costly and time consuming. Don’t forget that travel consists of a number of changes in elevation. Air-pressure at high altitudes can cause plastic bags to expand and burst open, so take all of these changes into account when planning your packaging options for shipping. If you have large shipments with many of boxes, then you could save money and reduce the potential of damage by using plastic wrap and pallets to create a large package that can be shipped as one. Consult us when you need to ship products for the best advice on saving costs and the dissapointment (not to mention cost) of damaged...
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There are two key influences that make product packaging so very important. Firstly, packaging creates an initial and hopefully lasting impression of your product, influencing a potential consumer’s decision in terms of whether or not to buy it. Secondly, it protects the product, keeping it fresh (if applicable) and safe from damage. Unfortunately, however, product packaging can be very costly and it can be tempting to cut costs by wrapping your finished product in inferior packaging – unless of course you make use of our top tips for packaging your product on a budget! Hang Tags Certain products such as clothing and bottles with a neck or a handle are a perfect fit for hang tags (little paper or cardboard tags that can be attached to your product using zip ties, string etc.), but you do need to consider that they will have to be attached manually which can be time consuming! The focus of your packaging will be on the stand-out design of the hang tag, allowing you to use a simplistic and economic wrap on or around the product itself. Hang tags can be produced on almost any stock and any shape of size – just be sure to use an easy-to-read, eye-catching font, as well as a colour that best complements your brand. Focus on Your Label If hang tags won’t work on your product (perhaps due to its shape or size constraints), you can still give it a professional finish by focusing your attention on designing an awesome label. If your label stands out, most people won’t even notice the other packaging materials you have used as a result. Think about it – who buys wine or beer because it comes in a cute box, or a great jam hidden by wrapping? The often overlooked label with the right graphics and smartly designed can do wonders for your brand. Minimalism Wins If you’re stressing about adding little extras to your product packaging design, don’t. As they say, less is more. There are countless brands and products out there that have taken the minimalistic approach and are insanely popular and respected. Take Sir Juice, for example. The plastic bottles that are used...
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If you’ve ever wanted to buy a product but thought twice about its quality because of its awful packaging, then you’ve probably also wondered how companies can get this vital marketing tool so wrong. Regardless of how great your product is, if there is one or all of these three things wrong with your packaging, it could seriously affect sales. Let’s break down these three packaging disasters; Packaging that is impossible to open This is a common frustration. You are at the airport and would like to purchase a new pair of headphones for the 15-hour flight that lies ahead. You find the perfect pair, but without being allowed sharp objects such as scissors on the flight, you spend 15 hours trying to pry the packaging open without seriously injuring yourself. Consumers will automatically associate your brand with negative emotions and may consciously or even subconsciously stay away. Packaging that goes straight into a landfill There is absolutely no excuse for companies not to make a concerted effort to make their packaging as eco-friendly as possible. While this may be a more expensive option, if a company is seen to be environmentally conscious, it will appeal to a much wider market that may be willing to pay that little bit extra to save the planet. The recyclability or reusability of the product should also be clearly stated on the packaging. Packaging that is too clever for its own message It shouldn’t be difficult to recognise when your brand’s packaging is unappealing. Match your branding to your target market as well as your product. Don’t use bright colours that once represented copious levels of tartrazine to present a sugar and MSG-free food product. Gaudy colours on product packaging is not the only way to make your merchandise stand out between the rows of similar products. Make your brand instantly recognisable in its simplicity. Some of the most iconic brands are instantly recognisable just by their colours. If you can ‘simply’ describe the product packaging, without having it in front of you, to someone who has never seen it before, then your product stands a chance of being memorable. Too many companies base their assumptions of...
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