Creative packaging requires very little! Have you ever looked at a carton box and thought: “There’s more to you than meets the eye!” ? It is a real art to exploit the full potential of carton boxes, exploring ideas that go beyond simple packaging.
I bet that more than once you have used packaging in a creative way, without even realising it! Remember when you were a child and you used to cut out a box of Pandoro and put it on your head, pretending to be a superhero? All you were doing was thinking outside the box. Packaging is more than just a step in the life of a product. Imagine taking a deeper look at that carton box; the true creative potential of packaging is revealed when we embrace the concept of ‘think out the box’, an approach that sees carton packaging not just as a container, but as a starting point for innovation. We can see it as a fascinating exploration of ideas beyond the traditional concept of packaging.
Creative packaging: the Think Out the Box concept
Think out the box is a figurative expression that suggests the act of overcoming limitations, conventions and restrictions to come up with innovative and original solutions. When one thinks outside the box, one is thinking beyond mental limitations, exploring unexpected angles and perspectives. This ability to think unconventionally and creatively is fundamental to innovation and progress. Those who can think outside the box are able to turn problems into opportunities, challenging the ordinary and creating unique solutions that can lead to surprising results.
An example?
A well-known Dutch company had the brilliant idea a few years ago to change its marketing strategy starting from the packaging! After receiving more than a few complaints about the damaged arrival of the bikes they produced, the start-up gave ‘a simple answer to a complex problem’. Some couriers, in fact, not considering the product to be fragile, often did not handle it with care. The consequence was the obvious damage. So, thinking outside the box, and after asking the right questions, they started selling bikes inside TV boxes! With a nice TV drawn on it, the typical size of a TV just a detail that hints at the bike, they created an innocent trick and solved a problem. Design, here, was key. But inventiveness even more so!
When they say “Don’t judge a book by its cover”!
How to reuse packaging in a creative way
Packaging is often relegated to a one-way role: protect and present. What if we challenge this convention? This principle of lateral thinking inspires us to consider carton boxes not only as containers, but as elements of design, functionality and inspiration.
One example could be home staging, an original and strategic way of upcycling.
Try to think for a moment: do you know how much potential there is in (re)creating furniture from corrugated cardboard? I can guarantee you that this is not only an original solution but also an economical one!
Home staging, in fact, is the art of property transformation that involves the targeted preparation and fitting out of a home for sale or rent. The main objective of home staging is to improve the appearance and presentation of the home to quickly attract and win the interest of potential buyers or tenants. It is a methodology designed to maximise space, highlight the most advantageous features of the property and create an attractive and welcoming atmosphere. But also a way of reducing the effort involved in transporting furniture, perhaps heavy furniture!
I mean, it wouldn’t be great to transport a heavy table from one side of the room to another, would it?
Why home staging
Through a combination of strategies, such as reducing clutter, arranging or replacing furniture, optimising lighting and choosing neutral, elegant colours and furnishing details, home staging aims to allow buyers to easily imagine life in the home.
If you think of cardboard, the immediate association might be fragility. But if you take a closer look at corrugated cardboard furniture, you will find that with careful design and production, the solidity is surprising. This furniture proves that innovation does not sacrifice durability and strength.
You should know that corrugated furniture embodies eco-sustainability and ingenuity. This option not only meets the needs of those who want to care for the environment and save money, but also of those who want an environment full of aesthetics and originality. An important feature of this furniture is its versatility: from home to exhibition space, it can adapt to any context, revealing its creative potential. The use of recycled or certified cardboard from responsible sources underlines the eco-friendly nature of this choice. The circular ecosystem of the cardboard, recyclable at the end of its useful life, is a tangible testimony to the commitment to a more sustainable future. This is the answer for those seeking an uncompromising combination of design and environmental awareness.
Monami Ohno’s carton boxes
Almost all of us do it, needless to deny: when a box arrives to us, most of the time we leave it in oblivion. Maybe then it comes in handy for storing books or old shoes, but thinking of it as a work of art never.
Young Japanese artist Monami Ohno is different: she transforms cardboard boxes into fantastic 3D sculptures. Ordinary packaging boxes become in her hands spaceships, robots, tanks or even, for the most fanatical of the genre, Star Wars-themed objects.
Incredible, isn’t it?
The next time you bring a box into the house, maybe you can try building a crooked castle… It’s still better than setting it aside to wait for the next re-use!
Conclusions
It doesn’t take much to turn old containers into art or, if creative flair fails, you can reuse boxes for a wide variety of uses. If your idea is a particular piece of furniture, or that you want to display in a museum for a contemporary art exhibition, you can tell us with a box. In the meantime, if you are curious to see what your customised idea might look like, have fun finding out with Packly!
