Packaging

The Environment vs. Noise Pollution Dilemma

By Delphine Hirasuna | October 8, 2010September 4, 2014

Back in 2009, Frito-Lay did a good thing. It introduced the world’s first manufactured 100% biodegradable packaging for its healthy SunChips snack products. Made from plant-based materials, the SunChips bags are said to decompose completely in just 14 weeks, returning to Mother Nature all that it borrowed. Better yet, designers weren’t asked to make major sacrifices. SunChips packaging, undoubtedly printed using vegetable-based inks, could be as colorful and detailed in design as its less eco-friendly competitors.

Everyone should be happy, right? What’s not to like about a tasty whole grain snack that is good for the body and good for the earth. Well, for one, the noise pollution. The high decibel crinkling sound made by the environmentally friendly packaging every time the eater reached into the bag for another handful of chips was so loud that it made it hard to hear the TV and annoyed roommates who were trying to get some sleep. Frito-Lay tried to put a good face on it, admitting that yes, the bags were a little noisier, but not a big deal. The uproar on Facebook and YouTube, however, refused to quiet down. Consumers felt they shouldn’t have to put up with ear torture just to help the earth.

Architecture

Packaged Architecture

By Delphine Hirasuna | September 30, 2010September 4, 2014

You’ve heard the barroom ditty “99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer. Take one down and pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall”? Well, try this one: “33,000 beer crates forming a wall, 33,000 beer crates …”

Asked by their client, Atomium, to construct a temporary pavilion in Brussels to mark the 50th anniversary of the Universal World Exhibition, SHSH, an architectural firm with offices in Brussels, London and Sendai, constructed a “package” exhibition space out of 33,000 recycled plastic beer crates.

Brand Logos

Target on the Up & Up

By Delphine Hirasuna | September 21, 2009September 4, 2014

Historically house brand packaging has been sad to look at. It’s as if shoppers were being told, “You want it cheaper than the national name brands, then don’t expect us to spend any money on pretty wrappers.” Increasingly, stores are concluding that packaging that looks inferior to national brands present a missed marketing opportunity. Instead of communicating value, it gives bargain-hunting shoppers the impression that the merchandise inside is just as shoddily produced.

Packaging

Help: Simple Remedies for Everyday Ailments

By Delphine Hirasuna | July 29, 2009September 4, 2014

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Developed by two advertising executives, Richard Fine and Nathan Frank, the New York-based Help takes the anxiety and confusion out of finding a fix for mundane ailments. The actual products inside are not an innovation, but the package design is. Help starts with the basic premise that even typically healthy people need minor medical attention now and then. Reliable remedies have been available for years, but when you’re not feeling great, the last thing you want to do is read overly designed labels offering a dizzying array of curative promises.