Packaging Trends: Why to keep the box after it's opened.

Packaging has been a very important aspect of brand identity for quite some time. As a result of implementing more digital oriented content for entertainment media and software, packaging has become a smaller focus for some companies. Before the evolution in music technology from compact disc to MP3, there was always a very artistic and important role that packaging design had for this medium. Opening up the booklet and album cover for a CD was an entertaining way of interacting with the album, by placing a visual aspect to correspond with the audible elements that the album gives off. This was an even bigger deal when records were popular, mostly because of how large of an area they had to work off of, but there was also a very timeless idea behind records. They were collectables because of some of the artistic elements that they have implemented, but usually records contain other pieces of visual aids, such as posters and stickers. Even movies and software have been replaced by its digital downloaded counter part.

Despite the dwindling need for packaging these entertainment items, there is still a great need for some companies to create and implement unique packaging to give brands an identity that can be utilized in  store fronts. One more obvious brand that designs clean, crisp packaging the represents their brand perfectly is Apple. After purchasing an item from the Apple store, people can spot the product from a distance. Some of their larger products, such as iMacs, MacBooks and MacPros have all been placed into a carrying case that carries all of the elements and instructions to the product. This makes it easy for the consumer to carry it out of the store, while displaying the product to everyone around them on their way back to their transportation or home. This is a great strategy that Apple uses to turn their products into walking advertisements. This idea has come a long way since the original packaging for the first mac computers. Altogether, this evolution in their packaging has been a large role in Apple's brand. This trend has also become more popular in many other products as well. Food and beverage packaging are another huge portion of companies that utilize packaging in this manner. Therefore, despite many companies and brands going paperless with their products, there is still a great need and desire to revolutionize packaging for consumers.

Original Mac Packaging

New iMac Packaging