Ladislav Sutnar on Package Design

Here are some scans from a great source of inspiration. It’s from the Ladislav Sutnar book “Package Design: The force of Visual Selling”.  I’m posting some of my favorites but the whole book is amazing.

It seems that back then packaging was way more typographic with a lot of solid colors and negative space or at least they were more open to it. Right now packaging is full of warnings, nutritional facts, messages everywhere, gradients, etc. We should go back to simple design.

1. Singer’s  ‘ Dörli ‘ zweiback package designed by Rolf Rappaz [Basel].
2. Atkins ‘Dream Polish’ designed by Ladislav Sutnar [1946].
3. ‘Air-Wick’ label designed by Paul Rand [Seeman Brothers, 1953].
4. ‘Bab-o’ cleanser experimental package by Paul Rand [B. T. Babbitt Inc., 1953].
5. ‘Johnny Mop’ toilet bowl cleaner [Personal Products Corporation, 1952].
6. Scotts Lawn Seed. [O. M. Scott & Sons Co., 1952].
7. O-Cedar ‘Dry-Glo’ designed by Raymond Loewy Associates [1952].
8. ‘Armour Star’ coordinated package design with dominating trademark, designed by Raymond Loewy Associates.
9. Simoniz ‘Bodygard’ liquid car wax designed by Lester Beall [1951, 1950].

Design: Various (see above)   |   Year: Various   |   Photos: Scanned/Unknown

Nuzzles Photo Frame Magnets

I usually don’t like photos on the fridge but I just found a good reason to do it. I found this very cool modern photo frame magnets that would make any fridge happier. They are simple, geometric, clean, modernist dimensional versions of a Bear with cub, Lion with cub and Elephant with her newborn. They are called “Nuzzles Photo Frame Magnets” and are made by Tupperware.

Love the screen printed packaging too. Very Swedish with lots of Helvetica on it. I love the three column grid on the back.

This is not so old though. It was made in 1993. The designer is unknown (feel free to fill in the blanks).

Here’s the description on the package:
“When you place your child’s picture in the Nuzzle frame they will be kept company by a loving animal cuddling it’s own adorable loved one.”

Design: Unknown   |   Year: 1993   |   Photos: Javier García

Package Info:
Tupperware
Nuzzle Photo Frame Magnets
© 1993 Dart Industries Inc.
Made in China. Printed in Hong Kong.

Alvin Lustig – Mozart Grid

lustig_mozart_3.jpg

lustig_mozart_2.jpg

So following up the Vivaldi cover, here’s to honor one of my all time favorite designer Alvin Lustig. I just love the grid, composition and colors used for this. It all seems to be a very good modern representation of classical music.

Design: Alvin Lustig   |   Year: 1952   |   Photos: Javier García

Product Info:
Haydn Society Album Covers, 1952
Copyright 1952 by the Haydn Society, Inc.
Boston Massachusetts
Cover Design by Alvin Lustig

Some Love From Pariserlys Candles

For this Valentines Day (note the three hearts), I found this cool little package full of pattern, full of color (even though it’s only two), and full of life. I love the use of the triangle all over along with the aged color in the paper. The shapes of the candles are very cool too. They are made by Pariserlys and are called Paris Candles.

These were handcrafted in Denmark and are probably from the 1950’s-1960’s.

Design: Unknown   |   Year: Unknown   |   Photos: Javier García

In the back of the packaging we got:
Made in Denmark
Hjertelys
Dansk Håndarbejde (Danish Crafts)
Dessin 405/4

Sustainable Trends

Sustainable is smart and all because of eggs…maybe?.
In 1911 Joseph Coyle invented an egg carton made of paper that kept the eggs safe. Similar technologies are still used today not just in the food industry but it’s now moving deeper into packaging and other industries.
I just can’t help but feel bad about how many packaging materials get wasted, thrown in the trash can because you can’t recycle it from home. Unfortunately, people are just too lazy to deliver them to those designated recycling places.
On the other hand I feel good every time I receive a sustainable package that I can easily recycle. I’m glad the industry is choosing greener approaches to packaging and not only that but they are starting to use it as a graphic element that in my opinion looks very fresh and modern yet sustainable.

Here are some examples:


Pangea Organics: IDEO together with UFP Technologies, Inc. developed this sustainable branding approach to its packaging.


Pangea Organics packaging is not only made using zero-waste process with 100% post-consumer paper, but they also managed to trow organic seeds in the mix so you can plant your box and a nice little plant would grow out of it.

Greenbottle: A cardboard outer that is made from pulped recycled cardboard – using egg carton technology with an inner sleeve of compostable plastic made from corn starch.


Aveda: Aveda design team members used Aveda’s core principles to develop the Uruku Lipstick Package. Using sustainability concepts of recycled, reuse, natural, and renewable, the Uruku molded pulp outer package is made from 100% recycled newsprint, with a soy-ink printed, 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content paper sleeve.

Additional information:
Joseph L. Coyle
Molded Pulp
International Molded Fibre Association
Advanced Paper Forming
EnviroPak
UFP Technologies, Inc.