Throwback Thursday: Study Up on Back to School Packaging
August 15, 2017
Back to school is back again – and just in time for a history lesson! Last year, we geeked out over the best of the best school supply packaging. From the beloved Crayola crayon box to the delicious and nutritious Lunchable, this Throwback Thursday celebrates what everyone loves about the school year, packaging design that has surely made the grade!
As kids across the country head back to school, parents start thinking about all the things they must buy to prepare their children for another year. Some things have changed over the years (like computers in every backpack and BPA-free designer lunchboxes), but many things remain the same.
So we’re taking you, our Buzz readers, on a trip down memory lane with iconic school packaging that has stood the test of time.
Display and functionality from Crayola
Maybe the best day in a young kid’s life is getting a brand new box of Crayola crayons at the beginning of a school year. The color choices and that unmistakable smell stick with you. What the packaging did was even more impressive. Students didn’t discard the packaging. Rather, it went right from the retail shelf to their backpack to their classroom. Adding in the built-in crayon sharpener into the box (as Crayola did in the 70s) ensured the packaging remained useful until the very end.
Kids first temperature-controlled packaging thermos
Do you know what the worst thing in the world is? Cold soup and a smushed sandwich for lunch. Then stepped in the metal lunchbox and thermos duo in the 60s. The thermos would keep your hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold while the tough exterior of the lunchbox meant your sandwich (or cookies or potato chips) were left nice and protected. Plus, you could show off your taste in science fiction, too!
More lunchtime packaging
Lunchables burst onto the lunchroom scene in the 90s. With their build-it-yourself concept and flavor combinations, not much has changed in the 25 years since.
Stick with what works
Elmer’s Glue was founded in 1947 and has become one of the most recognizable back-to-school brands out there. The twist top dispenser allows kids to easily control how much glue they’re using—and keep it on the paper and off of their clothes. After nearly 70 years of being the recognizable glue brand, they must be doing something right (even if they are branching out into something called Glitter Glue now … as if glitter wasn’t hard enough to remove as it is).
Before you can create classic packaging, you must first create great packaging that stands the test of time. Whether you’re creating for the multibillion dollar back-to-school supplies market, cosmetics, pharma or any other industry, the right packaging will help create brand recognition and drive sales. And Ernest Packaging Solutions is always at the head of the class when it comes to creating A+ packaging. Call us today and see how.
