2016 has been a year of huge changes for the world around us. However, changes are not a stranger to the design world. Creativity has no limits. They fly. They cross all barriers.
Picking the year’s best packaging project is one of our most favorite activities. Our selections reflect our passion for designers with something to say. Don’t miss out on the latest trends as they might give you new ideas in the coming year! Here we present to you the best packaging projects of 2016 in no particular order.
丸莊醬油 – Soy Sauce Packaging designed by Han-Ching Huang
丸莊醬油 is a well-known soy sauce brand in Taiwan, but the packages of the products are still traditional and plain. Hence I re-brand the corporate, redesign the logotype and create a whole new packaging design for soy sauce. This new version of packaging design is especially for people or tourists who want to buy as souvenir or season gift.
Real Banana Milk Concept packaging design by Dongwook Yoon
What if you can drink banana milk like peeling a fresh banana to take a bite? You can wrap off a bottle of banana milk like peeling a real banana. By reflecting the emotion and the memory of peeling a banana, this packing idea can highlight the freshness and sweetness of the banana milk as you take a bit of the real banana.
We love these bugs – Haps Handy Bugs Pliers packaging design concept by Igor Mitin
It is not difficult just to paint the package in the brand colours, but we would like to make the pliers to disappear, to dissolve in any other image. Thus, it would be interested for a person taking the package to look thereupon. Therefore, these bugs have appeared. Body shape of most bugs looks like pliers. Powerful teeth are jaws. Rigid shards are going away as plier handles. Various sizes and types of bugs in the nature allow to us to make various body configurations to demonstrate variety of the pliers. The similar colours of shell (yellow and black) combine all bugs into the entire brand set.
Straw Pak Student Concept packaging by Hongik University
Many drinks come in Tetra Pak cartons because it’s cheap and convenient. To drink from a Tetra Pak, you need a straw, which is usually attached to the outside of the Tetra Pak and can therefore be easily damaged or removed. In addition, as the straw is made of plastic and covered with vinyl for hygiene reasons, it represents a waste of resources. With Straw Pak, both the straw and the Tetra Pak are made from one piece of paper. As here the straw isn’t easily lost or damaged and doesn’t require any extra materials, it saves both resources and space.
Lawna Cotton Swabs concept packaging designed by Ann Huang
This design performs the fun way to use the cotton swabs packages, more interact with people and it’s much more cute than the packages we saw in the market. The special place about this design is the sheep’s body is made out of only one piece of hard paper, which can be fold into flat plane and easy to store.
Drink The Force concept design by Christian Rivera
Christian Rivera cheekily designed this Star Wars paper cups concept. Using straws as an comical extension to the lightsabers, it will certainly turn some heads holding the cups.
Affinity Ultima Bon Appetite pet food packaging designed by Marçal P.
Affinity Ultima ‘Bon Appetite’ packaging proposal decoration. The product is a gourmet mini dog food line. The main concept to communicate was the excellent taste, so the tab, used to pull the lid off, is painted red to represent the tongue of a happy dog giving the packaging an unexpected design element that is eye-catching on the selves.
Marais cake packaging designed by Latona Marketing Inc.
Usually, gift boxes simply line up all the cakes neatly. However, our boxes of individually wrapped cakes are different. We cut costs by focusing on only one design, and in making use of all six surfaces, we were able to recreate every type of keyboard. Using this design, we can create any keyboard size, from small keyboards, to full 88-key grand pianos, and even larger.
Zephyr Glassware packaging concept designed by Jacob Bang
Zephyr Glassware was created to offer premium glassware for yachting and sailing. The packaging was designed to withstand bounced from a rough sea and by integrating a tray reducing the risk of glassware slipping and breaking on a boat.
Sky is the limit! Abeeja honey packaging concept by Andrés Guerrero
Abeeja is a personal project for a small local producer who would love to take their honey as far as possible. The worker bees fly to collect pollen from the flowers along the length and breadth of the lemon fields of Murcia. With this pollen they make honey whose flavor has slight taste of lemon.
Victorinox Knife Reusable Packaging Student Concept designed by Elly Jang
The goal of this project was to create a knife packaging of an existing brand that is eco-friendly with multiple use and protect the product at the same time. I designed a package for Victorinox Rosewood Chef’s knife, and thought wood was appropriate considering the entire lifespan of the product. The point of this packaging was that it would not only serve as protective packaging during shipping but also serve as a long-term, day-to-day “case” for the consumer and my solution to this was to create a case that also works as a chopping board.
Absinthesis Absinthe packaging designed by Yevgeny Razumov
Absinthesis is a synthesis of ideas and technology, reality and virtuality, traditions and innovations, the past and the present, form and content, colors and black-white, Modern Style with a glitch effect. And it is also a synthesis of high quality spirit, grand wormwood, natural ingredients and herbs.
NOMONO Freestyle Polish IPA label
NOMONO Polish IPA, a second effect of NOMONO creative studio and Solipiwko Brewery cooperation. Polish hops inside the bottle and Polish tradition and art outside. Colourfull label reflects the crazy character of the beer and is consistent with our first common project, NOMONO New Zeland Freestyle IPA made in 2015. That is probably the highest level of consistency of the recipe and the label, which was achieved due to a close cooperation in the project. Enjoy!
Noble Rey Brewery Co. Cans – cute beer packaging design by Magnificent Beard (USA)
Our initial vision was to craft an illustrated persona for each brew, but the real estate on cans is slim and Texas beer coolers are overcrowded. So we opted to create an ownable stacking system that creates a full body character when the cans are stacked two tall. These cans are hard to miss when you’re browsing the beer cooler…or double fisting.
Ozzy, Gaga & Snoop dogg? Can you identify them all? Earphones packaging concept designed by Adamantia Chatzivasileiou
Five artists coming from five music genres were selected (Lady Gaga – pop, Mick Jagger – rock, Iggy Pop – punk, Ozzy Osbourne – metal, Snoop Dogg – rap) who are not only iconic representatives of their respective genres but who have also left their mark through their distinct aesthetic and eccentric characteristics of their personality, rendering them ‘cult figures’ of the music industry.
What a good hair day for Pasta! Concept Packaging designed by Nikita
Nikita creatively made use of the strands and shapes of pasta to create an interesting series of packaging that definitely capture attention on the shelves. An awesome head-turner!
Watch Backbone Branding Squeeze & Fresh in action!
The idea that begins to act as an independent project worth to be produced and implemented into life.
Interactivity has become a powerful competitive advantage in nowadays market. Creating the “Squeeze & Fresh” juice cup we shared the idea of the package, which communicates. The label of the juice cup is simple but dynamic and it acts with you when you use it. It makes you excited, gives a creative mood and makes you feel a part of something.
Molocow UFO #Milk Concept packaging designed by Imedia Creative Bureau
Molocow is a fun concept package for milk. We re-imagined milk bottle and package to appeal for kids. We created fun way to pack milk in an out of this world fashion.
Reusing the lovely Brum Brum packaging
We call it the Brum Box, because after unpacking you don`t throw away the package, but transform it into Brum Brum’s new home, where the balance bike can rest till its next ride. The main challenge was to create a packaging, which is not meant to be thrown away, but can be re- used within activities that are directly linked to the packaged product and its new owner.
Is this the future of the FirstAidKit? #Concept #design by Kevin Harald Campean (#Hungary)
Hungarian first aid kit redesigned – Graduation project The principle of operation is based on the Burgopak mechanism.
The future of flower packaging student concept by Johanna Brännström, Charlie Nyrjä, Alexandra Forssén & Camilla Edlund
The future of flower packaging. As a school project we were given a brief from Swedbag to update the flower packaging from todays solution. The packaging should work as a whole concept and be more environmentally friendly and give the consumer a holistic experience. The solution is a tape and glue free package that seals by a locking solution. The labels are not necessary to close the package but is used for branding opportunities. This shows a concept were the labels replace traditional greeting cards so you can give the flower package as a part of the gift.
Day & Night packaging designed by Backbone Branding
Day & Night is a concept project that has a bi-facial nature that is injected in each of its design elements. The logo expresses the earth’s rotation with its shape symbolizing the change from day to night. The branding concept expresses the restaurant type that serves its dining during the day and the bar starts to act in the night. This duality of the restaurant living is clearly expressed in the pictured animals, illustrated in two different polarities.
T2 Tea Mini Fruits packaging design
Imagine wandering through bustling markets and enchanting souks lined with alluring scents, quirky wares and exotic flavours. A basket of sweet bananas to your left, freshly cut watermelon up ahead. Inspired by bountiful fruit baskets found in bustling marketplaces, T2 Fruits is part of T2’s 2016 Christmas campaign, The Grand Most Exotic Bazaar. Just as nature intended, the T2 Fruits packaging is 100% glue less and environmentally friendly.
Xoconochco Chocolate concept packaging designed by Brand Brothers Russia
XONOCHOCO – a chocolate brand, the idea and the name of which has a truly historical roots. This is a story about the role of the ancient Aztecs in chocolate development, interpreted in packaging design. The name derives from the name of Xoconochco area conquered by the Aztecs, which had the largest plantation of cocoa beans. As we know cocoa beans were valued more than gold and served as currency.
Rolling pin Pasta Packaging with spice bottle handle designed by Breno Cardoso
A special packaging created to be used as a invitation for the launch party of the Sapore di Nonna, a company focused in handmade Italian pasta. This unique packaging is designed in the shape of a rolling pin and the caps are actually the spice bottles for easy cooking.
Dino Ice Concept popsicle packaging design by Sasha Perelman & Katya Mushkina
Dino Ice is perfect for kids because of a nice addition. The stick with a small dinosaur toy hidden inside the fruit ice lolly, you can barely see him through the ice. The thinner the ice the closer you are to discovery of unexplored world of mighty prehistoric creatures.
Siya Juice Packaging Development by Backbone Branding
Exploring the essential of Siya juice brand, we gave it this simple solution – the natural fruit is right on Your glass. Making something like trick, the real fruit put on the glass, transformed into an entire bottle which idea is completed with expressive design, which transparent label shows the naturality and freshness of the juice.
2 Unique Egg Packaging Design Concepts by Ádám Török (Hungary)
Toast and eggs! Using simple lift up mechanism inside the box, watch eggs instead of toast pop up from the toaster!
Inizio Olive Oil Concept packaging design by Brandtailor
To accentuate how natural the product is we turn to its’ origin. For this reason the brand is called Inizio (Italian for beginning), and the package accurately imitates an olive – it’s shape, it’s color, it’s essence.
Sausage of campaign sausage hay student packaging design by Julien Suzanne
In a packaging eco-design exercise, Julien Suzanne offers us a compressed hay tray for his country sausages. This project was realized in a packaging design workshop at the ECV of Aix-en-Provence in April 2016.
17.5 Juice packaging design by Mousegraphics
17.5 is used to describe the ideal RSS (Ratio of Sweet and Sour) in our client’s orange and apple juices. We used a simple, bold, equal – width typography in order to better imprint and aesthetically ‘stabilize’ in the mind of the viewer the product name 17.5 as chosen by the company. The ideal balance conveyed by the RSS ratio pronounced with this number is extended to the balance of letters and the overall form.
Liska Fish products packaging concept design by Stefania Borasca
Each type of fish has been classified in a manner so as to become a new identification system. This new visual code has been reported in all the systems of labeling of fish, fresh and packaged. With a dedicated application, framing the element will be able to deepen their knowledge of the product in terms of trace-ability, and nutritional characteristics of the species, thus allowing the consumer the full knowledge of the product which is generally reserved for the seller.
FM Shower Gel packaging design concept by Pashnin Aleksei
Do you like to sing in shower? If your answer is “yes”, this shower gel package is exactly what you need. Curt Cobain, Michael Jackson and Tupac Shakur will help you to reveal your talent. And sponge top part of package will serve you as an additional convenience while washing. Throw away diffidence and feel yourself like a superstar! But be careful, because your neighbours might knock on your door not to take your autograph!
Samurai Japanese Restaurant Packaging Design by Oliver Sjöqvist, Nanna Basekay, Fanny Löfvall (Sweden)
Samurai is a Japanese restaurant located in Stockholm, Sweden. We have given them a new identity, created a new beer to the brand and also developed a new take away concept. Inspiration are taken from the colorful Japanese culture and handwork. From there we created a pattern and colors that in a playful and personal way will bring new costumers to the restaurant.
Fratelli Spirini Soft Cheese Packaging Design by Gordost (Russia)
The design effect of Fratelli Spirini pack is based on the combination of black and white graphics and a distinctive holder case. The pack is complemented with outside parts creating an image of a cute cow. Therefore its design lays stress on the natural milk origin of the cheese: as if cows not only produce cheese, but also sell it with no middlemen involved.
Bonnie & Clyde Gin Packaging Design by Pearly Yon (South Africa)
These labels were designed for a micro distillery in Belgium. The brief required a pair of labels that would be applied to a limited run of hand crafted gin. The sweeter tasting gin was to be called Bonnie and the stronger tasting gin was to be called Clyde. All the type on these labels have been created from scratch, finding inspiration from the 1930’s era.
Abelha Organic Cachaça beehive packaging design by Design Happy (UK)
Abelha organic Cachaça is a distilled spirit made from sugar cane juice and hails from Rio de Contas, a beautiful old mining town which sits amongst the hills and valleys of the southern Chapada Diamantina. It is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil.
Mon Choco Chocolate packaging design by Futura (Mexico)
Mon Choco is a chocolate brand based in Ivory Coast. The main characteristic of the brief was that our client’s family had been working with cocoa for generations. She decided to formalize her grandfather’s company putting special attention in highlighting that every ingredient and process of every product will be crafted locally. An unusual characteristic of luxury products over there.
Nongfu Spring Flavoured Water packaging design by Mousegraphics (Greece)
mousegraphics’ approach had the intention to show in a pretty straightforward way the fruit flavoring of the water. By creating the optical illusion of a floating fruit we convey the idea in an honest and direct way. The iconography of the 4 fruits – grape, pomelo, lychee and lemon – is such that it produces the very natural effect of a fresh fruit slice dipped in water; an impression enhanced by the light coloring of the water. Lettering is kept to the one side of the container so that the other offers the clear view of the free floating fruit.
Shake My Head Milkshakes packaging design by Rustam Usmanov (Russia)
Really fun and interesting milkshake cup which consist of different layers of materials – paper and plastic. The ears of the different characters are perforated for the drinker to tear them out for the extra fun!
Pedrito Coco Packaging Design Concept by Pulsum Brands (Ecuador)
Pedrito Coco is a coconut-flavored liquor from Ecuador. Pedrito is known for its cheap and bad quality products, but this liquor make its path into every party; people drink it just for fun. We want to redesign it as a premium product with a higher quality for export.
Gold Crush wine label design by Makers & Allies (USA)
With baroque-inspired design elements swirling around the main monogram, Gold Crush is the belle of the ball. If Louis XIV were to choose a gloriously rich Chardonnay to drink at Versailles, this would be it. Delicate, embossed foil flourishes interact gracefully with the custom brand mark, creating a striking package that’s fit for a king.
Hanaemi Cosmetics packaging design concept by Hyun Yun, HaeChan Jung, YeonHee Choi (Korea)
Hanemi is a Japanese-themed cosmetic brand. Hanemi means blooming flower, or a bright smile that blooms like a flower. We designed our product containers to deliver our story.
Sunrise Valley Egg Packaging Design Concept by Hsiao Han Chen, Amy Shun Yeh, Jiaru Lin, Chengwen Fung (USA)
Sunrise Valley is an innovative modular egg packing system, it is designed to target farmer’s market vendors, allowing consumers flexibility to purchase their desired number of eggs. Depending on the quantity of eggs being sold, the farmer / vendor is able to customize the egg packaging simply by tearing along the perforated lines.
Grow With Me! packaging design by Andrea Ribera, Cristina Castells, Maria Fernanda Peña to encourage kids to eat healthily
Grow With Me! is respectful with the enviroment and with double function. We generated an attractive box for an adult (parents) and children audience, with biodegradale materials, the cardboard and both inks. Creating a surprise effect while opening it, we wanted to encourage children to eat legumes and finally giving a second use to package: a pot, so that children can plant their own vegetables and grow with them.
Is this the Future of Flower Packaging? Design by students – Linn Karlsson, Nina Klose and Jonathan Alonso Jonsson
The brief was to create and invent a new way to package flowers that’s more efficient, sustainable and communicates to the new consumer. We decided to create two types of packaging for bouquets – one for warmer weather and a closable one for colder. The package closes by lock mechanisms in the carton board and the handle. This makes the package sustainable since no glue or tape is needed.
How many jars are there? The Illusionist packaging design concept by Anthony Guex (Canada)
Anthony Guex tells a story inspired by the illusionist’s game where the packaging comes with a saw that actually helps revealing two small jars of jam when we thought there was only one.
Jeju Water Bottle Design by cloudandco (Korea)
Inspired by Jeju’s nature and charm, the scene of Jeju’s beautiful fresh water is captured and applied to a modern and minimal block-shaped bottle. This design was awarded the grand prize at the Jeju Premium Water Bottle Design Competition, hosted by the Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation and co-organized by Crosspoint.
Heinz Bloody Mary Cocktail packaging design concept by Constantin Bolimond
This is a fictitious concept of combining two favorites of many people – Heinz and cocktails. There is already recipes online on how to make a Heinz Bloody Mary Cocktail and you can find it even on Heinz official site. As true lovers of the beverage know, an authentic Bloody Mary can only be made with the Lea & Perrins® brand.
CS Electric light bulb #packaging #design by Angelina Pischikova
CS company’s branding and packaging has been inspired by the old physics books which are diagrams of electrical circuits and illustration of scientific experiments in the style of engravings. Inventor Thomas Edison ‘s words that a firefly is an ideal cold light source prompted the idea of comparing the various forms of light bulbs with various insects . So a client will see it not just as an ordinary luminaire, but as an independent form.
Enzyme Drink packaging design by Mousegraphics
Our yoga inspired characters are human-fruit playful hybrids restricted to elegant curvy lines and natural colors so that taste, serenity and body-mind health can be evoked in a natural, unpretentious way. The two fruit-plant combinations (noni and elderflower/ rose, pomegranate and blueberry) are apparent within each character’s features while the rest of the packaging is kept white with balanced typography for all relevant information. This is a packaging which focuses on the effective and smooth cooperation of different design elements in order to suggest peace of mind, balance of body and an innocent, youthful mood.
Kabuki luxury spirits packaging design concept by SeriesNemo
Kabuki is a design concept, a contemporary vision for ultra luxury spirits completely different from baroque products of the category. It presents two different bottles of spirits, honoring the Kabuki performers, that were initially women and later men. Among the Japanese performing arts, Kabuki is considered to be the most experimental theater.
Ludlow Blunt Victorian barbershop packaging design by Stranger & Stranger
Packaging design for an old school Victorian barbershop in Brooklyn.
Baancha House of Tea packaging design by adHOCK Studio Design Agency
BannCha is a unique, new brand of instant tea currently available in 5 popular, traditional Thai fruit flavours, each offering a genuine taste of the Land of Smiles. This delicious beverage tastes just like drinking juice freshly squeezed, straight from the fruit, and the packaging cleverly captures this concept by creating a stunning visual of half-sliced fruit which at the same time resembles a cup of tea.
Royal Essence – L’oeuvre du temps packaging design by CD DESIGN
Royale Essence, representing French luxury at its purist and most emblematic, was born of the meeting between four entrepreneurs from complementary specialist trades, and sharing the same passion for the universe of fine spirits and luxury. Object steeped in emotion and technicality, ROYALE ESSENCE was recently unveiled at LUXE PACK Monaco 2015 on the ORIMONO stand, accompanied by its creative designer, Céline Delcourt.
Chinese Seal Wine packaging design by Riliang Zhang
One day while talking on WeChat online, Riliang Zhang found the link to the national Maotai contest in China and promptly took part in it. Taking inspiration from the ancient Chinese name seals of the past, Riliang Zhang designed a premium wine packaging that only contain the finest Chinese wine.
Sweet-Tooth Snacks packaging design by Sergei Asvides
Cute little packaging of snacks named “Sweet-Tooth”. Making using of snack sticks, a creative image of a girl (the mascot) with “snacks hair” is created. It certainly will leave a deep impression and stand out from the supermarket shelves.
Limited Edition #Tabasco #student #packaging #design by Loreto Manzanera
This limited edition packaging shows different illustrations that represent various mexican personalities, such as Frida Kahlo or Cantinflas.
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