Tag: Redesigns

  • Waste-Free Future: 5 Package Redesigns for Everyday Products

    [ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

    packaging redesigns

    Starting with name-brand versions of popular products found in virtually any home, this designer has come up with a series of clever solutions to eliminating the waste from each package system on a case-by-case basis.

    waste free bag roll

    Aaron Mickelson took on this challenge as a master’s thesis project at the Pratt Institute, asking (and answering) the question: can any product be truly garbage-free, leaving little or nothing unused in its wake? The strategies employed here are also potentially versatile – each could be applied to a type or category of packaging (and would-be trash).

    wasteless bag design concept

    waste free garbage bags

    The bag of garbage bags design for GLAD products is fairly straightforward, to the point where one has to wonder why they are not using this strategy already: the last bag contains the rest of the bags, both to make it functional as a bag itself but also to leave it as a reminder to buy more bags (which you can see coming thanks to it being partially transparent as well).

    waste free packaging concept

    no waste consumer pods

    wasteless dishwasher pods package

    wasteless pod washing machine

    The laundry (or dish) pods for Tide are designed to dissolve in water, leaving nothing behind that you need to take out of the wash, obviating the need for a container entirely.

    waste free food boxes

    waste free container design

    waste free pop containers

    The OXO pop containers feature soap-soluble ink that breaks down when you wash it, taking the branding materials with it and leaving you with an all-purpose container. As a bonus: these could also come pre-loaded with food rather than simply sold as containers, too, allowing you to buy products then keep the plastic boxes for other uses.

    wasted packaging milk bar

    waste free soap box

    The Nivea bar of soap comes in a septic-safe dissolving paper wrapper that you can bring into the shower or bath with you and not have to worry about throwing out, eliminating a step as well as reducing landfill.

    no consumer packing waste

    no waste tea bags

    Finally, this Twining tea bag variant eliminates the wax lining that typically prevents composting and instead integrates each tea packet directly into the compost-friendly packaging design that unfolds like an accordion for use.

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  • 16 Cap Redesigns Give 2nd Lives to 40,000 Used Cola Bottles

    [ By WebUrbanist in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

    coke bottle cap reuse

    Aimed at promoting the creative reuse of plastic bottles, Coca-Cola has launched a project to give away caps that convert discarded drink containers to fun and practical alternative functions.

    These so-called Second Lives adapters can turn waste vessels into everything from bubble blowers and squirt guns to night lights, shampoo dispensers, pencil sharpeners, paintbrushes and water-filled weights.

    coke cap guerrilla marketing

    The plan, hatched by Ogilvy & Mather China, is to distribute these caps for free in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, with the company encouraging people to take off the Coke labels to avoid confusion. The larger idea is to inspire alternative uses for old plastic bottles, getting people to think outside of the box about what is disposable and what could, in fact, have some sort of second life waiting within it.

    coke cap alternative examples

    “We are always looking for better solutions to reduce the use of plastic and increase recycling around the world,” said Leonardo O’Grady, ASEAN Director Integrated Marketing Communications, Coca-Cola. “The variety of our ‘2nd Lives’ caps shows that there are many creative ways to re-use plastic simply and practically, and also supports our global sustainability program.” 

    second lives cola project

    The project was piloted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in March, with an expected 40,000 bottle caps to be gifted throughout the country this year. The campaign is set to launch in Thailand and Indonesia at a later date. Still, it is worth wondering whether adding more plastic to the world is worthwhile. As neat as some of these designs are, will they ultimately reduce waste or contribute to it?

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  • Conjoined Chopsticks: 2 Redesigns to Keep Utensils Paired

    [ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

    chopstick pair solution design

    Like socks, or any other paired object of everyday use, it seems the eternal curse of chopsticks to become separated and mismatched over time, at least until now.

    chop sticks wood corkscrew

    Japanese design firm Nendo, well known for classy solutions to classic design problems, turned their attention to the chopstick and came up with a pair of ingenious solutions.

    chop stick paired helix

    One design, the Rassen, is strictly mechanical – the ends are carefully corkscrewed so they can intertwine with one another like tightly-interlocked strands of double-helical DNA.

    chopstick magnetic design detail

    The other design employs inconspicuous magnets that keep points and backs from sticking while helping them stay together (and appear part of a whole) when flipped and nestled.

    chopsticks magnet flip solution

    chopsticks yin yang pairs

    Few everyday objects have remained so consistent in their shape and function for so long as the Chinese chopstick, but as these designs show: a few thousand years of history is no reason not to look at a product anew. Each of these easy-to-re-pair designs (as well as a few other clever variations) is set to go on sale soon via manufacturer Hashikura Matsukan.

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  • 500px redesigns online photo portfolios

    500px_Portfolios_-_Editor.jpg

    500px has redesigned its online photo portfolio feature, offering photographers more customization tools and advanced options for interacting with followers and customers. The new portfolio UX is expected to roll out by May and will allow for store integration so visitors can purchase photos directly from a portfolio, and blog integration and even full CSS customization. Learn more about the upcoming changes at connect.dpreview.com.

    News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Recovering Literature: Bold Classic Book Cover Redesigns

    [ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

    classic power of books

    It takes a powerful book to survive decades or even centuries and stay prominently in the public eye. This pair of classics are a rarity in that respect, but like any books, one thing does change over time: their covers.

    classic book cover remodel

    First, Fahrenheit 451, reintroduced by designer Elizabeth Perez. In her words, it is “a novel about a dystopian future where books are outlawed and firemen burn any house that contains them. The story is about suppressing ideas, and about how television destroys interest in reading literature.”

    classic fahrenheit 451 redesign

    And what would be more apt than a book cover and binding that reflects that horrific world? The one becomes a match, and the spine becomes a striking surface, powerfully reinforcing the core message of the novel.

    classic penguin cover blacked

    classic censorship cover concept

    Then we have 1984,  part of a series of re-releases from Penguin designed by David Pearson – again, the message of censorship becomes boldly emblazoned right on the cover of the volume.

    classic book smell perfume

    But with physical books being, perhaps an endangered species, maybe you would like something new to swap into your collection but that also breaks traditional boundaries. Introducing: Paper Passion, a scent from Stiedl. It is a fragrance based on the smell of books – a powerful scent familiar with anyone who has revisited their childhood favorites.

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