Weekly Packaging Design Wrap-Up: Mac & cheese box gets curves, beer brand taps 1940s for inspiration, new water bottle stacks up well against traditional design

Kendall Sinclair

LOS ANGELES , June 7, 2012 (Industry Intelligence) – Mac & cheese box gets curves



A new concept package tosses out the traditional Kraft Macaroni and Cheese box and replaces it with a giant, macaroni-shaped package. From student designer Ashley Walker, the curved pack utilizes the “macaroni smile” used in the newest branding from Kraft as a way to set the product apart in supermarkets. But Walker notes that shelf space would be an issue since the boxes do not easily stack, so she designed an in-aisle store display that features a giant fork and clear plastic bowl. When the bowl is filled with the noodle-shaped packs, it gives the illusion of a fork full of macaroni and cheese.

The primary source of this information is Packaging of the World.


Beer brand refreshes packaging by harkening back to the past



Canadian Sleeman Brewing has updated the packaging for its Old Milwaukee beer brand by harkening back to the 1940s and 50s. Retro pinup–girl illustrations adorning the aluminum beer cans aim to reinvent the brand while also linking to Milwaukee’s past. The design is kept simple and clean to maintain its previous brand presence yet the color choices are brighter for more shelf value. Design firm Dossier Creative mainly aimed to position Old Milwaukee against Budweiser, yet without the advantage of a big-budget TV campaign. They were also attempting to bring a consistency to the brand in a beer market divided by different tastes in Canadian provinces, after Sleeman moved the brand to Canada from the U.S. in 1999. Despite fears that the new pinup-girl packaging would alienate the traditional, “blue-collar” Old Milwaukee drinker, it was a hit, and the brand saw 40% to 50% growth in some markets by the following season.

The primary source of this article is Packaging World, Chicago, Illinois.


Tin features fake cap as throwback to original glass bottle



TricorBraun provided the two-piece commemorative tin for Hoppe’s Lubricating Gun Oil Field Wipes, featuring a faux cap. The refillable tin twists open just above the printed label for access to the removable plastic container filled with wipes. The commemorative tin is a throwback design to Hoppe’s original glass bottle packaging, which debuted in 1903, and was honored by the 2012 Annual NACD Package Awards Competition with the Bernard M. Seid Best of Show award.

The primary source of this information is Packaging World, Chicago, Illinois.


New water bottle stacks up well against traditional design



At Anuga FoodTec this year, Sidel unveiled a new stackable PET bottle for the mid-sized bottle range that helps beverage producers and co-packers avoid crushed bottlenecks and the use of carton interlays. The bottle features a neck that’s specially designed to snap into the deep concave indentation at the base of the bottle. Ten layers of the 500 ml bottles can fit on a standard European pallet instead of the usual six, an increase of 40%. The stackable concept is available in 500 ml and 1 liter bottles, and the company is ready to conduct field tests at customer plants. Yet Sidel notes that the only drawback is the increase in weight because of the extra plastic needed to construct the indentation.

The primary sources of this information are BeverageDaily.com, Montpellier, France, and Best in Packaging, Plano Texas.

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