Last Updated on February 27, 2024
In today’s market, brands have to find increasingly innovative ways of staying ahead of the competition. One great way to stick it to your competitors is through packaging – unusual and distinctive designs are more likely to be noticed by consumers. Generally we’re all used to the generic packaging designs. However when we see something fresh, cool, or creative we automatically get a smile on our face.
Here are some examples of imaginative packaging designs which are bound to inspire you. Enjoy!
1. World’s First ‘Edible’ Cookbook
The recipe becomes the meal with this edible cookbook. Made by a German design agency, the pages are constructed from sheets of fresh pasta, which are then filled with the ingredients to make lasagna. Delicious!
2. Juice Box by Naoto Fukasawa
These juice cartons look good enough to eat. Created by designer Naoto Fukusawa, the cartons are crafted from the skins of the fruit they contain.
3. Peelable Bottle by Smirnoff
Fukusawa is not alone in using fruit skins to package his products. Smirnoff created this unusual design to advertise their range of flavored vodkas.
4. SpoonLidz
These are the perfect solution for on-the-go snacking. The lids of these yoghurt pots, made from a robust material, fold into the shape of a spoon once removed from the pot.
5. Butter! Better!
These single-serving packs of butter also have unusual lid designs. Rather than transforming into a spoon, the lid can be used as a knife for spreading the butter.
6. Intelligent packaging to detect spoiled food
These packages of meat might not look exciting, but they’re making use of a technology that’s set to revolutionise the packaging industry. The coloured strip of film changes colour depending on the amount of oxygen present – and indicates whether the food inside is still safe to eat.
7. Pop-up Popcorn Packaging
Designer AnniNykänen took inspiration from the art of origami when designing this popcorn packaging. The box expands as the popcorn is cooked, turning into an angular serving bowl once the kernels have popped.
8. Green Berry Tea
Anni is not the only designer to make use of Japanese origami. These Green Berry Teabags, designed by Nathalia Ponomareva, slowly and gracefully expand when placed in hot water, to reveal the shape of an intricately folded bird.
9. Cheese Pencil
The Deli Garage are known for their creativity, and they certainly delivered with this product. These edible cheese pencils are crafted from parmesan, and come complete with a sharpener. Each pencil has a flavoured core – chilli, pesto, or truffle – running down the centre.
10. T-Shirt Tea
These tiny hangers are an unusual and quirky way of packaging teabags. However, they’re not just for show – the hangers hook onto the side of the mug, making it simple to remove the bag once your tea has brewed.
11. Hijos De Villa Tequila Shooter
These unusual bottles are moulded into the shape of classic guns. Filled with Mexican Hijos de Villa tequila, they deliver an entirely different kind of shot.
12. Anti-theft lunch bags
Most food packaging is designed to look as attractive and inviting as possible. These quirky lunch bags take a completely different approach, making the food inside appear moldy.
13. Coconut Water Packaging
Hard, durable and distinctive, the coconut is nature’s own packaging. One company in the Dominican Republic has harnessed this concept, using the shell as packaging for their brand of coconut water.
14. Gloji
Glogi won awards for this unusual design. The light-bulb bottle contains a healthy blend of pomegranate and goji, and, according to the packaging, is “The Juice That Makes You Glow”.
15. Fit buns
These protein-enriched bread rolls garnered far more interest than they might have done, thanks to this playful design. In the world of packaging design, the simple ideas are often the best.
16. Gogol Mogol
Some packaging serves a double purpose. The Gogol Mogol contains chemical layers which, when activated by pulling the tab, create just enough heat to make the perfect boiled egg.
17. Thelma’s Cookies
This cute box from US-based bakery Thelma’s adds the wow-factor to their products. Consumers don’t often need persuading to buy cookies, but this packaging will have them reaching for their wallets faster than you can say “chocolate chip”.
18. Pasta La Vista Packaging by Andrew Gorkovenko
Pasta La Vista have taken a light-hearted approach to their packaging design. The cartoon faces and pasta-hair are brightly colored and distinctive, and immediately draw the eye to the box.
19. Dino Gum
Novelty packaging often proves popular with consumers. These designs can either give a twist to a traditional concept, or – like these dinosaur-head gum packets – create a completely new form of packaging.
20. Blood Energy Potion
This gory energy drink is another example of a company completely breaking with tradition. The packaging looks eerily similar to a bag of blood, and even contains a disclaimer – “Not for use intravenously or in transfusions”.