We live in a society of billboards, online ads, and subtle advertisements. Brands are visible everywhere and it's hard to see a product packaging without a brand or design element on it. Yet, centuries ago, food and drink and other products were sold in wooden crates, boxes, iron cans, or cloth covers with no labels. Until the 19th century, when tin and other types of cardboard were plentiful and cheap enough for manufacturers to use in more fields.

In the 20th century, packaging materials and design began to merge. The Coca-Cola bottles are the beginning as well as the prime example: the materials, the label, and the 3-in-1 design. Boxes of Pringles chips and packs of Tootsie Roll also use the same recipe.

The invention of transparent plastic films in the 1960s helped create a generation of children who could see delicious OREO cakes through the packaging.

Around 1970, private labels became commonplace while packaging manufacturers struggled with barcodes and later Nutrition Facts legislation.

In the early times

Until the end of the 19th century, the packaging (container) was only for extra charges. Or just meet the requirements: practical and sure to preserve luxury products such as gold, silver, jewels, or high-class foods. They are usually non-disposable and reusable.

Metal packaging

Dixie Queen Cigar Box

The Dixie Queen Company designed their cigar box to look like a picnic basket or later a lunch box. Brands are embossed on those “baskets”. Such designs remained popular until the early 20th century. Near the end of the 19th century, multi-purpose packaging became popular. From there paved the way for shopping bags. Today, people still prefer to use shopping bags from their favorite supermarket chains.

The origin of the brand

As we can see, on the packaging of the upper lozenge there is a picture of the two Smith brothers. This image began to appear in 1866. These lozenges became more and more popular and competitors appeared more and more. The Smith brothers decided to mark their products with their portraits on the product packaging. This is believed to be the first time the brand has been placed on a package in its simplest form.

packaging labels

Label on the package of Smith Brother's Cough Drop

Dr.Lyon printed his name and some simple pictures on his powder box a year later. This is the first time the brand has been printed on metal packaging. These boxes were used by cookie companies like Saltine or Cracker Jack until the mid-20th century. Of course, today such dry foods are often sold in carton boxes.

Trademarks, advertising, and marketing

The first product designed, labeled, and marketed nationally (USA) is the Uneeda biscuits of NABISCO confectionery. In 1896, this line of cookies was marketed with the image of a boy wearing a yellow raincoat. Before that, there may have been such efforts in the regions. However, no manufacturer has enough resources and ambition to advertise nationwide.

Paper box packaging

NABISCO's Uneeda Cookies

Back then, NABISCO was in stiff competition with Cracker Jack and they believed their wax paper packaging was the unique point of their product. NABISCO invests 1,000,000 USD in design and advertising. The experts decided the image of a boy in a raincoat was the perfect illustration of this wax paper protection. Their marketing campaign won, and Uneeda cookies grew until it was discontinued in 2008

The most famous stickers in the world

The “Nutrition Facts” or “nutrition facts” chart first appeared in the early 1990s. It quickly became famous in its own right. This table became the most imitated model of the 20th century. In 10 years alone (1990-2000), it appeared on 6.5 billion packages of all kinds.

Nutrition Facts Table of a famous bakery

The US Food and Drug Administration has set certain molds for the table. The size is not fixed but can only have one font color, the background color of the table must be white or neutral. This board must be located on the front or right side of the package. The table's prototype is very flexible in case the board needs to expand in the future.

Barcoding and packaging innovation

In 1974, the first product with a barcode, a pack of Wrigley candies, was scanned at a Marsh Supermarket, in Troy, Ohio. Since then, the packaging is no longer simply lying on the shelf. They have become a communication tool, helping to collect sales data for retailers. Later, with the advent of QR codes and smartphones, packaging also became a method of communication with customers of brands.

In 2010, an advanced barcode, called Digimarc, appeared on the market. It uses the same data as traditional barcodes and the ability to detect lightness and depth of color. This technology allows the majority of packaging to be scanned by smartphones, vending machines, and many other machines.

Today, product packaging is increasingly combined with a variety of advanced technologies, combining art and algorithms. Packaging has and will always evolve