Pentagram Cleaned Up Verizon’s Accessory Packaging For Clarity & Sustainability
Image via Pentagram
Part of the charm of getting a brand-new gadget comes from peeling off the crisp packaging. Brands thus take pride in making boxes and wrappers feel premium—and, given the strain on the environment, they’ve got to have minimal carbon impact too.
Last year, Verizon rolled out an own-brand line of mobile phone accessories constructed with improved materials and heightened sustainability in mind. The telecommunications giant needed the right packaging to reflect these attributes, so it tapped Pentagram—the same branding design studio that worked on its visual identity—to design the boxes for the range too. The project was recently featured by The Dieline.
Image via Pentagram
In its brief, Verizon said it wanted packaging with a reinforced structure and a more enjoyable experience when customers unpacked the goods. In addition, the packaging had to be more eco-friendly and better meet accessibility needs. Pentagram partners Michael Bierut and Jon Marshall helmed the project.
To be guided toward the right direction for sustainable design, Pentagram turned to environmental consulting firm Giraffe Innovation to assess existing packaging and shed insight on how Verizon could improve on its design and logistics. The firm noted that the items could be much greener just by reducing the sizes of packaging and omitting plastic.
Image via Pentagram
Among the changes are foldable cardboard hangers that can be extended for display in retail stores, and hidden—therefore becoming smaller—during shipping to pack as many boxes into delivery fleets as possible. An inner product tray not only makes the packaging more rigid but also creates a more pleasant unboxing experience.
A tear-strip replaces plastic tamper seals, and a cutout shaped like the Verizon checkmark directs users to the opening for greater accessibility. Meanwhile, physical cutouts take the place of plastic windows.
Image via Pentagram
All cardboard pieces are 100% post-consumer waste, and the packaging is “100% Ready to Recycle,” per a message printed on the boxes.
The products’ names are displayed in a large font and in a vertical format to be distinguished easily, and informative photography—printed with vegetable or soy-based inks—lets customers and store employees locate products at a single glance.
Pentagram said that Giraffe Innovations found the new packaging cut CO2e (Carbon Dioxide equivalent) by 22%.
