Packaging Design from the Mid-19th Century to the 1930s

Cereal packaging / United States / 1923

In 1860, American Emerson wrote a book called "Guide to Life." This is a translation of the earlier book about the packaging of goods. The book mentioned that the merchants at that time had noticed that there was a problem of damage to the goods during the transportation process. Therefore, a package functioning to protect the safety of the goods was created.

In the early 19th century, factory packaging was not yet available. At the time, grocers often gave food products adulterated or lacked both. In order to avoid the above problems, a manufacturer named John Honeyman put the mixed tea at the factory. Wrap it up and print his name and address on the package. It also shows the words "purely mixed tea, guaranteed quantity." This is the beginning of manufacturer's packaging. The emergence of manufacturers' packaging can be said to be a revolution in business. It has played a prelude to modern business. Although there are many advantages of rate packaging, the promotion of a single start is very difficult, because it reduces the retailer's profits, and grocers are reluctant to retail such goods.

In the era of grocery stores as important sales channels, some products were sold, and cartons were used instead of wrapping paper. The study of cartons gradually increased, and people began to consider how to reduce the cost of cartons to ensure sufficient production. A piece of cardboard was cut and folded to make a complete box. This method was first introduced in the United States in 1850. This method is convenient and quick, and can be laid flat and space-saving before forming. It is destined to be The packaging industry plays an important role, especially after the rise of the cigarette industry.
With the improvement of merchandise printing, color printing has been promoted in the 1850s. In the following 30 years, it has greatly promoted the development of packaging design, especially the design of spirits, cigarettes, flavorings, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It is even more remarkable. Many famous brands in the world appeared for the first time in this period, such as Bass (1855), Guinnss (1862), Martell (1844) and Hennessy chestnuts/Japan/1920 (Henness, 1860) etc.
The Victorian design is usually sensational and colorful, but it's a bit light, tedious, and artificial. People talk about the art and design of this era, often associated with Baroque, which makes sense. Not only because of their similar styles, but more importantly, both eras have concentrated on the purpose of serving the upper class nobles. The luxurious and magnificent Victorian designer was on the shelf at the time, which was really pleasant. Because of the strong visual impact is the premise to induce shopping desire.

It was not until the second half of the 19th century that manufacturers' packaging became more and more popular. The well-designed packaging had been neatly arranged on the shelves of the store. The exquisite packaging became a silent salesman for the goods themselves. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, as manufacturers brought more and more products to the market, in the minds of consumers, they gradually built up a deep impression on each product and established the existence of trademarks, which are intensifying in the business competition. It is particularly important. Manufacturers began to advertise through newspapers, magazines, and posters, and commercial advertisements with a modern significance were born.

In the latter 20 years of the 19th century, branded products began to appear. Manufacturers branded product packaging and attached quality assurance and other product descriptions to it. At this point, product packaging already has many modern packaging features. This kind of product image created through promotional publicity, typical of packaging design, and disseminated through the media constitutes a visual symbol of trust in consumers. In the 1870s, the advent of the British Trademark Law and the appearance of the Trademark Law protected the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and ensured the authenticity of the trademark. Another method to prevent fraud is to be launched by the manufacturers themselves. They are printed on the packaging with the words "Forging without this mark".

In 1896, a kind of promotional approach that attracted the attention of the consumers was created by adding an epidemic to the packaging. At that time, "yellow children" were used for the packaging of cookies, candy and cigars. In 1902, the maker of powerful cereals introduced their own "salesman" - Sunshine Jim. Since then, from Mickey Mouse to the Ghosts, from the Hulk to Superman, perhaps the most familiar faces of the 20th century belonged to K. G. Gillette's face. His portraits appear on the packaging of millions of razors sold worldwide. This is also true in the UK.

Although the marketing momentum comes from the United Kingdom and the United States, the first change in the design style is the birthplace of Art Nouveau - France. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Art Nouveau Movement had a tremendous influence on packaging design and style. It was a very important and influential formalism movement in the history of design. Under the influence of this movement, the sweeping European style of the 19th-century diffused Victorian style sought to absorb nutrients from nature and oriental art. Plant and animal patterns were the main form of packaging design during this period, and fewer lines were used. Advocates an organic curve.

At the end of the 19th century, packaging machinery came out. The replacement of machinery by hand has greatly improved the efficiency. The main thing is that it is hygienic and the product is not touched by the hand. Especially for cigarettes, almost a revolution was flourished. In 1881, Jims Pensac of Virginia in the United States first obtained a patent to replace artificial cigarettes with machines. Later, this machine was improved and a penny of five cigarettes came out.

At the beginning of the 19th century in the United Kingdom, people began to use tins as cans, sealed and used to hold foods, so canned products were born. At that time, the British Navy expedition and Antarctic exploration used canned food in large quantities, but canned food was accepted by the British public very slowly. The United States began using canned foods in 1837. During the American Civil War, cans were widely used and even went home. In the 1880s, canneries had spread throughout the United States and were exported in large quantities. At the end of the 19th century, the development of vacuum cans made great progress. The shape and opening of the cans were also greatly innovated. The most innovative progress was that the cans were cylindrical at this time. Slices can be opened by turning the lid to pierce the air-proof foil.

A potential metal package—a metal hose that can be folded and used widely—was used in the United States in the 1940s when it was used to hold paints. It was not until 1892 that the idea of ​​filling toothpaste into the tube had emerged. Colgate adopted this method at that time and it was soon accepted by the public. In the 1930s, aluminium hose toothpaste began to dominate the market, and later many other products also increasingly used rolled aluminum tubes.

In the field of technology, the constant exploration of packaging materials, several important new materials came into being in the packaging industry. First, in 1910, Hale invented aluminum foil. It began to be mainly packaged candy. In the 1960s, it was widely used in the pharmaceutical industry and could be packaged individually. Pills; a type of cellophane invented by the Swiss chemist Brandenburger in 1912, originally used to package candy, and later used to package various boxes, such as cigarette boxes, biscuit boxes; and a major breakthrough in plastic technology, 1907 The Belgian chemist of the United States invented the first real synthetic plastic called phenolic plastic. In addition, the new method of opening the packaging, zipper, is regarded as one of the most practical inventions for humans in this century. Advances in the spraying method, such as the spraying of powder, are endless pursuits of packaging technology. Crystallization, these have brought a new revolution in packaging design.




Author: Liang Mei

Source: Art Channel