Parallel Pack
Parallel Pack
| School: | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
| Team: | Amy Foo, Julianne Hom, Evan Kim, Abby Yee |
For 130 years, Coca Cola has maintained its iconic logo, mission and values, and its successful marketing. One of our primary goals during this competition was to maintain the brand’s identities and values that Coca Cola communicates with its consumers. When analyzing
the original packaging, we discovered that the key characteristics of the package consisted of easy manufacturability, space efficiency, and functionality for customer use. We wanted to evolve these features in a new and unique way that has not been seen in the market yet.
Our first action was to create a package that would be eye-catching while also being more ergonomic than the original package. We wanted to present a solution for the original package since it is awkwardly long and inconvenient to store and access in the refrigerator. This is why creating a parallelogram-shaped package would be a better fit for smaller spaces while also having the potential to be easily stacked and stored for retailers. This parallelogram-shaped box minimizes extra space that is between the circular cans beforehand while also standing out aesthetically.
Next, we had to ensure that there would be a high speed manufacturability with this package design. This unique die-line only needs a single continuous cut and crease from a sheet of paper board and is simple for many machines. Stakeholders who are filling this package can easily insert the 12-pack of cans into the package due to the wide side flaps and the parallelogram shape. This minimizes the space between the circular cans by having the upper
level of cans rest in the space between the bottom cans in an alternating pattern.
Due to strictly using solid unbleached sulfate paperboard, the package has a smaller carbon footprint in comparison to the original, and is completely recyclable. We purposefully avoided the use of any plastic to improve our package’s sustainability and to reduce the amount of waste produced during production. The package was also designed to be easily collapsible for efficient disposal.
An important feature we wanted to include was an easy and fun way to access the product from both the top and side. When propped up vertically, the package can be easily opened from the top by separating the glue flaps and moving the folds. When placed on the side, the package can be opened by using the pull tab. The pull tab allows consumers to take out the cans of soda with ease by giving access to both rows of cans while also preventing them from rolling out.
Lastly, our new graphics on the package adds a great final touch to the product’s message of spreading joy and happiness. Instead of the usual red background with white lettering, we are taking a different approach and inverting this style. The white background of the red Coca Cola letter gives the package a fresh, new look and highlights the image of the Coca Cola can. The drink has a spark of happiness, which is illustrated in the burst of graphic bubbles.
