Zoomorphic packaging: I’ve blogged a lot about anthropomorphic packages, designed to look like people. I figured that there must be a different word for packages designed to resemble animals, but I never got around to looking it up. Until now.
Turns out there are a couple of words that I could have been using to describe an animal-shaped package: “zoomorphic” is one; “theriomorphic” is another.
So today we are featuring 3 zoomorphic Tetra Brik boxes. In each of the animal-shaped packs above, the effect is achieved by unsealing the small triangular flaps of a Tetra Brik package so that they are are no longer in their default “down” position.
In two out of three of examples that we found, these upraised flaps are used to represent “ears” which is interesting since those flaps are actually called “ears” elsewhere…
In the case of Tetra Brik®, the side-seam is also covered with a strip of PE film to prevent the product from contacting the raw edge of the overlapping seam. This style results in ears formed when the horizontal heat seals are made. They are folded flat against the pack and lightly sealed.
Mark J. Kirwan
Handbook of Paper and Paperboard Packaging Technology, 2012
(Details about each of the package designs above, after the fold…)
1. StudioIN’s recent package design for “Comon Sava” wine cites a bilingual homonym as the reason for turning their Tetra Brik packaging into an owl.
It comes from French greeting «Comment ça va» which sounds very similar to Russian word «sova» (owl) and altogether with «comon» it sounds like «come on sova!»,
(it literally means «come on owl!»). These phonetic synonyms are perfect match because the main hero of this package is an owl by itself.
Normally Tetra-Pak wines are standing on lower store shelves and consumers have to look down to see it. And it is getting quite difficult to imagine these wonderful Italian landscapes and juicy grapes in your mind which are pictured on packages when you are looking at it from up to down! But it would be impossible not to notice the pair of eyes on the top of package looking right at the consumer .
A closer look at the box reveals, not only the eyes, but also the ears.
2. Hattomonkey Studio’s 2008 design for an imaginary “Cowmilk” package, also relied on the Tetra Brik side flaps to resemble ears…
Cross-stitching is an embroidery style used for samplers with messages such as “Home sweet home.” Consequently, the familiar, simple pattern reminds people of childhood and perhaps a simpler time in their lives. Adding to the warmth of the package experience, the flaps on the side of this milk package stand up like cows’ ears.
Hattomonkey also used Tetra Brik ears for their “Batmilk” concept on right.
Hard to say whether Hattomonkey’s Batmilk box should be considered an anthropomorphic package (since Batman is a man) — or a zoomorphic package (since Batman assumes the form of an animal).
3. “Birdy Juice” is a 2010 concept of Mats Ottdal (aka: Jeksel™). Here, the Tetra Brik flaps were transformed into wings and feet for three different bird characters.
“The idea occurred me when I folded out a standard Tetra pak juice carton, before I put it in the recycling bin. The packaging could be something more. Birdy Juice is a concept for fruit juice using the form of the juice carton to create wings and feet for bird characters.”
These character birds appear to be a penguin, an owl and some type of red bird… (the beak looks wrong for a cardinal — is it a parrot?)