Final Finished Prototype

The images below depict my final design for my Hobsons Cider box, and having tried and failed to get the rim to resemble a bowler hat, I decided to make the box work as a detachable Backgammon game board. Although the images are glued on, my proposal is that the imagery of items like the logo and the game board would be printed onto the box itself, to save on the need for paper. The idea here is that the box can be reused either as a backgammon game or as a bottle carrier. This would hopefully cut down on the amount of card needed to make the boxes, since fewer carriers will be made if others are being reused. 

Completed Box with Bottle in holder.

Game pieces that could pop-out from the box.

Text about history of the company and the rules of Backgammon.

Game board attached to bottom of box.

Prototype Game Board Idea

While considering how I might adapt my box into a game board, I first thought of Backgammon, as the board could be printed onto the underside of my box's base, while the pieces could pop-out of the 'rim'. Although I have not played the game myself, I have understood Backgammon to be a game for more mature players, due to its complex layout and reliance on strategy for its moves. This made me think that this would be an ideal game to adapt into my designs.

This is how the Backgammon board may appear when printed onto the underside of the box.

Reference: http://www.fun-free-party-games.com/downloads/Game-Board-BackgammonFull(Light,Dark).gif

Prototype Thinking Notes

What materials will your prototype be likely to use and why are these ideal/appropriate?

 

I would use sturdy card for my design, which would be thick enough not to warp in shape so much, but still retain some flexibility in how it’s used. This could help me make my box strong enough to hold six bottles and sturdy enough to hold together. The flexibility of the card would help put the side of the packaging into the proper shape.

 

 

Is there an example of similar packaging use or precedent that has influenced your ideas to date?

 

There has been similar packaging used for carrying bottles, particularly used in shops like the Co-Op. The basis of this design I think is very good, and my idea is to experiment with its shape to try and put some branding into its design, as well as make it more noticeable and appealing to customers.

 

 

Does your prototype have the potential to be re-used, re-cycled, returned or composted?

 

The point of my design is to have it reusable for carrying bottles, in the same way that supermarkets distribute reusable bags. This would cut down on the amount of card used to make the boxes.

 

 

What are the key ideas involved in your individual prototype?

 

To establish that the box can be constructed using only card, with no glue or tape used at all. I also wanted to see if the box can be made into the shape of a bowler hat, which would act as free advertising for Hobson’s Brewery.​

Hobsons Box Prototype

Using the layout I sketched, I made a small prototype of my bottle box, using 'hooks' to hold the cardboard in place. My main aim here was to establish that the box can function well and that the pieces could hold together without the use of glue or sticky tape. However, the real box itself would need much thicker card to hold the weight of the bottles and I was also unsatisfied with the card acting as the 'rim', as it was not curving like a proper bowler hat.

When I presented my prototype to the class, they thought that the concept was good, but it could do with a more elaborate additional feature to make customers interested. I therefore started to have ideas about adapting my box so that it could disassemble into a board game, although I was still rather keen on making the box robust so that it could be reused for carrying bottles, thereby saving the amount of card used to make the boxes. However, Andy Stevenson, the module tutor, pointed out that boxes like this have already been made, so my prototype concept might not be as practical as it first seems.

RESEARCH: Cardboard Boxes with Locking Tabs

While buying some food at the University's Peer Tree, I decided to take some pictures of the packaging that was used. Although held together by a little glue, the basis of the box was that it was a single unit that folded into shape, with the lid held in place by a locking tab that easily slides into the slot, making sure that the contents of the box do not fall out. I felt that the basic concept of this box was similar to what I wanted to achieve with my own designs, getting the card to lock together and hold the box together with little-to-no adhesives used.

I later took similar pictures of a shoebox, which used the same locking tab technique. However, unlike the food box, it did not need glue to hold it together, as it folded into position and was held entirely together by its locking tabs.

MAIN BRIEF: Partition Layout Re-Designed

Prior to making the prototype for my box, I decided to redesign the Partition for the centre of the box, so that a handle could be included, as well as locking tabs to hold the pieces to the base of the box. The locking tab idea related back to my Practical Packaging Task, where I used the tabs to hold the boxes together without using any adhesives, and I also realised that the handle was vital to enable customers to carry their boxes. I also wanted to get my measurements right so that the box would be more obviously shaped like the brim of a bowler hat and also give more room for the bottles to fit in.

Note: First Sketch (Top) was too narrow in shape, so I widened it out a little (Bottom).

Slots have been reversed on designs, to make room for the handle at the top.

Practical Packaging Task

These photos depict the two box structures that I constructed from the net samples. They seemed to have been specifically designed to be held together by glue, so I tried to compensate this by inserting slits into the design which would attach to lock tabs that I had also added to the design. The tabs work very well in holding the box together, although they are not that strong since the boxes are both made from paper. This could be improved by replacing the material with cardboard, which would be more robust and easier in some respects to cut into the proper shape.

Test One

Box shape cut-out and prepared to be folded into place.

Completed box held upright. Note: Lock tabs on bottom did not quite work and have to be held in place by sticky tape.

Box laid on side. Rectangular hole cut out for content to be displayed in.

Test Two

Completed box based on Corgi car packaging.

Box with open flaps.