The Unboxing Experience
This past winter AICC Canada held its annual design competition for Conestoga College. The Packaging Engineering Technician Students got introduced to the Design Challenge in early February. The criteria for this years’ competition was to create a unique unboxing experience for a consumer. These products would be purchased and shipped online through distribution channels such as Amazon.
The students had many factors to consider when they were creating their designs. The desired results should be a sustainable, environmental design and contain some flow-through packaging concept that can have a secondary purpose. Their designs had to focus on brand representation. Of course, the outcome was to create the Ultimate Unboxing Experience for a consumer.
The Unboxing Experience is a phenomenon where consumers are so mesmerized with their purchase that they videotape themselves, opening it up. This can go viral, and when a product goes viral, the chance of increased sales could be exponential.
This year’s challenge was even more remarkable for our students at Conestoga College as they were in a remote learning environment. Everyone in this competition had minimal access to school resources. They had to resort to designing and cutting samples on their own time, which meant weekends and late evenings. Every weekend, a student was provided 2 hours of model cutting time on Saturdays and Sundays throughout February, March, and April. The students spent countless hours perfecting these designs to create their version of the Unboxing Experience.
And the Winners are…
First Place Winner
Our 1st place Design is by Joanne Hong.
The Covid19 Relaxation & Meditation Diffuser Gift Pack. Joanne created a gift pack that would help take you away from all the struggles with Covid in our lives. The unique locking feature on the top took Joanne several hours and design iterations to perfect. This design has no corners, which creates a Zen feeling of relaxation. When unlocked, her design automatically opens up like a flower to display the diffuser and scented oils. Joanne made a fantastic design, producing a website with a QR code to allow access to it. This code takes the consumer to a video with relaxing sounds of a waterfall and a fresh mountain spring trickling in the background.
The design had an array of features, and a description would not do the design justice. In the scrap areas of this design, a ring is holding four small oil bottles and acts as a lifter to remove the diffuser from the carton. It also transforms it into a table that allows you to set the diffuser on top of it to enhance viewing pleasure. Joanne also used her scrap areas to create easel-style holders for your cellphone and a small book.
Second Place Winner
In 2nd place, we had Sunkyong Kim’s Tea Gift Set.
Sunkyong created a Tea Gift Set with a unique twist or, should I say, spin to it. This octagonal design had a tea caddy that offered a variety of different tea flavours. To help you decide which tea to enjoy, Sunkyong created Tea Time that contained a small clock. When you spun the hands around, it would help to determine which one to pick.
This design took Sunkyong hours to perfect, from the octagonal shape down to the tea cady itself. The attention to detail was evident, right down to the minor parts of this design, using an actual condition of the tea leaves to separate each of the flavours. This design held two small Tea Cups, a Copper Tea Kettle and 24 packs of Twinings Tea.
Third Place Winner
In 3rd place, we had Tammy Park’s Nike Shoe Design.
Tammy created a revolutionary design because she could nest one of the Nike court shoes into the lid of her carton. By placing one shoe in the top of this design, Tammy took two inches out of the depth of this style of box. In keeping with her sustainable design, she could also create a backboard, net and two small basketballs out of her scrap.
Tammy designed a locking feature in the side of her carton that allowed the consumer to take shots using the small corrugated basketballs. When the box opened, the shoes look like they are on display as you shoot hoops. This design shows Tammy’s creativity and her passion for sustainable innovations.
Great work, Tammy and congratulations!
Thank you to the staff and students at Conestoga College. We appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication during the Design Competition. 2021’s submissions were some of the most substantial entries we’ve ever seen in this competition. A job well done. Congratulations to all.