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The world population has recently reached a staggering 8 billion people. Population growth, as well as increased purchasing power and urbanisation, are having a major impact on food demand. Global egg production, for example, has increased 150% in the last three decades, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
This means that over the next few years poultry producers will have to face not only the challenge of feeding a growing world population, but will also need to find new solutions in terms of formats and designs to differentiate themselves from the competition. With this in mind, Pixartprinting has taken a look at some of the most original and inspiring designs for egg packaging.
Tetra Pak eggs to help in the kitchen
During the initial months of the Covid-19 crisis, with the closure of restaurants and millions of people cooking at home due to lockdown, there was an unprecedented demand for eggs. The Great British Egg Co. took advantage of this opportunity to launch a range of liquid egg products for omelettes and desserts, among many other uses. The Tetra Paks, which feature eye-catching colours and typography, contain 500 millilitres, the equivalent of 10 whole eggs.
The cardboard carton with a recyclable plastic lid is also the material chosen for the packaging of Two Chicks, this time used for egg whites. The company’s founders wanted to offer a low-calorie alternative to eggs, and to make it easy for consumers when following recipes that require separating egg whites and yolks. One of the most eye-catching details of the design is the waffle recipe on the side of the package.
The reinvention of traditional egg cartons
First we’ve gone from plastic to cardboard, and now traditional egg cups are becoming works of art themselves in order to stand out on supermarket shelves. This was the goal of Clarence Court when they relaunched their main products – chicken, duck, quail, goose, pheasant, ostrich, and turkey eggs, and more – with new packaging made from 100% recycled material. The packaging highlights the quality and taste of the eggs with distinctive colours.
Packaging that tells stories
Strange as it seems, egg packaging can even tell a story and introduce characters. This is the case of Avgoulakia, a project by Greek studio Antonia Skaraki, starring Captain Machi, Madame Coco and Nelly, fun farm animals with their own stories. The captain, for example, is a punk rock musician who writes lyrics with social messages that are pro-freedom and anti-genetically modified corn. The creators’ intention is that, once the cartons are empty, kids can enjoy the games and activities included inside.
Taiwanese cuisine traditionally uses two techniques to serve eggs. Preserved eggs are made by coating duck eggs in a paste of wood ash, lime, natural soda and clay, while salted eggs are made by being soaked in brine. Artist Jimmy Liu wanted to pay tribute to her country’s heritage by designing packaging with gorgeous illustrations of people evoking these traditional ways.
Humour as a mark of distinction
Humour is another ingredient that egg production and distribution companies can add to give their products a touch of originality.
To emphasise the freshness of “Just Laid” eggs, branding agency Springetts recreated the laying itself by bringing cartoonised chickens to life on the classic cardboard carton. To further highlight the freshly laid concept, the fastening on the box becomes a representation of the egg itself. This bold design won a number of awards for its originality.
While not actually for sale, the doodled egg cartoons of Mr Woody Woods certainly deserve a place on this list. The illustrator and art director lives in a small village in West Yorkshire, England, in which a young boy sells eggs from his family farm. During lockdown, Mr Woody Woods decided to doodle on the egg boxes for fun before returning them, in doing so creating an extended family of humorous characters.
All eggs are equal, but there is something that makes them unique: the shape they form when cracked into a pan. This was the idea that inspired Colombian agency Creamos to develop Clara and Ema, a new brand of free range eggs “free to be whatever shape they want”, even in the typography. Hence the different designs on each carton. The project, which has received numerous prizes, includes merchandising such as T-shirts, notebooks and caps, all playing with the same concept.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt26uoMcfK4&t=108s
Handles for easy transport
As well as taking into consideration originality in design in terms of colours, typography, and tone of voice, packaging for a product as delicate as eggs also has to think about ease of transport.
Ecotera has devised a wraparound cover for its egg cartons that doubles as a handle for ease of carrying. It is made of recycled Kraft cardboard and printed using just one ink in both of its styles, which keeps it low cost.
Layer Hen is a project by Russian art director Alexandra Istratova, who dreamed up a limited edition egg carton that companies could give out as a souvenir gift. A colourful cardboard hen with a handle forms a carrier to support the eggs.
Unconventional designs for a classic product. Egg packaging, whether classic egg boxes or cartons for egg whites, are reinventing themselves to tackle a rapidly expanding and increasingly competitive market.