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The Riddle of the Box

When is a box more than a box?

You might recall the Forrest Gump quote about life being like a box of chocolates and never knowing what you’re gonna get. Or when it’s like a book, as John Steinbeck said to his editor in the dedication for his novel East of Eden, “full of pain, excitement, good and bad feelings, despair, joy, the pleasure of design…and still the box is not full.”

Here’s the thing. A box is always more than a box, because what’s inside the box matters. Think of receiving a brightly wrapped birthday gift as a kid. You didn’t care about the cartoon or balloon decorations on the wrapping paper. You were shaking the box and happily imagining what was inside.

A box is a container for delivery, whether that be of a product, an aspirational feeling, or a means of being environmentally conscious. A box can contain many things besides a product. Consider:

  • A box is about your reputation.

    Products need to arrive safely, securely, and in a timely manner. Ever receive a damaged product or package? Remember how disappointed you felt? A box that delivers your product as promised keeps your customers happy and satisfied so they will order from you again.

  • A box is about your business sense.

    If you are shipping products in an oversized box, you are paying for more void fill, tape, and dim weight charges while not being able to ship as much product per truckload. By right-sizing your packaging, you can save money, time, and labor.

  • A box is about your sustainability goals.

    See previous example. If your packaging is oversized, you must use more truckloads to ship the same amount of product. This ramps up your fuel costs as well as the carbon emissions being spewed into the environment. Also, is the box corrugated, making it easily curbside recyclable? Recycling rates for corrugated have remained above 90% over the past decade, easily making it the most recycled packaging material in the country. Your packaging shows you’re doing your part to protect our environment.

  • A box can be about your customer’s hopes and dreams.

    That may sound pretentious, but ever buy a high-end product like a cellphone, cosmetics, or bourbon that came in luxury packaging? Remember unboxing it, thinking how the packaging was so sleek and cool you decided to keep it? Remember how opening that memorable packaging made you feel like you had joined an elite club? The box played a huge part in producing that aspirational feeling. 

At Premier, we understand a box is always more than a box. We work with you as a partner to design and make the perfect box for you and your customers’ needs. Like Steinbeck, we understand what’s in a box: Everything. Contact us today!