By Mel Sala, Designer

Have you ever purchased a product solely because of its packaging? I know I have. I love to be surprised by creative packaging design solutions when I’m shopping. Whether you’re trying a product for the first time, or you’re purchasing a product from a trusted brand — packaging matters. If you’ve never tried a product before, the packaging is your first impression. It has to be engaging and it has to inspire you to buy what’s inside. If you’re a shopper of habit and you always buy the same products from the same brands, you’ve memorized what the packaging looks like and that’s what makes your favorite products so identifiable in stores. Check out these clever examples of packaging design we found.

1. Lego creates a way for shopper to hold their Lego bags with Lego hands.

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2. Blood of Grapes bottles wine in the shape of the body’s blood pumping organ: the heart.

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3. Buttcheeks’ Swimwear secures their boxes with bikini straps.

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4. Cava Sparkling Wine designs the perfect bottle for gift giving.

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5. With the clever use of a matchbox, Ford shows just how rugged the Ranger can be.

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6. This company packages their cheese in the shape of a pencil. You can use a sharpener to make your own cheese shavings for your salad.

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7. This company creatively shows off the different textures of pasta noodles.

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8. Poilu makes mustaches out of their paintbrushes.

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9. Teapee makes literal teepees with their tea packaging.

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10. Trident gum looks a lot like teeth.

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11. Similarly, Whitebites Natural Rawhide chews also look a lot like teeth.

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12. Butter! Better! Design lids that become the knife you use to spread the butter.

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13. Canon makes the handles on their bags look exactly like their camera straps.

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14. Pink Glasses Wine will have everyone raising their bottles to their faces to try on pink glasses.

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15. YKM turns the handle on their bag into a jump rope.

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16. City Harvest uses emotional appeal to promote food donation in New York.

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17. Here’s a pizza box designed by Greenbox that is multifunctional and reusable. Remove the top of the box and divide it into fours to make four plates. Use the bottom of the box to fold a smaller pizza box that will hold your leftovers.

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18. How clever is this design for Coca-Cola?

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19. NYC Spaghetti packages their noodles in the shape of the Empire State building.

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