BRIEF:
Redesign the shoebox for Puma , rethinking its bulk, practicality, materials, manufacturing process and more. The designed shoebox can be intended for the whole range of Puma shoes, or a specific model.
Redesign the shoebox for Puma , rethinking its bulk, practicality, materials, manufacturing process and more. The designed shoebox can be intended for the whole range of Puma shoes, or a specific model.
Context
415 million pairs of shoes are sold worlwide each year. That is approximately 13 pairs of shoes purchased every second.
There is no such thing as a standard shoebox. They come in an array of shapes, sizes, materials and opening mechanisms.
Shoeboxes main functions are to store and protect the shoes from factory to retail and eventually in the hands of the customer.
PROBLEMS / Opportunities
cardboard waste
Most shoeboxes are made of cardboard, but vary in shapes and sizes. However, a shoebox still uses a certain amount of cardboard, which could probably be reduced.
Volume used
Shoeboxes protect shoes during their long journey from factories to shops. Stacked in containers, they have to maximize the space as much as possible to be profitable.
sustainability
Eco-friendly materials and recycling are important topics. In addition, shops often put the customer’s shoebox in a plastic bag at checkout. Is there a way to avoid this?
Project goal
How might we introduce a new type of shoebox, being more sustainable, consuming less raw materials and being more practical ?
A shoebox among its peers
We started off this project by taking a look, analysing various shoeboxes and understanding the stakes. How were they made, how did the dieline look like, what was the size and volume, was there any particular features? Fun fact, Puma had already launched an innovative shoebox in 2010 called the Clever Little Bag. However, it didn't last long and disappeared from stores due to several structural and logistical problems.
Getting the perfect dieline through trial and error
With this packaging project, we found that the best way to experiment was to get in the workshop and get our hands dirty. Dozens of paper and cardboard models were made during the course of this project. To create a shoebox as sustainable as possible, we wanted to avoid the use of any glue in this project. In the end, countless of different dielines and folding ways were prototyped to get the right shoebox.
A shoebox, but a better one
In the end, we designed the Clever Little Box, the worthy successor of Puma's Clever Little Bag. Being adhesive free and more sustainable than its peers, this shoebox also consumes less cardboard and is less voluminous. An integrated handle in the dieline also makes the additional use of plastic bags avoidable.
