This plastic and cardboard packaging for batteries distills the concept of packaging as advertisement into something efficient and distinct in style without becoming completely minimalist. The flat cardboard plane could be reduced in size to make the overall package smaller in the space it occupies, but increased size means increased visibility on store shelves. This size also guarantees that the space for the actual product can contain a large bulk, like forty batteries, and allow sufficient graphic space for the advertisement of the product. Putting the advertisement on the free cardboard space instead of around the batteries permits the product to be completely visible within its plastic casing, augmenting the advertising process and distinguishing the package from its competitors.
A large case of batteries like this is attracting buyers who prefer to invest extra money, space, and time in a single purchase rather than several purchases as they would need them. They buy this product with the intent of using it all, but they want enough quantity of product so that they don't need to return to the store too frequently. To further incentivize this audience, the packaging even boasts "10 years in storage" along the white strip just over the batteries. With a promise like this, the packaging rewards the buyer's investment, with the idea that a ten-year guarantee will cover the potential amount of time the buyer will spend using up the product.
Since batteries are always in demand in this technologically driven society, a large package like this caters to that demand with its large size and promise of longevity. It can be placed anywhere in the home where it is easily accessed when batteries must be replaced for certain devices. Flat cardboard uses very little three-dimensional space, but the plastic casing sticks out profusely, so the storage capacity of this package is somewhat demanding but maneuverable. The color choice of the brand - Duracell - is implemented all over the packaging in an attempt to imitate the actual color scheme of the battery. Doing so makes this package and its brand visible and recognizable from afar, making it a more profitable product.
The severe bending of the plastic casing highlights a particular design choice when creating the package: the strength of adhesive that keeps it all together. The adhesive was chosen to keep the product enclosed, but was not so strong that sufficient human force could not peel it open when needed. As a result, this package is visually worn-down and made rugged for it. Less space is being used up in that half of the casing than is available, implying that several batteries have already been taken out of it and used. The design not only suffers in visual appeal as a result, it also becomes more difficult to store. Unless the owner goes out of their way to tape the casing closed, the remaining batteries can slip out, and the bent casing can obstruct other objects around it.
The idea behind this design was to appeal to bulk-buyers with a package and advertisement pitch that represented the large quantity of the product it was attempting to sell, while allowing the package to be easily disposable. The problem in such a design is to overcome the issue of space when creating large packaging like this and to choose materials that are sturdy and reliable despite being disposable.
With cheap materials like cardboard and plastic, the package can be easily thrown away without suffering in aesthetics or durability, at least at installation. These aspects fall apart, however, once the package has been opened; there is no inherent system in the package that permits the plastic to be resealable without external aid. This can be alleviated by creating flaps and slots between the plastic and cardboard, respectively, that intersect and lock in place. While the flap would stick out at the other end of the cardboard and take up vertical space, it would still be a significant improvement over the massive gap and elevation of material observed with this current casing.
The concept of creating a package that represents an aspect of its product sounds viable and appealing, and the flatness of the cardboard is a clever design that implies bulk without taking up too much excessive space in of itself. That said, the cardboard and casing could be made thinner and less wide, so that the size is represented more in one axis in three-dimensional space. Doing so improves the package's storage capacity and reduces the cost of mass production. Overall, the design's flaws can be ironed out with one more re-design that streamlines the package without sacrificing its representation through size.
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