Most of us tend to ignore the packaging a product comes in. It’s just natural! That packaging tends to end up in the recycling or garbage (but, hopefully, the recycling!) once it has served its purpose. However, the packaging designs in this list are just as cool — if not cooler — than the products themselves.
This cheese cover will keep your cheese fresh.
This is the smartest packaging design I’ve seen in a long time. The little window opens to your desired amount and allows for easy cutting. I love it and I want it.
I wish all pickle jars came with these.
This pickle jar came with a scoop and strainer for getting those pickles at the bottom of the jar out. I have never seen something I weirdly want more.
This beer packaging comes with a biodegradable packing material.
But get into this: the packing material, aka Trebodur, is actually made from the spent grain from the brewing process! This creates a neat, sustainable loop of production, and I love it.
Well, I can safely say I’ve never seen this before.
Once you’re done with your drink, this can wants you to bend your tab into a fun little fishing hook. Honestly? Points for originality. Anyone up for some fishing?
Okay, Norway!
“Fresh food packaging in Norway has a meter showing how many days are left until expiry.”
Can we get this in North America? Because that would be handy as hell.
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This instant coffee powder container is also a straw.
It’s specifically designed for cold coffee mix, but hot drinks could totally join the party. This is such a great idea. I hope it also biodegrades!
This pasta packaging comes with built-in portion control.
See each pull tab? They release to allow you access to a large, medium, or small serving of pasta. Never again severely overestimate how much pasta you can eat!
This Ikea packaging redesign gives their cardboard boxes another life.
This concept for the Hilver table embraces the idea of reusability and sustainability. Rather than throwing the box out, it would fold up and become a stool!
This packaging has a handy pull tab.
Finally, a solution for those horrible, suctioned packages that are impossible to open! This has a handy pull tab to let you peel it up easily. Thank goodness.
The containers are biodegradable!
“[…] these bio-composite containers are modeled to look like bento-boxes with a modular design that stacks up as your order increases, resulting in one larger box rather than multiple smaller boxes.”
This Origami beer has a secret in its label.
It folds out to become actual Origami! This is so cool, and a great way to make labels more fun — not to mention useful. Dazzle your drinking buddies with your skills!
This package doesn’t open where you’d expect it to.
Instead, a flap opens to reveal that the mouth is full of cookies! Tbh, this is a superior way to open cookies. Having the opening at the top means you eventually have to tear the whole package to get to the bottom of the tube!
This mooncake packaging turns into a lantern!
Once you’re finished with your mooncake, pop a little light behind the bunny and watch your box come to life. This is such a cool way to make packaging reusable!
This shower head tells you the exact temperature of the water.
Some people love a hot, steamy shower, while others prefer something cold and brisk to wake them up in the morning. Find your perfect shower temperature with this nifty little shower head.
I need this Pringles can!
I have yet to see this on a Pringles can in real life, but apparently, some of them come with a sticker that prevents the lid from falling. It also frees up your hand if there is nowhere else to rest the lid. Smart!
This handy little flipper accessory.
Can you see it? This feature isn’t too easy to spot right off the bat. If you look closely under the handle, there’s a little stand that keeps the flipper off the counter. No more greasy or saucy countertops thanks to this little invention!
Where has this been all my life?
These shoes actually came with a little tool to help clean out the treads. I honestly wish all shoes came with this tool. It would be a lot better than the broken stick or bent paperclip I usually use.
This coffee table contains a hidden garden.
Calling all plant-lovers! You need this ASAP! Yes, someone finally figured out a way to turn a coffee table into a living, breathing indoor garden. It was specifically designed for people with limited space or people who live in urban areas. Now everyone can have some extra greenery in their homes!
Every biker needs this jacket.
If you thought this jacket just featured a cool design, think again. Those are actually functioning turn signals so that drivers can see them more clearly. This is such a cool safety feature!
Grow a plant, feed a fish.
Isn’t this just the cutest little ecosystem you ever laid your eyes on? Even better, this unique planter was designed with plant-killers in mind. This planter creates a symbiotic relationship between the fish and the plant so that you don’t have to do anything. Ah, science.
OMG! Where has this been all my life?
Folks, I never thought I’d live to see this day but it’s here. I present to you, the best toilet paper holder ever designed. As you can see, the middle component stays attached and rotates for an easy change. Just make sure you put the roll back in the overhand fashion, or else there will be hell to pay.
Get your home workout on.
This clever bench actually converts into a functional home gym with resistance bands. No more gym fees or worrying about social distancing with this beauty. And, hey, it looks like a pretty great bench, too!
It’s the little things, ya know?
I know that blue dot doesn’t look like much, but it’s actually a timer! A timer for what, you ask? Well, this dishwasher projects that little timer onto the floor so you know how long is left in the cycle. Smart!
If you have a partner who goes to bed early, you need this.
If you and your partner are the classic odd couple — one of you is the early bird and the other is a night owl — then you need this remote. It has a headphone jack so you can watch TV at a lower volume. This might actually save a few marriages.
Okay, this is so adorable.
I know it’s hard to see what we’re looking at, so let me explain: this door is actually two doors! Say what? Yes, the second, smaller door is for children and has an easy-to-reach handle. Awww!
Well, someone was bound to invent this one day.
Pizza Hut in Hong Kong actually designed and sold a pizza box that turns into a working foosball table. How genius is the marketing team over at Pizza Hut Hong Kong, huh? I want this purely because I haven’t played foosball in forever.
So simple, but so smart.
You know, for a design to be really special, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Take this USB and AUX port, for example. Its hidden feature? It glows at night so it’s easier to see when you’re plugging in your music or phone. This is the kind of functional design we all need in our lives!
So that’s what’s lurking under jar labels…
Well, under Aldi pasta jar labels, anyway! These pasta jars have a whole measurement system on them, which is super helpful for when you reuse the jar for something else.
It’s the little things, truly.
“This hand cream with dotted rubber edges on its lid so that you can open and close easily with creamy hands.”
The fact that my hand cream doesn’t have this bums me out.
