Revolutionizing Honey Packaging: The Honey Checkers

Lu Zhao, Jian Zhang, Lin Huang and Tingyue Yang's Innovative Design

The team of Lu Zhao, Jian Zhang, Lin Huang and Tingyue Yang have taken a fresh approach to honey packaging with their design, "Honey Checkers". Inspired by the similarity between honeycombs and checkerboards, they have created a package that is not only functional but also entertaining and reusable.

The design stands out for its innovative properties. The packaging resembles a honeycomb and can be converted into a checkerboard after being unfolded. Each individual package serves as a pawn, with the number of honey bottles matching the number of pawns. The bottles are differentiated by caps of various colors. This design breaks away from traditional packaging methods, offering an opportunity for enjoyment and interaction after consuming the honey.

The packaging material is degradable and environmentally friendly kraft paper, while the individual bottles are made of degradable glass. The design's specifications include a regular hexagon shape before unfolding, and a checkerboard shape after unfolding. The glass bottles for containing honey are compact, further promoting space efficiency.

The design encourages interaction and enhances the user experience. When the packaging is fully unfolded, it forms a complete checkerboard. The 60 honey-containing glass bottles inside, divided into six colors, can be used as checker pawns. This design not only increases the product's fun factor but also promotes the reusability of the packaging.

The project was initiated in September 2016 and completed in November in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. The design process involved extensive research on multifunctional packaging, with the aim of encouraging consumers to reuse the packaging after consuming the honey. This approach not only reduces waste but also fosters interaction among users.

The design faced several challenges, particularly in material selection for environmental protection. The outer packaging material needed to be sturdy and capable of withstanding multiple folds without breaking. The internal packaging had to be space-efficient. The layout and folding process of the package, which transforms into a checkerboard, also required careful consideration to ensure ease of understanding and transportation.

This innovative design has been recognized with the Silver A' Packaging Design Award in 2017, a testament to its creativity, professional excellence, and positive impact on environmental protection.