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Branding & Package Design

Twin Pack Milk Cartons

Twin Pack Milk CartonsSome (non-intersecting) “twin packs”

In our previous post we showed you a hypothetical structure for a pair of intersecting milk cartons.

Today we bring you a similar (albeit non-intersecting) idea: “twin pack milk cartons.”

Culled from American grocery store ads, I found these images in newspapers published between 1952 and 1976. I’ve also seen some more recent examples. (This “unitary” twin pack on Polypack’s website, for example.)

Some dairies sold quart size milk cartons paired together in “half gallon twin packs.” Mostly what you find, however, are half gallon size cartons paired together as “gallon twin packs.”

Benefits of “Twin Pack Cartons”

When first introduced, a dairy would often advertise the benefits of the new packaging. For example:

  • Saves Money
  • Easier to Carry
  • Keeps Milk Fresher

Some dairies would include instructions about separating the two containers. (See also: this 1952 ad for Farm Fresh milk and this 1966 ad for Beechmont milk.)

Twin Packs & Contents Declaration

Labeling these cartons posed some communication problems for their designers. Since the twin packs are separable, each carton must show its correct individual volume. But, the dairy would also want to highlight the twin pack’s combined total volume.

Sometimes they solved this by printing the total volume in words (“HALF GALLON” or “ONE GALLON”) spanning across both cartons. Other times the cartons are just the same as the ones sold individually, and it’s only the handle that shows the total combined volume.

Regulations & Prohibited Twin Packs

As popular as these were with consumers, they were surprisingly controversial in Pennsylvania.

From the articles I’ve skimmed, I gather that, in the early 1960s, Country Belle Cooperative Farmers tried to introduce the twin pack (already in use in many other states) to Pennsylvania.

The State Milk Commission opposed the new packaging. There were hearings. And decisions. And appeals, etc. Meanwhile, consumers appeared to be fully in favor of the new twin pack. Read-all-about-it, after the fold…

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Intersecting Milk Cartons

Intersecting Milk Cartons

I was hoping that “intersecting milk cartons” were already a thing. But, alas, no example seemed to exist online. So, for the 5th and final day of “Polyhedral Milk Carton Week,” I had to make it myself.

What are we looking at? My 3D animation showing the intersection of two gable-top milk cartons. They intersect in (more or less) the same manner as a polyhedral compound of two cubes.

Of course, milk cartons are not cubes. They’re more like rectangular prisms. And it wasn’t at all obvious (to me) what the intersection would look like with taller shapes.

So prior to making the animation above, I made this “maquette” using two actual gable top cartons. (You can see the evidence of my trial-and-error geometry on the left hand carton.)

Clearly my maquette was not ready for prime time. I figured a 3D rendering would be a better way of presenting my hypothetical dual container. 3D rending, however, is outside of my usual wheelhouse. What software could I download and quickly learn just enough to do this one thing? [Read more…]

The Space-Pak collapsible milk carton

Space-Pak collapsible milk cartons trademark specimen

Space-Pak “specimen”

For day 4 of “Polyhedral Milk Carton Week” we promised to bring you evidence of International Paper‘s collapsible milk carton.

I was hoping to find some decent photos of their Space-Pak™ carton showing its side panel score lines. But the best I’ve been able to come up with is the magenta “specimen” (above) from their 1995 trademark filing.

The company touted its collapsible design as a way of making milk cartons more practical to recycle.

Because environmental concerns are critical to our customers, our liquid packaging division has responded with creative solutions. One example is Space-Pak, a half-pint milk carton used widely in schools. It flattens when pressed along scores on two sides, reducing volume and taking less space in landfills.

from International Paper’s 1994 Annual Report

Is it true what they wrote? (“used widely in schools”?) I’ve looked for evidence of this and found hardly any.

Space-Pak™ did, however, make a brief splash in 1993 when some public schools in Connecticut tried it out…

[Read more…]

Polyhedral Milk Carton Week (day 3): Wandering Stars

Polyhedral Milk Carton Week (day 3): Wandering Stars
For day 3 of “Polyhedral Milk Carton Week,” let’s talk about this black and white photograph entitled, Wandering Stars.

Oliver Helfrich and Antje Peter’s collapsible milk cartons

Oliver Helfrich made these gable-topped polyhedral paper sculptures for the 2010 book entitled The Book of Paper. Sharing authorship of the image, of course, is Antje Peters, co-author of the book, who made the photographs.

From milk cartons to tissues and take away coffee cups, paper plays an integral role in our day to day lives and yet we often take it for granted.

They did mention “milk cartons” in the press release for the book. But nowhere can I find any further discussion of the Wandering Stars construction.

Wondering about the Wandering Stars title

Not sure why they gave these abstracted milk cartons that particular title. The ancient Greeks called planets “Wandering Stars” (ἀστήρ πλανήτης) and they named the galaxy after milk (γάλα, gala).

Maybe that’s the reason? But, then again, it might mean something else altogether.

We’ve seen lots of packaging patents for collapsible bottles and the like. Here, Helfrich has whimsically invented some geometrically-collapsible milk cartons. The varying heights suggest a sequence, although it’s open to interpretation whether these cartons are being collapsed or extended.

The thing is, International Paper did, in fact, produce a collapsible milk carton in the 1970s. (Something we will be looking into on day 4 of “Polyhedral Milk Carton Week.”)

 

“Non-Developable” Milk Cartons (3 kinds)

1. The non-developable ruled surface named “milk carton”

(Day 2 of “Polyhedral Milk carton Week”)

Just learned something new! Someone has actually named a certain mathematically-defined hyperbolic surface: “milk carton.”

I found out about this on the French website, mathcurve.com, an online ENCYCLOPÉDIE DES FORMES MATHÉMATIQUES REMARQUABLES.

Looking more deeply into this somewhat hyperbolic milk carton, however, I think that it was really named berlingot and then the website translated the word into English.

Berlingot surfaceIf you look up the definition of “berlingot” you find that it has two meanings. It can mean either a tetrahedral-shaped twisted hard candy, or a tetrahedral-shaped (Tetra-Pak) carton. And (in the real world) one of these definitions can sometimes contain the other.

The MathCurve Website also tells us that another possible name (not French) for the berlingot surface could be “humbug.” (Since “humbug” is another name for this kind of tetrahedral candy.)

2 more “milk cartons” after the fold…

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