The Evolution of Packaging Design: A Historical Overview

Ancient Packaging to Present Day

🏺 Prehistoric to Classical Era

Before brand mascots or foil pouches, there were… gourds. And shells. When we say gourds, we’re talking about hard-shelled fruits (like bottle gourds) that were dried out and repurposed as natural containers. Think of them as the prehistoric Tupperware. Early humans used what nature gave them: hollowed-out objects like animal skins, woven baskets, and coconut shells to transport food and water. Not glam, but effective.

Weaving techniques emerged, allowing the creation of sacks and baskets that helped humans stash surplus food. This was revolutionary and it allowed for less reliance on daily hunting and more staying-put civilisation building.

Then came the Egyptians with their glass innovations around 1500 B.C., creating the world’s first ‘fancy’ packaging. Meanwhile, over in China during the 1st–2nd century B.C., paper was born – initially used to wrap food. These practices made their way west and evolved, bringing labelling into play. Early forms involved natural dyes etched or painted onto the containers.

🏰 Medieval to Early Modern Advancements

Glassblowing and pottery refined things further – introducing amphoras and elaborately painted jars. Around 1690, America’s first paper mill popped up in Philadelphia, and by 1867, wood pulp was in the paper mix.

Tin boxes started showing up in the mid-1700s, used for cookies, snuff, and matches. In 1852, Francis Wolle’s paper bag machine changed food shopping forever, especially after gusseted bags were introduced in the 1870s.

This was the beginning of packaging not just being useful, but also repeatable and sellable.

🏭 Industrial Revolution Innovations

Here’s when mass production came into play. Packaging became standardised thanks to people like Robert Gair, who accidentally invented paperboard cartons in 1879. It didn’t take long for cereal brands like Kellogg’s to turn that into the iconic breakfast-box format we still use today.

Some packaging pulled double duty – tobacco tins were repurposed as lunchboxes, and Bemis Bro sacks were turned into aprons or dresses.

Lithographic printing (1796) and chromolithography (1837) meant labels could go full technicolour, complete with branding and illustrations – arriving in the UK by the 1840s and quickly embraced by Victorian manufacturers like Huntley & Palmers to elevate biscuit tins into miniature works of art.

UK Packaging History & Impact

While the global story of packaging often highlights American or Chinese milestones, the UK has played a major supporting role, particularly in the industrial and branding eras.

👉 1690s-1800s: Britain became a global hub for tinplate production. Towns like Pontypool and Birmingham were early centres for tin-coated iron, used in packaging snuff, biscuits, and tea.

👉 Tea caddies became a major part of British packaging culture in the Georgian and Victorian eras – often elaborate, lockable, and made of fine materials like mahogany or pewter.

👉 The UK was instrumental in early branding for export – British soap, tobacco, and biscuit brands like Cadbury, Twinings, and Huntley & Palmers used intricate lithographed tins and labels to compete in international markets.

👉 In 1853, the UK played an early role in corrugated paper history too. Edward Healy and Edward Ellis Allen patented it in London in 1856, originally to stiffen tall hats. It wasn’t until the 1870s that corrugated board took off in packaging, especially for shipping fragile goods.

Key Materials Through the Ages:

• Natural: Gourds, shells, leaves, animal skins

• Early industrial: Glass, tin, waxed paper

• Industrial age: Paperboard, metal cans, cellulose fiber

• Modern: Plastics, laminates, foil, biopolymers

How Technology Has Shaped Packaging

Branding, Marketing & Trademarks

In 1870, the U.S. issued its first trademark. By 1900, branding was the new frontier.

Coca-Cola’s contour bottle (1916) became one of the most iconic shapes in the world – part function, part flex. Nabisco’s Uneeda Biscuits came in moisture-resistant cartons featuring a slick little raincoat-wearing mascot.

These weren’t just containers anymore. They were identity. They were storytelling.

Rise of Supermarkets & Visual Appeal

Enter self-service stores in the 1920s – Piggly Wiggly being the first to take that step, which allowed owner Clarence Saunders to cut costs and offer lower prices to customers. Consumers now picked their own products, so packaging had to work harder. It became the silent salesman.

Cellophane was introduced in 1924. Not only did it keep food fresh, it let consumers see the goods inside. Visual appeal mattered more than ever.

Flexographic printing made it easier to brand across various surfaces, from cardboard to foil.

Post-War Plastic Boom & Consumerism

Post-WWII plastics like PETE, nylon, and polystyrene turned packaging into something light, moldable, and cheap.

TV dinners debuted in 1954, complete with aluminium trays to match your brand-new Zenith television. Blister packs for pills followed closely, designed to match fast-paced lifestyles and promote medication adherence.

Convenience was king. Disposability was the dream (though now we’re dealing with that hangover).

5 Game-Changing Packaging Tech Innovations:

1. Lithographic label printing (1796)

2. Rotary glass bottle machine (1890)

3. Cellophane debut in U.S. (1924)

4. Barcodes introduced (1974)

5. Digital packaging design software (1980s, thanks Adobe & Apple)

UK Influence on Tech & Sustainability

👉 UK supermarket revolution: Chains we know and love like Sainsbury’s and Tesco were early adopters of self-service models post-WWII. This made packaging not just practical, but promotional – especially in the highly competitive aisles of our British food shops.

👉 Cellophane was widely adopted in the UK by the 1930s, giving rise to glossier, crinklier, and more durable food packaging across biscuits, sweets, and meats.

👉 In more recent years, UK retailers have led the way in reducing single-use plastics. Supermarkets like Waitrose and Iceland were among the first to commit to removing plastic packaging from store-brand lines. This is a packaging design trend that is reshaping consumer expectations and industry standards, pushing brands toward more sustainable, recyclable, and compostable solutions that maintain product integrity while minimising environmental impact.

Future Predictions Based on Past Trends

Sustainability & Environmental Response

Plastic’s bad PR has pushed brands into the arms of greener pastures. Biodegradable and compostable films, sugarcane-derived plastics (shoutout to Volvic and Buxton), and strict EPA regulations are reshaping packaging norms.

Today, packaging needs to be accountable – both to the planet and to the people buying it. We see it every day – recycled content badges, FSC-certified cardboard, refillable pouches popping up in the cleaning aisle, and brands shouting about carbon footprints. Consumers want to know not just what a product does, but what its packaging does after they’re done with it. This pressure has created a new design brief: make it functional, beautiful, and guilt-free. Not an easy ask but it’s one that's driving some of the most exciting innovation in the industry right now.

Personalisation & Interactive Tech

Brands now use packaging as a channel for storytelling and tech integration. The goal? Make the packaging experience as memorable as the product inside. From QR codes that unlock behind-the-scenes content to NFC chips that track sustainability journeys, interactive packaging builds engagement and deepens brand loyalty. Personalisation takes this further – limited editions, name printing, and region-specific messaging create a sense of ownership and exclusivity, turning passive consumers into active participants in the brand narrative.

👉 On-demand packaging with variable data printing means no more one-size-fits-all. Brands can now personalise each pack in a print run – think seasonal designs, limited-edition artwork, or even names (looking at you, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke”). It’s perfect for DTC brands and social media moments.

👉 Augmented Reality (AR) labels turn a regular product into an interactive packaging experience. Scan your cereal box to unlock recipes, videos, or even games for kids (or bored adults). Suddenly, your packaging isn’t static anymore.

👉 Smart packaging with RFID tags or freshness sensors is stepping things up even further. These invisible bits of tech can track a product's journey, verify authenticity, or even tell you when your food is going off. It’s especially useful in sectors like health and wellness, baby food, and chilled goods, where trust and safety are everything.

We’ve gone from “does it keep the product safe?” to “can it talk to my phone, recommend a playlist, and tell me if my hummus has expired?” And yes, that’s where we’re headed.

So you could say things have changed a little bit👇:

British-Led Sustainable Innovations

👉 Buxton (owned by Nestlé UK) reduced plastic in its water bottles by 25% and integrated sugarcane-based bioplastics.

👉 The UK Plastics Pact (launched in 2018) has rallied major retailers, manufacturers, and government bodies around sustainable packaging design principles.

👉 British consumers are especially eco-friendly: 8/10 UK shoppers prefer products with sustainable packaging – even if it costs more.

👉 Snact, a London-based snack brand, pioneered home-compostable wrappers, made from cellulose films.

Cultural Significance and Consumer Behaviour

Packaging design has always been a mirror of society and it will always reflect the times. In the ‘50s, TV dinners symbolised modern domestic life – convenient, oven-ready meals that echoed the era’s obsession with television, time-saving gadgets, and tech-powered optimism.

Today’s augmented reality (AR) apps and smart labels tap into a culture that expects instant access, personalised content, and a deeper connection to the brands we buy. From scanning a wine bottle to see its vineyard story to checking freshness sensors on your salad, packaging is now part of the digital conversation.

As society evolves, so do our expectations so it's natural for our packaging design to always be playing catch-up.

Design Trends Influencing Future Packaging

Blending Aesthetics and Function

Minimalist, transparent, and reusable designs are all the rage. UX thinking is making its way into physical packaging - just ask anyone who’s been giddy over the unboxing experience of an Apple product (we’ve all been there).

Here's a few trends we suspect to be on the rise in effective packaging design:

👉 Transparent sustainability messaging – Where you say what you’re doing, not just stating the simple fact that you’re a ‘sustainable brand’. People want proof.

👉 Customisation for micro-audiences – Hyper-personalisation for Gen Z? It’s happening.

👉 Interactive packaging – Packaging that literally talks back (or lights up, or reminds you to recycle it).

So as you can see, we’ve come a long way when it comes to packaging design. From stuffing snacks into leaves to scanning your oat milk with an app – yeah, it’s wild. And it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Packaging is constantly evolving, and brands have to keep up or risk being left behind (on the shelf, literally).

It’s kind of mad to think how tricky it used to be just to store stuff – never mind adding branding, storytelling, interactive features, or eco credentials. But that’s the world we’re in now. And if you’re wondering how to make your packaging survive (and thrive) in this landscape, well... that’s what packaging designers are here for.

Let’s make your packaging work harder, look better, and actually connect with people. Get in touch with us at Noramble.