The Auditorium Toy Co. box
The Auditorium Toy Co. box
The biggest challenge in building a toy company was sourcing packaging that was as unique, timeless and durable as the creations it held. A custom solution became the only option.
The challenge was met by using the same time-honored process that I’ve applied to my other packaging projects — trial and error. After weeks of fighting and failing with countless designs and materials…I nailed it.
The final design is a deeply-telescoping, belly-strapped shoebox — inspired by vintage drum cases, museum archive boxes and obsolete filing systems. It can easily be scaled for new forms, and its minimal design vocabulary helps ensure brand cohesion across an expanding line.
Production Details:
BOX
Each box begins by tracing a hand-drafted pattern onto a sheet of 4-ply, black-core, acid-free museum board. Next, the board is cut and scored by hand before the marks are screenprinted with white poster ink using a 300 mesh screen. The board is then folded by hand and joined with archival PVA glue. Clamps are used to hold the box’s shape as it dries overnight.
STRAPS
Once dry, four 1/8” holes are punched into the lid and dressed with nickel eyelets. Two 20” lengths of 3/8” wide elastic straps are pushed down through the eyelets and hand-sewn into a pair of loops.
INTERIOR
The strap loop seams are hidden by interior nickel clamtooth clamps fastened to the bottom of the eyelets, securing the loops and maintaining the proper tension to hold a provenance envelop.
PROVENANCE
The provenance envelop is a handmade tuck-flap design constructed from black bristol board and screen printed. The actual provenance documentation is laser printed on 80lb, acid-free butter tagboard before being cut, scored and folded by hand.
TRAY
The product tray starts by bonding a sheet of black bristol board to a sheet of single-ply chipboard with archival PVA glue. Using another hand-drafted template, a pattern is traced onto the bristol surface. The tray is then cut, scored, folded and glued by hand.
TAG
The double-sided product tag is constructed from single-ply chipboard sheet sandwiched between two 28lb bright white laser prints and glued with archival PVA. A 1/8” hole is punched into the tag for a nickel eyelet. A white, medium-weight elastic cord, looped by a simple overhand knot, is threaded through the eyelet and attached to the product.
