Creative packaging design: Matchbox labels

Vintage Tempo matchbox labels

Collecting match books and matchbox labels is almost as popular, and just as much fun, as philately. A person that collects them is known as a phillumenist.

There’s a fascinating history about the development of safety match technology – and the banning of white phosphorus (a hugely dangerous chemical) as an ingredient in their manufacture.

The designs of matchbox labels can point to their age and era of production.

There are safety matches (that can only be lit by striking on a specific surface), impregnated (with paraffin) safety matches, long matches and cooks’ matches. In the past, matches were usually ‘foreign’; manufactured in Sweden, Finland, Italy, Belgium and Czechoslovakia.

There was a time when every bar and restaurant supplied customers with their branded matches. Free advertising for them and a free souvenir for you! With the advent of smoking bans around the world, they’ve become a thing of the past.

Matches, matchboxes and matchbooks are still very popular, however; they’re an essential accessory for owners of wood-burning stoves and ranges and fans of room candles.

Valiant safety matches boxIndex safety matches matchbox label
Chart impregnated safety matches matchbox labelBryant & May's Pearl Matches matchbox label
Pilot Matches matchbox labelTrilby brand safety matches label
Purple Three Torches matchbox labelRed Three Torches matchbox
Iris impregnated safety matches matchbox labelAtlas safety matches matchbox label
Various vintage matchboxes

The Original Cook's Matches boxOriginal Cooks Matches

You light up my life matchboxYou Light up My Life

Diptyque Paris and Emma Bridgewater long matches in boxesEmma Bridgewater Extra Long Matches Black Toast Strike a Light matches | Diptyque Temple des Mousses scented matches

Trio of coloured matchbox tinsMetal matchbox tin

Creative packaging design: Eco laundry detergent

Selection of eco laundry sheets

Washing powder is one of those long-time stalwarts of marketing and advertising – alongside toothpaste, beer, cigarettes and foreign travel. Detergents were always “new & improved” giving you “whiter whites” and “brighter brights”.

Things have come a long way since the Mad Men mid-century era and before. The 21st century eco laundry detergent buzz words are now ‘plastic free’, ‘refillable’, ‘ocean friendly’, ‘biodegradable’ and ‘cruelty-free’. We’ve never had so much choice! Furthermore, we don’t even have to go to the shops to buy those bulky, heavy boxes of washing powder. Light-as-a-feather laundry strips can be bought on subscription, popping through our letter boxes on a regular or flexible basis.

Sheets & strips

  1. The Lab Co. laundry strips
  2. Wablu laundry sheets
  3. Freddie laundry detergent sheets
  4. Simple Living eco non-bio laundry detergent sheets

Selection of eco liquid laundry detergent

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Selection of eco liquid laundry detergent

Liquid

Image 1:

  1. Eco-Me natural concentrated liquid laundry detergent, Lavender Blossom
  2. Mulieres natural organic laundry liquid – Rose Garden
  3. miniml eco-friendly laundry detergent

Image 2:

  1. Kit & Kin laundry bundle
  2. Faith in Nature aloe vera & rosemary laundry liquid
  3. eco-mate laundry liquid

Selection of eco laundry capsules / pods

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Selection of eco laundry capsules / pods

Pods & capsules

Image 1:

  1. Ocean Saver non-bio laundry detergent pods
  2. Ecover non-bio laundry capsules
  3. Wyx ecological laundry liquid capsules
  4. Laundrythings eco laundry pods

Image 2:

  1. Grab Green, Stoneworks, laundry detergent pods, birch branch
  2. Wilton London botanical eco laundry capsules
  3. smol concentrated laundry capsules

Creative packaging design: Furniture polish

The Original Wood SilkBriwax furniture waxAntiquax Original Wax polish

The preferred furniture polish in my childhood home was Mr Sheen. I can smell its distinct fragrance now!

Now, with a house of my own, I choose to use Wood Silk; a non-silicone beeswax based spray with a wonderful smell.

When it comes to the vintage and antique furniture that we sell in our shop, we apply dealers’ favourite, Bri-wax and buff to bring out the grain and shine in the wood.

Below, we’ve chosen a few of our favourite, eye-catching receptacles for furniture polish in liquid, aerosol and wax forms.

Method Wood PolishHoward Feed-n-Wax wood polishWheeler's Furniture Polish

Left to right:

Method wood polish

Howard Feed-n-Wax wood polish

Wheeler’s Furniture Polish

Rhoose Point Remedies Beeswax Wood Polish & TreatmentAntiquax Original Wax polishFurnitureClinic Beeswax Polish

Left to right:

Rhoose Point Remedies Beeswax Wood Polish & Treatment

Antiquax Original Wax polish

FurnitureClinic Beeswax Polish

The Original Wood SilkMr Sheen Multi surface polishBest Shine Plus furniture polish

Left to right:

The Original Wood Silk

Mr Sheen Multi surface polish

Best Shine Plus furniture polish

Creative packaging design: Easter eggs

Ballotoeuf nutpaste Easter eggHames Bronze range - luxury milk and white chocolate Easter egg - gin and tonicLoveCocoa Salted caramel milk chocolate Easter egg

Today, we begin a new series, ‘Creative packaging design’. Each time, we’ll concentrate on a different home, household or food product and showcase the best in the range when it comes to presentation. We’ll pay no heed to taste, quality, price or value for money – we’re judging the book by its cover, so to speak.

As we’re so close to the end of Lent, we’re going to start by shining our spotlight on Easter eggs. In doing or research, we realised what a saturated market it has become – but that a good thing for us consumers, we’re spoilt for choice; dark, milk, dark, vegan, fair trade, big small.

Some we’ve chosen on their dazzling good looks, others on their quirkiness. In some of the cases, it’s a double packaging affair; the outer, ‘non-food’ packaging as well as the design of the inner packaging… the egg itself.

I think the egg in the form of a boiled egg sandwich, complete with triangular take-away box, is so novel. I also think that the F&M drawer of 132 mini eggs is superb – like a Victorian collector’s specimen cabinet. The most attractive, in my opinion, is the exquisite, hand painted, papier-mâché Booja – Booja egg. What do you think? Do you have a favourite?

Chococo Giant milk chocolate honeycombe Easter eggCaramayo chocolate Easter sandwichVegan Iconic Easter egg

Left to right:

Chococo Giant milk chocolate honeycombe Easter egg

Caramayo chocolate Easter sandwich

Kakoa vegan Iconic Easter egg

Fortnum & Mason Ultimate praline ganache Easter egg selection boxLoveCocoa Salted caramel milk chocolate Easter eggBooja - Booja hazelnut crunch chocolates truffles in decorative Easter egg

Left to right:

Fortnum & Mason Ultimate praline ganache Easter egg selection box

LoveCocoa Salted caramel milk chocolate Easter egg

Booja – Booja hazelnut crunch chocolates truffles in decorative Easter egg

The Great Egg hazelnut and sourdough ganache Easter eggMelt Chocolate vegan strawberry Easter eggBallotoeuf nutpaste Easter egg

Left to right:

Selfridges The Great Egg hazelnut and sourdough ganache Easter egg

Melt Chocolate vegan strawberry Easter egg

Ballotoeuf nutpaste Easter egg

Hames Bronze range - luxury milk and white chocolate Easter egg - gin and tonicSolid Chocolate Colombian single origin dark chocolate eggChocoviar Stracciatella egg

Left to right:

Hames Bronze range – luxury milk and white chocolate Easter egg – gin and tonic

Solid Chocolate Colombian single origin dark chocolate egg

Chocoviar Stracciatella egg