Precious Packaging

Stephanie Song

Mr. Schwager

AP Literature

7 March 2014

CWP Q4: The Art of Packaging

It should be argued that the one of the greatest art forms of the world is in fact, consumer packaging. By packaging I refer to such things as the luxurious wrappings of lightly dyed crepe paper, or that of the layers of densely threaded cotton mix that accompany the products that we purchase every day. There is no other art form that brings as much joy and pleasure than which artful packaging bestows. The reality simply is that we purchase such products solely for the brilliant packaging that comes with it, for there is a kind of unique delight in the enigma of beautiful packaging.

The product itself is what we are already acquainted to in its form and purpose, and as such, there is no mystery behind it. Buying the product itself merely gives us the ability to use it as we please.  The legitimate satisfaction comes in the packaging; those that are hidden behind that intricate exterior that so attracted us, begging to please the senses. The feeling of taking apart a series of thick polished cardboard boxes, tissue paper, ribbons and plastic coverings spurs absolute ecstasy. It is no wonder that children are so eager to unravel the various cosmetics and household necessities that their parents bring home, or why teenagers can barely make the car trip back home without excitedly unboxing a set of expensive headphones.

 For example, if Apple’s iPhones were not encased by all the sleekness that is their packaging, it would be doubtful they would ever have rose to popularity as they first did in 2008. After all, the packaging of what we buy reflects the product itself. The iPhone’s sleek packaging is what made the iPhone sleek. Dingy packaging meant a dingy product. Should anyone come upon poorly cared for packaging, it is only reasonable to expect that the product within will function in a similar manner.

Packaging truly emerges in its most eminent form through luxury goods. Such goods would never have obtained popularity of the magnitude it exceeds today if these internationally renowned fashion houses have not mastered the art of packaging, because why would we shell out thousands of dollars for a single calf leather bag? The experience of carefully unboxing European crafted logo boxes, ribbons, invoices, and dust bags is what makes the experience worth the give or take six hundred percent mark-up of the recommended retail price.

In this endeavour of testing the meter of euphoria relevant to markup, I purchased a leather good from a certain French fashion house, in which I can safely note from my experiment that it is indeed true that packaging is the reason behind consumer demand for these extravagantly priced goods. The hors d’oeuvres began with the box, it was dense, its logo stamped in beautiful clean cut coverage in its classic font, and made to withstand reuse. Next came the entrée, a thick cotton dust bag stamped with the house logo, wrapped by gently folded jet black tissue paper. I was absolutely ecstatic by this point, as I had never come across such exquisite packaging, and without further ado, continued my journey. Next I came across an envelope that was most intriguing in that it was textured in an embossed mesh pattern, almost as if it was created to please the sense of touch. Conclusively, I rated this experience a nine out of ten when measuring the extent of euphoria relevant to the approximate mark-up of 500%.

            I would like to propose a project to the federal government that will increase the living standards of our nation. You may or may not know that Denmark leads number one in the United Nation General Assembly’s report of the Happiest Countries of the World, while the United States plunges into a shameful seventeenth. It is my intent that my proposed project would skyrocket our rank to one of, or possibly even surpass Denmark as the happiest country in the world.

I have dubbed my extraordinary plan as the Preferred Packaging Project. My first proposal is for the government to establish the US Packaging Control Administration. This agency will experiment and test a meter of satisfaction induced in all products that will now so forth be produced in our nation. This meter of satisfaction will be scaled by what I have coined the “Happy Scale”, a scale that measures the amount of endorphins that is released by our bodies immediately after the experience. Tested packaging must be rated at least seven out of ten to be eligible for the market.

My next proposal is to introduce the career of packaging critics. In the first few years after they are introduced, packaging critics will be a government employed job, but will slowly transition into private employment. Packaging critics will critique various product packaging according to taste. One person may particularly enjoy the archaic 1800s style of wooden material with elaborate prints, while another may enjoy the simplicity of modern designs and contoured polymorph plastic. Their responsibility is to comprehensively review the packaging of various popular products so that consumers will become savvy in selecting packaging that will cater to their unique palate for the optimum experience.

     If the Preferred Packaging Project is successfully carried out, I am confident that it will revolutionize the United States as one of the happiest countries in the world and increase the overall well-being and living standards of our citizens, for there is no other art form as brilliant and enhancing of the sense, mind, and soul, as the art of packaging.