CrazyService (CS) supplies Belarus with over 5000 products, making the company the country’s largest supplier of electrical goods. But to properly promote a certain category of products, the brand called in the creative people. We had to pose a question: How many designers does it take to create a packaging design of a light bulb? Well, two – one to contour the light bulb’s packaging and one to develop the illustrations that lie on the box. Oh, and one great master that stands as a source of inspiration for the two creatives.
Inspired by the light that comes from fireflies, America’s greatest inventor, Thomas Edison, created the light bulb. He strongly believed that the bioluminescence qualities these tiny insects possess can be re-created by human hand sometime in the near future. And he wasn’t wrong. After years of hard work, he finally found the recipe for creating the world’s first light bulb. A century and a half later, designer Angelina Pischikova and illustrator Anna Orlovskaya got inspired by this story and created the packaging design for CS’s light bulbs.
Behind this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday column stand science, physics, and entomology almanacs of the early XX century. And, of course, award-winning creative ideas. The solid foundation of the light bulbs’ packaging design comprises of the tale that boosted Edison’s imagination. Equipped with the best ideas, the designers created a series of boxes that follow the shapes and silhouettes of various insects.
Each box is adorned with a detailed drawing of an insect. Besides the illustrations, each packaging is cleverly cut out to show off the light bulbs. The shapes of the openings were carefully chosen so that they match the anatomy of certain bugs. Each box is attributed to an insect: for example, the long and thin bulb is represented by a dragonfly, whilst the energy saving bulb represents the abdomen of a bee.
The art director behind this project explained how she worked to bring these boxes to life: “Inventor Thomas Edison’s words that a firefly is an ideal cold light source prompted the idea of comparing the various forms of light bulbs with various insects. So, a client will see it not just as an ordinary luminaire, but as an independent form.”
This ingenious packaging borrows ideas from nature to brighten up your house and especially your mood. “We combined the idea of a modern ‘cold light bulb’ and the imagery of insects. Simple electrical circuit graphics, monotonous illustration, and clean backgrounds were all made to focus on the product. The diverse shapes of light bulbs fit perfectly into the silhouettes of insect’s bodies,” said Angelina.
The idea scooped a Silver Lion at the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the Design category. Last time a Belarussian project was awarded at the famous festival was back in 2005 when agency Kryn/Starcom received a Gold Lion in the Media category for the Russian beer producer’s advertising campaign. Let us know which light bulb is your favorite in the comments!
