15 Creative Food Packaging Design Ideas That Are Genius

How you package your product influences everything from customer retention to brand recognition. If you need some inspiration, browse these creative food packaging design ideas. While some of these are only concepts, others are real-world examples. 

1. Clara y Ema Eggs

Egg cartons haven’t changed in years. While they are functional, brands don’t stand out. The design agency Creamos recognized this and conceptualized Clara y Ema Eggs. The convenient handle mimics a rooster’s comb. The outermost cardboard resembles a cracked egg, as does the small graphic of the chicken.

2. Milgrad Milk

Milk cartons are typically very similar. The Depot Branding Agency wanted to make Milgrad Milk stand out, so they incorporated feline elements into the brand’s logo, barcode and packaging. Aligning the cartons in a certain way creates a complete image of a cat, ensuring it looks appealing even on unkempt store shelves. 

The recognizable blue cat design extends throughout the dairy line, appearing on yogurt containers and cheese. Its bright hue contrasts starkly against the white, making it stand out.

3. Seedlip Mushroom Gift Set

Seedlip’s food packaging design is not creative simply because it’s artistic. Instead of cardboard, the box is made from a Mycelium material that naturally breaks down in soil after 40 days. The highball glass it comes with is made from up to 100% recycled glass. Moreover, the paper neck tag is thyme-seeded, so it will grow garnishes for future cocktails.

This sustainability-centered gift set will reach consumers. One report found that around 73% would change their shopping habits to protect the environment. They are more likely to purchase home-compostable packaging and reusable glass over a single-use alternative.

4. Tyto Alba Red Blend

Rita Rivotti, an award-winning design agency, conceptualized a wooden box for the Tyto Alba Portuguese red blend — a wine brand named after the barn owl. It is simple yet effective. A small stick juts from the front like a perch. The owl’s eyes stare through a small, round hole in the center. On display, it looks like a nest box. 

This simple, strategic food packaging design proves graphic designers do not need to overengineer their projects to impress clients. Rita Rivotti’s creativity elevated this product, turning it from another red wine into a statement piece.

5. Pantone Swatch Beer

Txaber, a graphic designer, took inspiration from Pantone’s iconic swatches to create a conceptual food packaging design. Each can get its color from the beer inside. They are named after real Pantone swatches.

6. Octopus Tea Bag

Ocean Teabag has a wide range of shaped teabags, offering everything from rabbits to otters. Its undersea line is particularly striking because the pouch seems to come alive while steeping. The octopus tentacles curl around the sides of the glass while black tea seeps from it like ink. It creates a memorable experience for the user, incentivizing retention.

7. Happy Eggs

Happy Eggs is a food packaging design concept from Maja Szczypek. It uses hay — what checks nest in — instead of cardboard, leveraging a heat-pressing process to mold and hold the material. Szczypek took inspiration from the traditional breeding of grass-eating animals, targeting environmentally conscious consumers.

8. Blood of Grapes

Blood of Grapes is a design concept created by Constantin Bolimond for wine packaging. Bolimond took inspiration from the winemaking process, shaping the bottle like an anatomically correct heart. One of the arteries is the spout, as the cork stopper signals.

9. The Grocer

The Grocer is another design by The Brand Company. Interestingly, the lack of color is what makes this food packaging design stand out. Sauce jars are made of clear glass, salad boxes have clear plastic windows and pasta packaging is entirely transparent. No large labels obscure the product.

Translucent or transparent packaging is ideal for brands focused on selling all-natural, local products. It establishes trust with consumers and allows the high-quality ingredients to speak for themselves. Minimalism is strategic since 63% of people prefer businesses with minimalist design elements.

10. Crochet Wine

Rita Rivotti knows how to design for red wine brands. Crochet by winemakers Susana Estéban and Sandra Tavares was inspired by two ladies coming together to crochet, a traditional Portuguese pastime. The box’s complex stitch pattern complements the raised texture on the bottle’s label.

11. Marais Perle Piano Cake

Usually, gift sets are flashy on the outside and rather unassuming on the inside — the recipient undoes the bow or removes the tissue paper to reveal items laid out in a plain, orderly fashion. The Marais Perle piano box is different. While the outside is unassuming, the inside resembles a piano with ivory keys. Each one is a slice of cake.

12. Pizza Hut Blockbuster Box

Pizza Hut Hong Kong released the Blockbuster Box for a limited time in 2015. The consumer would use a lens on top of the pizza saver to turn the box into a projector, enabling them to have a fun night in with little effort. Also, the cardboard was covered in unique red and black artwork. There were four designs, effectively making the box a collector’s item. 

The genius here is that Pizza Hut found a way to turn a container into an experience, similar to how Seedlip’s mycelium box allowed customers to grow cocktail garnishes in their backyards.

13. Moko Artisanal Chocolate

Moko is a high-end company that sells sweets handcrafted in Cairo, Egypt. The Brand Company, a promotional marketing firm, used those roots to create a luxurious, inspired box of chocolates. The bright orange immediately draws attention because it does not typically occur naturally. Each of the chocolates is pyramid-shaped and comes with custom flavor cards.

14. Molocow Milk

The Molocow milk concept takes creative food packaging design to another level. Inspired by the age-old superstition that aliens abduct cows, a group of designers shaped the bottle like a tractor beam. The cap resembles a UFO. Given its uniqueness, it would be instantly recognizable on store shelves. People may even buy it as a novelty.

15. Beijing Buffet Fortune Cookies

These zodiac-inspired cardboard holders are much different than the typical plastic bags fortune cookies come in. They are colorful and unique, which could make a business more memorable. This genius idea incentivizes people to return so they can build their collections.

Take Inspiration From These Food Packaging Designs

Sometimes, going against the grain pays off. A unique food packaging design can help you stand out from competitors and establish a brand identity, improving brand recognition and customer retention. Consider taking elements from these creative ideas.