Coca-Cola is an iconic brand that has been around for generations. Since 1886, they strived to create joyous experiences and encourage the spread of positivity around the world.

Now with their drinks in over 200 countries, anyone can recognize Coca-Cola through its brand colors and values of celebration and happiness.

The Challenge

As a longtime partner with the University of Oklahoma (UO), Coca-Cola wanted to celebrate the university’s 125 seasons of football with something special. They came to us to create a bold custom rigid box that will serve as a giveaway for 35 lucky UO students. This package would contain a few delicate items, so a strong structured package would be the best choice.

However, the challenge wasn’t the box itself, but the deadline. PakFactory had less than a month to have this custom packaging designed, printed, cut, shipped, and ready for the celebration. Typically, a project like this would take around 6-8 weeks to complete, so we needed to plan accordingly.

The Solution

Once we were able to understand the product specifications and tight deadlines, we knew we needed to create a rigid box and custom foam inserts simultaneously. Luckily, PakFactory has a global network of manufacturers that can produce these packaging elements and negotiate our options for this specific deadline.

To create the custom packaging, we considered what we needed to store inside:

• AirPods
• Coca-Cola Bottle
• Cell Phone Pop Socket
• Information Card

Our team took measurements of the items Coca-Cola sent over and used this to get started. By having inserts, it’s best to work from the inside out to ensure that everything fits correctly. Based on the product measurements, our structural designers created die-cut silhouettes so that every item fits. Usually, when creating custom foam inserts we make sure to make the die-cuts slightly smaller for a tighter fit. Smaller die-cuts ensure that the products won’t move too much when people give them out. For this, we used white polyurethane (PU) foam inserts to add a luxurious appearance while maintaining the original purpose of keeping the items in place.

Finally, the interior also needed an exterior, a rigid box suited this project because of its sturdy structure and chic design. The box measures at 9″ x 9″ x 2.5″, is layered with a soft-touch coating for a velvety tactile experience, and has a magnetic closure is added to keep the box from opening.

The Result

After completing their packaging design and creating a bold, celebratory experience, Coca-Cola was impressed and pleased to hand them out to the UO students.