Core77 2014 Design Awards

Google Chromebook 11

1. The Nutshell: In plain language, tell us what your project is, what it does, and what it’s comprised of.

Uneka designed and manufactured an all pulp package. Our challenge was to protect and display the latest Chromebook with the simplicity and distinctiveness embodied by Google. And, most importantly, it all had to be eco-friendly.

2. The Brief: Summarize the problem you set out to solve. What was the context for the project, and what was the challenge posed to you?

The goal with Chromebook 11, was to provide Google with a packaging design that would represent and align with the Google brand, but also encompassed a cost effective, environmentally eco-friendly package.

3. The Intent: What point of view did you bring to the project, and were there additional criteria that you added to the brief?

On the outside; this split, rigid box seems simple, but with its clean lines and smooth rounded edges it represents innovation and elegance that match the Chromebook itself. On the inside; it’s a structurally complex design created with the most eco-friendly materials possible in the packaging world today. Think: no plastic or metal.

4. The Process: Describe the rigor that informed your project. (Research, ethnography, subject matter experts, materials exploration, technology, iteration, testing, etc., as applicable.) What stakeholder interests did you consider? (Audience, business, organization, labor, manufacturing, distribution, etc., as applicable)

To accomplish this, our engineers pioneered a structure made from layers of bamboo and sugar cane pulp. It’s paper that doesn’t act like paper. Our team worked with manufacturers to innovate processes and reduce costs; all on a compressed schedule. The Chromebook 11 package is a high-impact design with the added benefit of having a very low-impact on the environment.

5. The Value: How does your project earn its keep in the world? What is its value? What is its impact? (Social, educational, economic, paradigm-shifting, sustainable, environmental, cultural, gladdening, etc.)

The value of this package was creating an all pulp package that is 100% recyclable to the consumer. We are also able to take advantage of new pulp manufacturing techniques, which allow us to achieve the very minimal draft angle needed to create the package and helps create a clean over all look and feel.