Shedding Light on "Cardboard"

AndBros is a Helsinki, Finland-based design company of four creative professionals. In just a short time since its founding in 2011, the company has become well known for its playful design, especially the award-winning "Cardboard Light Collection" of cool lamp shades. 

For AndBros, ecological design is an integral part of what they do. Creatively, they also want to use various materials and discover their possibilities. "In our lighting range, it is the design that first grabs people’s attention. Only then do they notice that – wow! – they’re actually made of cardboard (corrugated board)," said Antti-Jussi Silvennoinen from AndBros. 

Stora Enso, Finland, provides the corrugated sheets used in making the Cardboard Light lamp shades. The board has a high quality and stamina and therefore it is ideal for lamp shades. For the finished product, the material is laser cut, and two other layers, the colored cardboard and transparent matt veneer, are added. 

 Ease of storing and shipping are also some of Cardboard Light Collection’s features that make it more than just a sum of its parts. Here, the packaging comes strongly into play. 

 

 

"In the beginning of June 2016, we arranged a workshop with AndBros at our Stora Enso DesignStudio in Lahti to find out what they wanted the packaging to be like, and what kind of vision our designer Miia Vettenranta could create based on that," said Sales Manager Tuomas Tenkanen from Stora Enso. "We had excellent cooperation with AndBros in this design process, and as a result, we were able to offer an innovative package design and structure for the inner part of the package." 

The old package had two different inner parts, one of which was glued. The new package has only one part, including an integrated inner part, which supports the product through the logistics chain and ensures excellent product protection. On top of that, the package has a distinctive, short cover panel and one-color printed graphical design.

The package is produced from corrugated cardboard with "e-wave," which gives the consumer a feel of ecological premium. Opening the package is a pleasant experience.

  

"The packaging is a big part of the product – minimizing the size and bundling the parts, and should reflect what the product stands for," Antti-Jussi commented. "The product is in the package when purchased, and its light weight and small size makes it easy to take home. We are very happy with Stora Enso’s quality and cooperation, and our next packaging with them is on its way."