Did packaging design exist in prehistory? Well, not exactly. Nevertheless, there was a need to preserve food, and in response, the human brain was already set in motion, leading, after centuries of evolution, to the sector we know so well today. To summarise: for as long as we have existed, we have felt the need to take food, a precious resource that should not be wasted (something that is equally valid today), around with us.
By practical necessity and limited by technology, our ancestors trusted the solutions offered to them by nature. Pumpkins, shells, and logs were used for cooking root soups and later animal skins to craft wineskins to carry liquids while hunting or grazing. Animal bones, which contain the precious marrow, were a de facto natural forefather of our cans.
We already know of the existence of baby bottles: they were practically strangely-shaped vessels, often made from animal materials, found in the archaeological site of Vosendorf, Austria.
As early as 2,000 BC, people used wells filled with ice to increase meat’s preservation period. Speaking of milk, it is probable that cheese was born in a water skin left in the sun, which led the rennet to ferment naturally.
And then there were the Greeks, who had already practically created “labels” as we know them today, albeit of a very different form. In fact, the shapes and colours of oil amphorae indicated the producer, the area of provenance and constituted a de facto mark of origin.
A journey back in time that fascinates us. The world of packaging continues to evolve. What will tomorrow look like?