The Top 5 COVID Packaging Designs

By the Design Team, STORMBRANDS - 3-minute read

As the world struggles to come to terms with the health and economic disaster of COVID-19, brands are searching for ways to be useful. We have seen production lines re-engineered to produce hand sanitiser and protective equipment. We have seen companies offer free support of all kinds to those on the frontline of this fight against the virus.

These contributions have been widely recognised, but one area that has received less attention has been the changes to packaging design in recent weeks. Brands have been finding inventive ways to use their product packaging to show their support for health workers, to encourage adherence to hygiene and distancing requirements, avoid shops, and even raise a smile. They’ve been truly highlighting the importance of packaging design.

As a branding agency that also specialises in product packaging design, we keep a close eye on all the latest developments in this field. Here are five of the best examples we’ve seen of COVID packaging design.

New face of an old beer

Camden Heroes Lager

Back in April Camden Town Brewery rebranded its best-seller Camden Hells lager to Camden Heroes. It kept it simple, changing its signature red to NHS blue, its wordmark “Hells” to “Heroes” and stamping it with a clear “Thank you lager”.

It was distinctive, straightforward, product packaging, and hit exactly the right tone. And as you’d expect, all revenue is donated to charities supporting healthcare workers, all NHS workers have been able to claim a free six-pack, and the brewery has donated 20,000 cans directly to frontline staff at hospitals, ambulance stations and clinics in London.

Good work, Camden.

The less clinical give-back gel

Clean & Happy Hand Sanitiser Gel

The packaging design of hand sanitiser is typically sterile and uninspiring. That makes sense in normal times but in 2020 hand sanitiser has played a far greater role in our lives than anyone imagined possible. So we’ve been grateful for brands like Clean & Happy that have invested in packaging design, giving it warmth, elevating it, and making it something we’re happy to turn to again and again and again and again…

Intruiging and nostalgic candle scents

Scents of Normality

Two things we’ve all missed during this pandemic have been laughter and normality. Scents of Normality from Earl of East gave us both. It’s an exclusive candle collection that smells like the places we miss the most during lockdown: the cinema, the festival and the local.

While the visuals are clean and contemporary, it’s the on-pack copy that really makes this packaging design fizz. Take this from The Local: “Top notes of spilt beer, hair pomade and chip fat jostle amongst a pungent base of varnished teak and sticky carpet. A waft of testosterone gives way to the ersatz-lemon of a urinal block, as the salted breath of pork scratchings is soused in cheap rosé and freckled with cigarette ash. A potent fragrance that lingers, like the melancholy ramblings of an old inebriate.”

Brilliant. It makes me miss it even more. And with every candle sold supporting Hospitality Action’s inwork in helping people in the hospitality industry through the hardships of lockdown and beyond it adds to the chance that in the months ahead there may even be some locals left open for us to visit.

Morrison's brilliantly simple Food Boxes

Morrisons Food Boxes

With people avoiding shops, home deliveries have become more important, and Morrisons has done a great job with its food boxes. It’s offered a wide range of boxes from essential to BBQs and market kitchen takeaways, and all have featured the same, unfussy, pared-back packaging design.

Charitable brews

All Together
Times have been equally tough for hospitality workers Stateside, and New York craft brewer Other Half has started a worldwide beer collaboration called “All Together,” Not only are these beautiful packaging designs, but proceeds go to the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation.

Sign up to our mailing list in the footer to receive more insights straight into your inbox, or follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn.