Barnes and Noble stores have unveiled some new packaging this month. The new shopping bags, designed by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, feature the first pages of classic books combined with iconic character illustrations.
Barnes & Noble produces a hundred million shopping bags in various sizes every year. This new series was designed to reflect the love of books without looking too self-promotional.
above: previous shopping bag designs for Barnes & Noble include one of the very first by Tibor Kalman and a Leaf made of books by Leo Kundas
The Barnes & Noble logotype, colors and url take a back seat to the text from the first page of such classics as Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick, Hucklberry Finn and Wizard of Oz.
An illustration of an iconic character from the book interacts with the copy, creating a play of type as image. This idea of the first page as an entrance into a book’s world is a way of positioning Barnes & Noble as a leader in books.
“The bag serves as advertisement and reminder of the bookstore and thus is an essential part of the brand’s communications,” said design firm partner Sagi Haviv in a statement. “However, this new shopping bag series does more than promote the brand itself; it reflects the love of books and itself provides a book experience — you can even start reading them on the way home.”
Barnes & Noble will make 100 million bags to be distributed in its 700 stores across the U.S. starting this month.
information and images from Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv and Creativity