New Packaging For Barnes & Noble Highlights Content Over Brand

Packaging For Barnes & Noble

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.

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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.

Barnes & Noble shopping bags from the past IIHIH
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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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