“Laser cutting [cardboard] is a finicky thing; it can take a couple tries to get it right.” — Pamela Rounis, Designer
The tactile, eye-catching posters Rethink Communications came up with for Frogbox set out to make people rethink their moving supplies ... and THAT sentence is the first and last predictable thing about them. That’s because they laser cut cardboard in such a way as to dramatize the material’s inherent weaknesses, creating minor works of art in the process.
For those unfamiliar with Frogbox, it “is a reliable alternative to traditional moving boxes,” explains one of the posters’ designers, Pamela Rounis. “They rent durable plastic moving boxes that can withstand the elements and protect fragile belongings better than cardboard.”
For the posters, Rethink began with a single sheet of two-ply cardboard, then proceeded to laser cut one of three phrases from the top layer, allowing the corrugated bottom layer to show through. The result is a stunning marquee effect, simultaneously reminding you of how easy it is for the material to be damaged, yet looking like a million bucks while doing so. In any other project, the cut out phrases above and below the main one would be highlights in and of themselves.
A green-and-white “Fragile” sticker affixed at a jaunty angle plays well with the eccentricity of the laser cuts. It reminds you of frogs, calls to mind memories of moving house, and also gives the whole piece just enough color to keep it from fading into the background. (The sticker reads: “Protect what’s FRAGILE with durable and reusable moving boxes from FROGBOX.”)
Considering the name of the company they’re promoting, we have to give Rethink Canada major props for eschewing predictably cutesy frog illustrations in favor of a look that’s as classic as it is evocative of the message it’s trying to deliver.
Thankfully, no frogs were harmed in the making of these posters; the same cannot be said of cardboard — and that’s a great thing!
Sabine Lenz is the founder of PaperSpecs.com, the first online paper database and community specifically designed for paper specifiers.
Growing up in Germany, Sabine started her design career in Frankfurt, before moving to Australia and then the United States. She has worked on design projects ranging from corporate identities to major road shows and product launches. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, her list of clients included Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Deutsche Bank, IBM and KPMG.
Seeing designers struggle worldwide to stay current with new papers and paper trends inspired Sabine to create PaperSpecs, an independent and comprehensive Web-based paper database and weekly e-newsletter. She is also a speaker on paper issues and the paper industry. Some refer to her lovingly as the "paper queen" who combines her passion for this wonderful substrate called paper with a hands-on approach to sharing her knowledge.