Box Vox

packaging as content

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February 3, 2012

Capsule Packaging

Following the pharmaceutical thread, the earliest patent for a two-piece, telescoping capsule was granted in 1846 to Jules César Lehuby.

Hard two-piece capsules were first invented in 1846 when Parisian pharmacist J.C. Lehuby was granted French Patent 4435 for “Mes envelopes médicamenteuses”

Division of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki

I failed to turn up Lehuby’s patent, but above are patent drawing of various envisioned improvements and refinements by other inventors over the years.

I’m less interested here in ways of packaging capsules, than in the idea that the capsule, itself, is a package. A capsule’s main purpose is to shield us from the bad-tasting medicine it contains. Lehuby compared his invention to a “cylindrical box capable of containing the required medical substance in its interior.”

What is a capsule, if not a tiny, edible container? If you have any lingering doubt that it’s truly a “package” in the modern sense of the word, just consider the extent to which the capsule is branded. (e.g.: Nexium “the purple pill)

Capsule manufacturer, Capsugel even has a “Build You Own Capsule” app, enabling its customers to brand their capsules with Pantone color and logos.

What is that, I ask you, if not “package design?”

The capsule, in fact, is such an intriguing contraption that designers have sought to package other products in them, as well. Usually this is done by carefully implying “vitamins” rather than prescription drugs.

Vitamin Water capsule bottle concept by Cindy Ng & JJ Lee

There is, however, the occasional encapsulated product that will embrace the drug thing, as in the Sunshine Enema music package, in which the music is contained in a capsule-shaped USB drive. (Designed by Jeremy & Erin Fortes)

(More encapsulated products, after the fold…)

More cute “vitamin” packaging: on left, Vitamin Towels; on right, Vitamin Pens (and, for some reason Angry Bird capsule pens).

A lot of capsule-shaped items are promotional products that can be imprinted with a company logo. Above are pill box timers, a pill box key-chain and a capsule-shaped combination lock. (Note the fractal aspect of a capsule, designed to contain capsules.) Below is a capsule-shaped “Actifed” promotional Thermos…

But aside from innocuous vitamin references, and blatant product promotions, another source of capsule-related imagery is Damien Hirst who has exhibited an extensive variety of branded pills and capsules…

…and who recently designed the CD cover for a Red Hot Chili Peppers album entitled “I’m With You.”

And (for those who are drinking my brand of Kool-Aid) here’s a capsule I designed on the Capsulgel web site …

 

–Randy Ludacer

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