I was tasked by Play Inc. with finding a way to reduce packaging costs for the Snappy Video Snapshot.

Two problems with their existing packaging : the corrugate insert that held the CD, manual and Snappy was time-consuming to assemble, requiring extra labor on the assembly line, and retailers kept the product in lockup so shoplifters wouldn't attempt to tear open the package and pull out the product through the "peephole" in the front of the box.

The client insisted that any redesign must include a way to reveal the physical product.

I designed the prototype insert in foam core (shown at left). A CAD drawing was made from those dimensions to create a two-piece plastic clamshell. Savings were dramatic and immediate (despite tooling costs for the clamshell). Plus more of the product could be shown through a die cut in the outer carton while actually making it more secure.

So what's up with the yellow thing with the louvers and chrome 3D letters? Just a "made you look!" to get customers to pick up the box and turn it over. Which they did in huge numbers. In the mid-nineties, Play Inc. had 90% of the digital video still capture market, before digital cameras made Snappy obsolete.