History of Cereal Box Designs
The history of cereal dates back to 1863, being America's most popular breakfast food today. However, cereal has come a long way in design to catch a buyer's eye to help make the sale. From the simple cereal box designs in the early 1900's to the cereal characters that attract children today, cereal has been a part of America's pop culture at the table.
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History
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C.W. Post and W. K. Kellogg were one of the first two men who created cereal companies. Cereal was a concept that would make breakfast more accessible, without much preparation. C.W. Post created Grape Nuts in the 1800's, a familiar cereal still on the shelves as of May 2010. W.K. Kellogg had much of the same luck with his first cereal, creating Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes in the early 1900's. General Mills was developed shortly after, and cereal became part of Americans' unique diets, along with the design and history of the cereal box.
Features
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The cereal box design is a sturdy, cardboard container box that is 40 centimeters by 30 centimeters by 5 centimeters. It has advertising on the 40 by 30 centimeter space. There are 12 to 16 ounces of cereal in each box. Cereal boxes have a large advertising space on the front of the box that faces the consumer when on the shelf. Cereal boxes are unique in this advertising space, as other similarly shaped products, such as books, are faced inward when shelved, the spine of the book facing consumers.
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Time Frame
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In 1863, Granula was developed as the first cereal by James Caleb Jackson. By the 1970s, cereal was popular but came under fire because of the depleted nutritional value. As of May 2010, cereal has been fortified with nutrients. It is the most consumed form of grain other than bread. It has also seen a steady increase in per capita in America since it first hit the shelves.
Misconceptions
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Because of the accusations that cereal contained little nutritional value in the 1970's, most cereal companies have concentrated on campaigns that advertise better nutritional value. General Mills has started a campaign to switch to whole grains and display "Nutrition Highlights" on the front of cereal boxes. This is very different from the children-targeted cereal box characters, such as "Tony the Tiger," that were on boxes that usually had more than 12 grams of sugar in one serving. Since America is moving towards a more health-conscious diet, the nutrition highlights are the new addition to today's box design.
Significance
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Cereal box designs are significant because of their popular culture packaging and advertising messages. They are usually a look into the past---how characters have changed in composition, how slogans have changed and how trademarks have survived thorough the years of advertising.
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References
- Photo Credit Breakfast Cereal image by Chris Henderson from Fotolia.com
