Plate 03

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Viewing room — stories, objects and the people behind them.

Why milk cartons are gabled

The shape you have opened a thousand times was patented in 1915 and still beats the alternatives.

Why milk cartons are gabled
PackagingWhy milk cartons are gabled

The form John Van Wormer's paper bottle folds from a single blank, ships flat, stands up under load and opens without a tool. The gable is the structure, not a style.

Why it matters It is the honest case of form following manufacture. Every graphic decision on the pack — panel sizes, where the type can go — is decided by that fold before a designer touches it.

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