The very best, most lovingly designed products will strike a balance between form and function. Not only are they going to be aesthetic and intuitive to use, but they’ll also do what they’re meant to do well and leave you feeling like one satisfied customer.
Some designers go above and beyond the call of duty, finding out-of-the-box and intriguing ways to improve the consumer experience even more. Today, our team at Bored Panda is featuring some of the most creative product ideas that have genuinely surprised people in the best ways possible. Scroll down for a big dose of design inspiration and a reminder that no matter how much the world changes, imagination will never go out of style.
#1 Cat Tree Came In A Box With Instructions To Make A Cat House
Image credits: clyft
#2 This Supermarket Has Magnifying Lenses On Their Carts To Help People Read Product's Lables
Image credits: reddit.com
#3 My Tire Has A Ingraining That Shows Up Only When It's Time To Replace It
Image credits: kosanovskiy
As per legendary German industrial designer Dieter Rams, good designs are innovative, aesthetic, unobtrusive, honest, environmentally friendly, long-lasting, thorough to the last detail, and useful, as well as understandable. And they should involve as little design as possible.
Finding the right balance between how a product looks (its form) and what it does (its function) is harder than it sounds. If you steer too much in either direction, you risk pushing your potential customer base away. You also need to consider how you market it. The reality is that no matter how gorgeous and efficient a product is, it also has to sell well to be considered successful. The most ‘perfect’ product is useless if it’s sitting in a warehouse, completely ignored.
#4 These Moving Boxes I Ordered In England That Also Contain 1 Teabag To Help You With The Move
Image credits: ahotep
#5 The Cream I Ordered With My Coffee At A Swiss Cafe Was Served Inside Of A Chocolate Treat
Image credits: TexasJoey
#6 Toothbrush With Replaceable Bristles So You Don’t Have To Keep Buying A New Handle
Image credits: simple_gay
If your product is beautiful to look at, you’re going to get a lot of attention. However, if it’s over-designed or overly complicated aesthetically, you might end up confusing your target audience. A product that looks more like an art piece than anything else can be difficult to use and hard to grasp in terms of function, from the very first glance
An over-the-top focus on form over function also alludes to a disconnect between the designer’s vision and the consumer. The former is important, of course! But you can’t alienate the people you hope to sell to. Unless you’re catering exclusively to the luxury market and high-end clients, you can’t rely on an approach that makes showpiece-worthy yet confusing things.
#7 This Hairbrush I Bought Came With A Tool To Remove Hair From The Brush
Image credits: arthurdentxxxxii
#8 Diploma Came With A Wallet Sized Version
Image credits: BearLifts93
#9 My Newspaper Came With 2 Printed Pattern Pages To Wrap Presents
Image credits: PlanetGG
On the other side of the scale are perfectly functional products that do what they’re meant to do, but have little to no aesthetic appeal in their designs. To put it simply, human beings enjoy looking at beautiful things.
So, if your product lacks charisma and presence, it’ll end up being ignored in favor of something more stylish or ‘loud.’
#10 My Puzzle Came With A Stand For The Box
Image credits: Zachdude064
#11 The Barbie Tent I Bought For My Daughter Has A Mini Tent For Her Barbies
Image credits: Singer1052
#12 This Microwave Has A Built In Toaster
Image credits: G-r-ant
Like it or not, if you want to sell well and keep your business afloat, you have to find a way to make your product visually appealing.
People often identify with the things they buy, seeing them as extensions of their personality, lifestyle, and values. Ignoring form entirely and ending up with a bland-looking product is going to hurt your company’s profits and your reputation as a designer.
#13 My New Umbrella Has A Vented Top To Let The Wind Pass Through Instead Of Turning Inside-Out
Image credits: Raniz
#14 My Shoes Came With A “Handle” Rather Than Being Packed In A One Time Use Bag
Image credits: notloh
#15 A Suitcase That Can Measure Its Own Weight
Image credits: Speedy5ingh
Some designers think that if their invention works well, everyone should rush to buy it, regardless of how it looks. They don’t want to ‘pander’ to people’s tastes. And there’s a kernel of truth in that.
That being said, it’s not so much pandering as keeping a finger on society’s pulse and having a deeper understanding of how human and consumer psychology both work. If you’re in design, sales, and marketing, you can’t ignore what fundamentally drives people, from the desire to save time (efficiency) and money (being economical) to appreciating stylish things (love of beauty).
#16 The Napkin On My Flight Has A Buttonhole
Image credits: Milliways07
#17 This Titanium Coated Butter Knife With Internal Copper Alloy Heat Tubes. It’s Made To Heat Up When Held In Your Hand, So That It Is Easier To Spread Butter
Image credits: RampChurch
#18 I Bought This $5 Cane From The Thrift Store And When I Got Home I Realized It Had A Secret
Image credits: Rinehart128
Designers and companies that manage to create an authentic relationship with their customers win out over the long run. Where there’s good communication, quality products, customer support, and mutual values and respect, you’ll also find profitability. Case in point, Investopedia draws attention to the Harvard Business School’s findings about how brand loyalty and profitability strongly correlate, where increasing customer retention rates by 5% leads to increased profits ranging anywhere from 25% to 95%.
#19 My Spoon Carving Kit Came With Bandaids
Image credits: theacropanda
#20 These Picnic Benches Are Mounted On Old Streetcar Tracks So They Can Roll Together Or Apart
Image credits: Austin_Destroyer
#21 Doll Came With A Tiny Phone That Has A Tiny Broken Screen
Image credits: cooliojames
Microsoft’s findings mirror a similar sentiment. The company reported that just a 7% increase in brand loyalty improved the customer lifetime value of each client by 85%—in other words, leading to higher long-term profitability and growth. On the other hand, Investopedia explains that 83% of customers would switch brands due to bad customer service, while 74% said they stay loyal to brands due to product quality.
#22 My Honey Came With A Tiny Handmade Beekeepers Hat
Image credits: GillyGooze
#23 This Teabag Contains Tiny Llama Shaped Sugar
Image credits: simo_nahh
#24 My Dishwasher Has A Spot Specifically For Chopsticks
Image credits: vce5150
Meanwhile, around a quarter of millennials and Generation Z are willing to spend more on a brand’s products if that company takes a strong stance on corporate social responsibility issues, such as environmental impacts, ethical and financial responsibilities, and philanthropic endeavors.
#25 Found On The Inside Of A Dog Toy
Image credits: dralter
#26 My Pizza Box Gave Suggestions For Alternate Uses
Image credits: 6r1n3i19
#27 The Gum I Bought In Hong Kong Comes With Paper To Wrap Your Gum In After You're Done Chewing It
Image credits: nt261999
The best way to gain and keep trust is to follow through on your promises, Forbes writes. Furthermore, you want to be able to be empathetic and understand your customers' opinions, experiences, and concerns. The caveat is that you can’t fake this. All of this has to be authentic if you want to build genuine, long-lasting trust.
#28 Townhouse In Dc Has A Cute Little Model Townhouse In Its Front Yard (And The Model Has Its Own Model!)
Image credits: tomveiltomveil
#29 This New Stick Of Oldspice I Just Opened Has A Little Ship In The Deodorant Part
Image credits: Flimsy_Inevitable_15
#30 A Camera-Less iPhone Issued To My Buddy That Works At A Nuclear Plant. No Cameras Allowed
Image credits: dopeyout
Which of the products featured in this list impressed you the most with their creativity? Which designs do you wish that you had come up with first? What are the most imaginative, out-of-the-box design ideas that you’ve seen firsthand?
We’re always interested in hearing your thoughts, so if you have a moment, share them in the comment section at the very bottom of this post.
#31 My Gas Bill Came With A Scratch 'N Sniff
Image credits: LadyJane17
#32 This Toothpaste Has Its Own “Key” To Help Roll The Tube
Image credits: drizzkek
#33 This Record Is A Piece Of Chocolate That Will Actually Play Once. The Foil Wrapping Unravels As It Is Played, Revealing The Chocolate Inside
Image credits: circuitbreaker
#34 Plug Has A Diagram Showing The Layout Of Its Wires Inside And Shows Which Is The Ground
Image credits: IWindsOfMidgets
#35 The Candle Is Actually Butter To Dip The Bread In
Image credits: priceactionhero
#36 The Zip On My New Lunch Bag Is A Tiny Spoon
Image credits: Kelly960
#37 This Bag Of Beef Jerky Came With A Flosser
Image credits: airnlight_timenspace
#38 The Spatula That Came With The Cake From A Korean Bakery Has Matches Inside And A Spot On The Back Of The Spatula To Light Them
Image credits: LollyLabbit
#39 I Bought A Pack Of Cigarettes And They Came With A Postage Paid Recycling Pouch
Image credits: p4d4
#40 My New Cat Tower Came With Instructions To Turn The Shipping Box Into A Play House
Image credits: jaeisgray
#41 My Beer Glass Is An Upside Down Beer Bottle
Image credits: blowthepoke
#42 My LEGO Pyramid Set Came With An Extra Unlisted Piece, An Alien Ray Gun
Image credits: anawnymoos
#43 This Cup Reveals The Picture Of A Woman When It‘S Held Into Light
Image credits: TheAlexer
#44 My New Toothbrush Came With This Refillable Floss Pick! Really Cool Idea
Image credits: reginageorges_mom
#45 The Tin Cap To This Whiskey Bottle Is Its Own Shot Glass
Image credits: sghetty
#46 My Pizza Came With Recommended Reheating Instructions On The Inside Of The Box
Image credits: StabbyToki
#47 The Box My Underwear Came In Can Be Turned Into A Birdhouse
Image credits: SilkyChineseFood
#48 My Exhaust Tips Came With A Lollipop With Its Own Dedicated Slot In The Packaging
Image credits: reddit.com
#49 My Dog’s Ramen Cup Toy Had A Flavor Packet Toy Inside It
Image credits: Kurbopop
#50 Our New Grill Came With Instructions On How To Turn The Box Into A Playhouse
Image credits: maxifer
