Xiaomi’s Packaging Design Concept Revealed.
Xiaomi’s unique packaging design is driven by the designer’s vision and understanding of the market, thus, giving rise to a new idea that enhances the packaging of Xiaomi products and, at the same time, retaining the identity that inspires Xiaomi’s growth.
A debut launch of the Mi 1 smartphone in 2011 marked the beginning of Xiaomi’s success. Xiaomi chose to sell products on online platform channels which made it different from other smartphone makers that relied mainly on the offline vendors. This led to a major shift in Xiaomi’s value for high-quality shipping and stringent packaging requirements.
Mr. Chen Lu, Senior Director of Ecosystem Department and the man behind Xiaomi’s cutting-edge packaging design gave his accounts on the packaging design concept of Xiaomi as that “Xiaomi’s packaging design reflects the simplicity, actual practice and accessibility.” Mr. Chen also mentioned about the beginning of Xiaomi’s design journey ordeal that began in 2011 which, at such time, there were a lot of challenges coming in no matter what it was about the budget which was not much, the options on the suppliers which were limited and time which was too close. What had led Xiaomi to overcome those obstacles was the creative design.
Over in the past, smartphone packaging was just a simply basic gift box with printing on it; therefore, in order to make Xiaomi’s packaging distinctively stand out and stay within the budgetary line and differentiate from other brands, Xiaomi, in the same year, formulated three design principles for product packaging: Firstly, it had to be a technology-driven design. Secondly, it had to be delivered immediately upon an online purchase order was placed and Finally, it had to be a cost-effective solutions for the customers. For such reason, Xiaomi’s first phone was packaged in a unique case made of kraft paper unlike anything commonly seen on the markets.
Another change in the new packaging is the integration of the phone and accessory holder in one tray instead of two and the accessories are placed inside the phone holder to simplify the internal structure. The case itself has also been made thinner by reducing the height of the case to the same height as that of the charging dock. Moreover, a small handle is also added to the instruction manual pouch for a better uncasingexperience. A result is the attainment of the Mi 3’s package which is simpler and lighter than it usually was. At the same time, Xiaomi’s AIoT product, distinctively stands out for its simple design and minimalism style and that in order to show the distinctiveness of the product, most of the packaging of AIoT products are in white color.
Xiaomi’s packaging design concept is constantly evolving. We are constantly making improvements to respond to users’ needs and deliver a superior product experience, relentless customization of packaging details as well as paying attention on every detail of the production process. This practical implementation will ensure a great experience for our users all along with our gradually evolving design.
Mr. Chen made a clear stance on this matter that, “The push for environmentally conscious packaging practice is becoming increasingly common around the world. As a pioneer of a global technology brand like Xiaomi, we are committed to bringing sustainable solutions into our electronics packaging. Although our electronic product packaging nowadays has still required the plastic materials such as PET, PP, PS and EPS for internal backing, but for the pursuit of the environmentally friendly packaging, we have constantly been exploring the paper-based design solutions to replace the plastics.
Environmentally friendly packaging design, which is becoming increasingly popular around the world, also has its obstacles. At Xiaomi, we realize that the use of the sustainable packaging necessarily requires the new innovation continually in parallel with the promotion of materials that are environmentally friendly. In this connection, our design approach has therefore focused on the environment, particularly, the reduction on the use of plastics. Our goal is to use paper or pulp trays while also reducing costs by optimizing the packaging design.
