The box is the first touchpoint, the first impression, the first communication with your customer, especially for e-commerce brands. As such, your cardboard packaging design should be an extension of what your brand stands for. It should tell a story, communicating with your customers and making an emotional connection that translates into loyalty.

To demonstrate the power of branded cardboard packaging, let’s look at some not-your-father’s-box cardboard packaging ideas and examples that run the gamut from fun to functional, and everything in between.

Cory Henry hails from the vibrant borough of Brooklyn, NY, and was surrounded by music since he was a toddler. The venue? Church. Henry honed his  musical virtuosity alongside his mother and grandmother, and he never forgets to give credit where credit is due. “I’ve been playing in church since I was two years old. That Grammy win felt like making my mama proud.”

Regarding “That Grammy win.”

Just this year, Henry took home the Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album in a deeply personal project titled, Church. And he didn’t just dedicate it to his family. He invited them to contribute to it, including his grandmother, Janice MacDonald. But this isn’t his only golden gramophone trophy. Henry also won a Grammy for his collaboration with Rosalía in 2023, as well as a Grammy for his contribution to Kanye West’s 2021 album, Donda.

Springsteen, Stevie and Little Richard?

When you’re a vocalist and keyboardist like Henry, you’re going to get noticed. But you have to be a true virtuoso to play with the likes of legends. Henry has done just that, collaborating with Bruce Springsteen, Jon Batiste, Imagine Dragons and many more. He’s toured with Stevie Wonder and even appeared in the Little Richard film, I Am Everything. All of which is making Henry a legend in his own right.

Behold The Church Experience on Cardboard Sessions.

In the latest Cardboard Sessions, be prepared to witness something extraordinary. With Henry on our cardboard Wurlitzer, Nick Clark on our cardboard Fender bass and TaRon Lockett on our cardboard Master of Maple drums, it was as though this trio had been playing our paper creations their whole lives. Their transcendent set of three original gospel hymns and grooves were crafted right in the studio. We invite you to experience this trinity of tracks and let them move your soul.

Check him out on e+.  

Sam Babayan has been on the music scene for years, but the awe and wonder in his lyrics is closer to how a child might see the world. When you hear his words come to life, it transports you to a place that we all somehow remember. And although the ethereal feeling is young, Sam’s native Armenian roots and rich melodies prove he’s an old soul. The combined effect is a sound that feels effortless, transcendent and truly uplifting.

Ladies and gentlemen…The Dirty Diamond!

With Sam’s brother Orbel Babayan on guitar, Fernando Perdomo on bass and Ben Lecourt on drums, The Dirty Diamond shines in the Sessions studio. And this Cali-based crew are no strangers to that shine. They’ve sold-out shows at the Troubadour, The Viper Room and The House of Blues. They’ve scored  music for the big screen. And they’ve been moving people all across the globe with their clean, honest sound. As a testament to their cool vibes and professionalism, they were kind enough to play new two new tracks with two wildly unfamiliar new instruments.

“I knew it felt funny, but it plays amazing.”

Like the many Cardboard Sessions bands who came before them, The Dirty Diamond plugged in, turned it up and proved once again that paper rocks. With “Sea of Stars” and “The Thing That’s True,” the band took our Fender Telecaster, Fender bass and Masters of Maple drum kit to a whole different plane. In a mix of blues, a little bit of psych rock and the poetry of Sam, this first-ever performance of their two new singles a tapestry of sound. And with Sam on a 10-string acoustic guitar, the blend was something gentle and magical.

Their aura continues.

The essence of their music is something we don’t always see today, filled with positivity, gentleness and just plain honesty. We hope you enjoy these two never-before-heard tracks and encourage you to explore more of The Dirty Diamond discography: “To the Stars,” “From the Stars,” “Our Divine & Sovereign Mother,” and their first, eponymous album, “The Dirty Diamond.”

Check it out on e+

Funny story. When you’re the son of nonconformist rock-pop-jazz god like, say, Frank Zappa, you’re gonna stand out. And when Papa Zappa gives you the nickname “Dweezil,” coined after a funny looking pinky toenail from mom Gail, it not only sticks. You call the lawyer and make it Ian’s official name, which they did when Dweezil turned five and he insisted that’s what he should be called.

Raised in LA, radically.

There’s a lot of creativity to go around, growing up in a household with a Hall of Fame musician. Dweezil was bitten by the music bug at a young age, as was his sister, Moon Unit Zappa. He received his first guitar, a Fender Musicmaster, when he was just six years old. At age 12, Dweezil released his first single, “My Mother is a Space Cadet.” It was co-written by his sister Moon and Steve Vai, and produced by none other than Eddie Van Halen. Oh, and this is worth noting: Steve and Eddie also taught young Dweezil to play the guitar. So basically, he attended the Harvard of guitar school.

What in the world is a VJ?

The MTV era had arrived and Dweezil continued his rise to fame around the world. He was officially a “Video Jockey,” aka VJ, for the burgeoning, 80s-defining Music Television network. In fact, his sister Moon would make regular guest VJ appearances, as well. He also lent his guitar talents to the Fat Boys song “Wipe Out,” had a part in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Running Man and had a pretty famous cameo in the seminal coming-of-age film Pretty in Pink by John Hughes.

Cartoons, comedy and…wrestling?

 If you think the 90s was all grunge and ennui, think again. Dweezil kept things odd and awesome, performing a cover of the Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” with Ozzy Osbourne singing the vocals. The lawyers eventually made Dweezil pull it from his album Confessions, but Ozzy put it on his own box set Prince of Darkness (this IS worth a quick search on YouTube, folks). Dweezil wrote the theme music for The Ben Stiller Show, plus he voiced the character Ajax Duckman for the animated series Duckman. And along with his brother Ahmed, he created a show called Happy Hour and promoted it on the World Wrestling Federation Rage Party, the night before WrestleMania XV.

Odd instruments. Strange sounds. Eclectic career.

Throughout his journey, Dweezil has not only won a Grammy. He’s won legions of fans who admire how he embraces the wonderfully weird—with ripping guitar sounds, intricate licks, and wildly creative compositions. His performances continue to inspire, blending innovative, often improvisational arrangements with jaw-dropping technique. So who better to get into his own Hikari Studios to jam on our cardboard instruments, including the new cardboard Fender Telecaster? We invite you to experience Zappa Plays Zappa and their new single, “Man Your Stations,” composed by Dweezil himself. Enjoy!

Ten years ago, we did the impossible: we built a Fender Stratocaster guitar out of paper. Cardboard, to be exact. Since then, we’ve done the same with a Fender bass, Masters of Maple drums and a Wurlitzer piano. And now we’re back to round out the band with a cardboard version of the iconic Fender Telecaster guitar.

Iconic for a reason.

The Telecaster is a legendary instrument revered by musical legends. Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Strummer and Prince are just a few of the icons known to be fans of the Tele’s vibe and versatility—it’s just as capable of producing a country twang as a blistering rock solo. It’s even been lovingly destroyed by Pete Townshend. And now the Telecaster is ready to take the stage with the rest of our cardboard creations, thanks to the mad geniuses at Signal Snowboards, Fender and Ernest.

Ready to shred.

Crafted by Paul Weller, Master Builder at Fender, the cardboard Tele is a crazy feat of engineering that plays like a dream. Just ask Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank and a rock legend in his own right. He was first in line to play the Tele and was briefly mesmerized by the see-through wave pattern on the body. But then he plugged it in and started to shred. His first reaction? “The fact that it’s made out of cardboard makes zero difference to its rock playability.”

Thanks for the feedback, Dweezil!

The die-hard Ernest and Signal Snowboard fans are no strangers to our impossible cardboard creations (Should we link out to Cardboard Chaos on Ernest+?). Over the past decade or so, we’ve created the most amazing things out of nothing but paper, poly and pure imagination. We can’t list them all, but a few Cardboard Chaos highlights include the skateboard ridden by none other than Tony Hawk, the Fender Stratocaster guitar, an entire drum kit in collaboration with Masters of Maple and even a Wurlitzer keyboard. But a cardboard shoe? No way, right? Wrong. And it all started with a phone call to another creative SoCal mind: Steve Van Doren, the unofficial Ambassador of Fun at Vans®.

 From Commerce, CA to Hanoi, Vietnam

With a blessing from Steve, son of Vans founder Paul Van Doren, everything was ready to kick the project into motion. Which meant starting with the raw materials (and ingenuity) at the Innovation Lab at Ernest. Turns out, this eminently recyclable cardboard material is no slouch when it comes to both stretch and toughness. And because the entire idea was Off the Wall from the onset, the upper pattern came down to the only logical checkerboard choice. So with this roll of paper masquerading as canvas in tow, it was time for Steve, Dave Lee from Signal and some VERY special guests to head off to LAX. Their destination? None other than the Vans factory, three hours outside of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Will they survive THE VULCANIZER?

A special project. A special locale. And oh yeah, those special guests we mentioned before. For this trip to the other side of the world, skate legends Christian Hosoi and Tony Alva came along for the ride. The entire crew was greeted like royalty and Vans arranged a banquet so everyone could join in the fun of celebrating a never-before-seen shoe and a never-to-be-replicated event. But after the festivities, there was work to be done. Cutting out the fabric. Gluing the sole. Applying the Off the Wall logo. And then? The true test. The vulcanizer. The paper Vans were subjected to 275° heat and 20 pounds of pressure per square inch to properly cure the rubber. And yes, they not only survived. They were eminently skateable.

The U.S. shred test.

We forget to mention Omar Hassan, the 25-plus year Vans rider who was first up to shred his pool in the paper sneaks when he got back stateside. He (and the cardboard Vans) did not disappoint. Nor did the legendary Christion who treated viewers signature big air in the Vans pool in Anaheim. Then the OG himself, Tony Alva, gave his stamp of approval after a session at his local skate spot by stating simply, “They work. I call that working.” To go from concept (a paper shoe?) to question (will that work?) to construction (will that burst into flames?) to completion (that’s an actual Vans shoe) was a most amazing journey. There was something so skaterly—so punk rock—about throwing all the rules out the window and putting all our your faith in the creative, collaborative process to succeed.

Welcome to the Cardboard Chaos family.

One of the greatest rewards from the Cardboard Chaos series is when people come together to tackle a seemingly impossible challenge and share it with their family and friends. As the grandest of finales, Tim Wilson was able to present his dad, Charles, with his own pair of cardboard Vans and explain a bit about the company, which is in many ways similar to Ernest. It opened in 1966 with two brothers who sold their Off the Wall sneakers out of a small shop in Anaheim, and grew to be the international icon it is today. On hearing the history of the seminal skate shoe, Charles replied, “Family companies can do well when they treat their people like part of the family.” We couldn’t agree more. Which is why this blog goes out to all the hardworking family businesses out there who continue to put their heads together to solve problems, treat one another with respect and dignity, and always remember there’s no such thing as no can do.

Dedicated to the loving memory of Paul Van Doren.

Ernie and Charles’s benevolence has given rise to a number of corporate programs over the years that we’re incredibly proud of, including our annual “Givember” drive, which takes place each September. During this time, every E-Teamer and division teams up to donate goods to local charities that do the important work of helping others all year round. Last year, we donated more than 11,000 t-shirts to non-profit organizations across the country. This year, we’re getting a head start on giving back thanks to the generosity of one of our customers, and a whole chain of folks who pitched in to spread the impact far and wide.

Brash, bold, and big-hearted

Our Phoenix division has been working with Dixxon Flannel Co. for three years, supplying boxes and tape for their thriving business. The company specializes in rough and rugged clothing that’s “built for those who live loud and push limits.” Despite their tough image, the Dixxon brand has a caring core. They design and produce limited runs of their products and have previously made multiple generous donations of high-quality inventory that just happens to be out of season. When the company was recently looking to offload a large quantity of excess product, they knew who to call.

• “Our motto is work hard and stay humble. We love partnering with Ernest because they share our values. When we ended up with 20,000 pairs of flannel boxer briefs and other items we couldn’t sell, we knew Ernest would be able to get them to people who really need them—where they’d really make a difference.” — Dixxon Flannel Co.

They reached out to Brenda Fiorucci, our Director of Operations in Phoenix. “When Dixxon told us they wanted to donate 18 pallets of clothing, we could hardly believe it,” Brenda says. She knew a donation of this size could make a difference in a lot of lives. Having read about our San Diego division’s extensive partnerships with charitable organizations in the area, she reached out to the team there, including General Manager Ryan Ash, Director of Operations Marina Vilaysane, and Merchandiser Jessica Arispe.

Ryan and team knew that the Brother Benno’s charitable foundation would get the donated boxer briefs to local folks who are most in need. “Part of the Ernest Way is giving back to the community,” says Ryan, “and Brother Benno’s does just that, assisting underserved folks including the homeless, low-income workers, and seniors across the Oceanside area.”

Brother Benno’s was excited about the donation and ready to distribute it.

• “Our mission relies on the generosity of others, and we’re so grateful to Dixxon for making a substantial donation of something that our neighbors really need. With Ernest’s help, we were able to make them feel cared for and loved.” — Brother Benno’s

With such a sizable donation, the San Diego team was able to provide for two additional organizations serving the broader area, too. The San Diego Rescue Mission and St. Vincent de Paul both help to feed, clothe, and find housing for the homeless, and happily accepted Dixxon’s donated goods.

To extend the impact even further, Ryan contacted Jose Ibarra, Junior Accountant in our Los Angeles office as well as our current Ernest Brand Council (EBC) chair. Jose in turn reached out to the LA Mission, an organization that does great work with the homeless population in downtown Los Angeles, and who we regularly partner with for Givember. LA Mission was thrilled to accept the donation of something that’s really needed.

Moving goods and making an impact

Once we’d figured out where the 18 pallets were headed, the next question was how to get them there. Fortunately, moving goods around is Brenda’s specialty. She reached out to RE Logistics, a freight forwarder our Phoenix division has partnered with for years, to see if they would be willing to move the pallets for a reduced rate. The company replied immediately, offering to move the goods within a few days. And they did one better than a reduced rate, agreeing to transport the goods at no cost except the fuel.

• “When Brenda told us the donation would be supplying homeless folks, we said absolutely—count us in. We love helping people, especially children and families.” — RE Logistics

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our partners at Dixxon Flannel, RE Logistics, Brother Benno’s, and all of the charitable organizations we work with each year. And a big pat on the back to all the E-Teamers who pitched in to make this happen. When we all work together, we don’t just move packaging forward—we change lives, too.

What happens when you start a band in the early 90s in the Pacific Northwest? You start with zero rules. So when Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Peter Holström founded The Dandy Warhols in 1994 by mixing brit pop, 60s rock and a dreamy shoegaze sound‚ it made all the sense in the world. When asked why he started the band, Taylor-Taylon answered, “We wanted to make music to drink to.” Makes sense. And once Zia McCabe joined the boys as a keyboardist in ‘95, they started to take off. A term which had an entirely different meaning for their live shows, where clothing, at times, was optional.

The Capitol of LA.

After releasing a super successful first album Dandys Rule OK on a small indie label, the band signed with mega music behemoth Capitol Records. All three single from their sophomore album The Dandy Warhols Come Down broke into the UK Top 40. Which meant they were on the cusp of taking over the entire earth with the velvety, slightly psychedelic, daydreamy sounds. And with a new/current drummer Brent DeBoer, they’d finally founded the family that is still touring to this day.

World domination.

The Dandys’ third and best-selling album Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia catapulted the group into the hearts and ears of the masses. The single “Bohemian Like You” was featured on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a well as the indie film Igby Goes Down with Kieran Culkin. So what do you do all this new fame and success? The first thing that comes to any young band member’s mind: invest. Taylor-Taylor bought a massive, quarter-city-block PDX warehouse and dubbed it “The Odditorium.” Part rehearsal space, part recording studio and, most recently, part wine bar called Old Portland, Music AND drinks, check.

Into the stratosphere.

Throughout the 2000s, The Dandy Warhols collaborated with some of the greatest musicians in the universe, including a remake of Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat with David Bowie.  They made a new studio album was produced by Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran. They were subjects of a documentary film entitled Dig! that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. And over the years, they’ve collaborated with indie greats such as The Kooks, J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr, Spoon and The Bravery.

A new cardboard dimension.

As luck would have it, The Dandy Warhols aren’t afraid of weird. So when they rolled into Paramount Recording Studios and were presented with a full four-piece band’s worth of cardboard instruments, they plugged in and turned the whole thing into something strange and sublime. You’re invited to experience the Dandys on the cardboard Fender Strat, Tele, Bass, plus the Masters of Maple drum kit. The distortion-drenched elegance sounds like it’s coming from conventional instruments. But the Ernest and Signal Snowboards collaboration reshaped what’s possible with cardboard. As Taylor-Taylor put it, “It feels different when you squeeze it.”

Over the last 26 episodes of Cardboard Sessions, we’ve had some serious heavy hitters come out to play. Everyone from Robby Krieger of the Doors to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top to Keanu Freaking Reeves have stepped into the studio and made beautiful, crazy music with us. But that doesn’t mean the cardboard concept is only for the old guard. To prove it, we put our instruments in the hands of a soon-to-be-huge LA band called Return to Dust. The result? One of the most electric Cardboard Sessions we’ve ever recorded. 

90s rock with a modern spin.

This young, fearless band is channeling the soul of 90s rock into something brand new and entirely their own. Born in Texas, forged in California garages, and raised on open mic nights and late-night rehearsals, Return to Dust is the real thing. With echoes of Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Queens of the Stone Age, their sound fuses powerful harmonies, fuzz-laden riffs and seismic grooves, fueled by the raw energy of four Gen Z friends jamming in a garage.

Sounds great on paper.

After the band released their independent self-titled album in 2024, the first single “Belly Up” surged online, organically gathering over 2 million Spotify streams. From there, they lit up the stages at festivals, opened for rock legends Chevelle and Sevendust, and signed with LAVA Records/Republic Records. With that kind of momentum, there was only one thing left for them to do: head to Village Studios in Santa Monica for Cardboard Sessions 27. Playing our custom corrugated creations, Return to Dust laid down a raw, charged episode that introduced us to a new generation of shredders. Check it out, so you can say you knew them before they were big.

When you hear the Doors, the frontman usually comes first to mind, as Jim Morrison was an incandescent presence. But what’s lesser known is the massive influence of guitarist Robby Krieger. Since the very beginning in 1965, Krieger not only contributed his signature fingerstyle approach on the electric guitar to shape the band’s sound. He also co-wrote some of the bands most mind-bending hits, including “Light My Fire,” “Love Me Two Times” and “Touch Me.” Something the entire world IS aware of is how the Doors changed the soundscape of rock and roll forever.

A legend dies, but the Doors live on.

With Morrison’s death in 1971, it seemed like the end of a six-year run for the luminary group that fused rock, blues and jazz. That wasn’t the case. Krieger forged ahead with drummer John Densmore and keyboardist Ray Manzarek. In fact, he and Densmore were no strangers to creating new sounds together, both having studied under legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar. The Doors went on to release two more albums, with Krieger and Manzarek sharing vocals, before finally disbanding in 1973.

A long, strange trip until the 2000s.

It truly was chemistry with drummer Densmore, as he and Krieger formed the Butts Band in 1973. They created two more albums together under this new moniker, but by the mid-70s, it was time for Krieger to find his own way and focus on his jazz-fusion sound. Throughout the late 70s and 80s, he released several solo albums, but he also began lending his signature sound to other bands, with a notable cameo on Panic Station by the Acid Casualties. By 1991, he’d created his eponymous band, the Robby Krieger Band, with one very important co-founding member: his son, Waylon Krieger.

Legends unite. Generations gather. Cardboard wails.

He lent his talents to a Blue Öyster Cult, collaborated with John Avila from Oingo Boingo and Rich Robinson from the Black Crowes. He even hit the stage with Alice in Chains at the Hollywood Palladium in 2018. And today? He takes our Cardboard Sessions stage with his current band, Robby Krieger and the Soul Savages. Along with Kevin Brandon, Ed Roth, and Franklin Vanderbilt, this mind-bendingly talented group has worked with legends such as Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin and Lenny Kravitz.  But keep an eye out for the most honored guest in Robby Krieger’s mind: a special appearance by his son, Waylon.