An interesting piece in Places Journal.
This is not a journal I'd been aware of before, but looks like a huge rabbit hole which I will have to dive into.
This piece from Shannon Matthern is from May 2024.
It explores the importance of cardboard (something which was in short supply during COVID19) and which is now in increasing demand for packaging for our insatiable demand for home deliveries. It is described as a social history of the cardboard box and is a long and involved read.
It is a really amazing piece of writing, delving into the development of cardboard, packaging design - including some early ones. It also looks at the company International Paper, which makes the equivalent of one box for everyone on the planet every 11 weeks.
Also the development of the 'smarrow': the smiling arrow connecting A - Z in the Amazon logo, and the company. I like the wide-ranging nature of the piece, and there's plenty of quotidian geography here. Also useful for my unit on Consumption.
Comments