Brand printing in the Ancient World: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome
The concept of a ‘brand’ is as old as trade itself and has been with us since its beginnings. It responds to a fundamental human need in commercial relationships: differentiation and trust.
Even in markets 5,000 years ago, a buyer needed to distinguish and know whether the oil they were purchasing was of good quality or whether the blacksmith making their plow was trustworthy.
Since there were no health agencies or consumer protection in ancient times, the only possible guarantee was the manufacturer's name. And since a large part of the population in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome was illiterate, brand differentiation was based on visual symbols. Goods or their packaging were marked —from which the word ‘brand’ etymologically derives— with the artisan's stamp, small drawings, or distinctive emblems, which were the first logos.
Customers associated each emblem with a good or bad experience, and the first forms of brand loyalty emerged. Besides indicating the reputation of the workshop or factory, these marks were associated with regions famous for their specific products: the wine of Chios, the oil or garum of Baetica, or the Fortis oil lamps from the famous potter of northern Italy, for example, which we could equate to our ‘designation of origin’.
If the container or product was made of clay, the stamp was applied to the bottom or handles while the clay was still fresh; they also used painted labels, called titulus pictus by the Romans, which were written with a brush and red or black ink, similar to our current shipping labels and tags.
In classical Greece, vase painters signed their works with phrases like: ‘Sophilos painted me’ or, in a clear display of competition: ‘As Euphronius never could.’ |
Sophilo signature and titulus pictus on Roman vase
From then on, and before the 19th century, branding with fire or stencils was used on barrels, sacks, and wooden boxes to indicate the contents or the manufacturer. At the end of the 18th century, paper labels were also used, affixed to bottles of wine or medicines and printed in the traditional way.
With the Industrial Revolution, new needs and techniques emerged.
Printing on packaging in the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution acted as the great catalyst for modern packaging: with industrialization, identical goods began to be produced on a large scale. These goods were no longer sold in bulk in barrels or sacks, but rather protected and labeled. In effect, they were to be sold in a new type of establishment where the shopkeeper was no longer there to recommend a product: these were self-service stores.
Packaging then evolved from a simple container to a tool for protection, hygiene, and even as a silent salesperson.
1. The birth of modern cardboard. New techniques and patents for corrugated paper to protect glass bottles, cardboard made by adding two layers to corrugated paper, and the mass production of corrugated cardboard boxes drastically reduced packaging costs, leading to a distribution method that expanded brand opportunities.
2. The color revolution: chromolithography. This allowed for color printing on paper labels. For the first time, packaging not only indicated and informed about the product it contained but also used color to emotionally engage customers. Tin boxes for cookies, tea, or tobacco became small works of art that customers kept to store other items after consuming the purchased product. Today, we call this "long-lasting branding."
3. Flexography, which used flexible relief plates and fast-drying liquid inks, allowed for easy printing on rough surfaces such as Kraft paper and corrugated cardboard.
Flexography remains the industry standard to this day, although rotogravure, in which the image is engraved onto the printing cylinder, is also widely used for consumer products due to its photographic quality, consistency, and speed.
The 20th century, the era of e-commerce, and printing on gummed paper tape
The 20th century saw the continued growth of supermarkets and self-service stores, making packaging printing systems more essential than ever to support the development of brands and their product packaging as 'silent salespeople'.
Today, in the e-commerce era, personalization, minimal environmental impact, and sustainability are key priorities. As a result, gummed paper tape, as a perfect printable seal, has experienced a spectacular resurgence, especially during the over the past ten years, this trend has spread worldwide. There are two key reasons for this.
- Branding. E-commerce giants have used gummed paper as a secure seal printed with their logos and emblems since their inception, because it creates a much more professional unboxing experience.
- Sustainability. Unlike plastic tape, gummed paper printed with water-based inks is 100% recyclable without needing to be separated from the box, making it a favorite choice for promoting a circular economy.
Gummed paper seals are the classic standard in security and sustainability for commerce, and their water-based ink printing guarantees a vibrant brand identity as well as the complete recyclability of the packaging. |
Printing on packaging and seals has persisted since the dawn of commerce because it responds to the enduring human need to guarantee trust, identity, and security in the exchange of goods. It adapts its technology to each era, but always maintains its function as the product's silent guardian and salesperson.
If you're not yet using the packaging tape on your shipments to brand your products, the article "Three Steps to Your Printed Gummed Paper Tape" explains how.
