Clear package protects, promotes encryption device

Measuring roughly the size of a thumb drive, the new Enigma hardware encryption and decryption device from Erie, CO-based BlackSquare Technologies fits easily in the palm of the hand. But for maximum shelf presence and tamper-evidence at retail, this patented USB device demanded packaging that could provide ample space for an impactful brand message as well as reliable locking technology.

The Enigma—scheduled at presstime for an early February 2015 launch—is designed to encrypt files and folders on a computer or external drive, or in the cloud. Once files are encrypted with Engima, no one can decrypt that data without the Enigma device and a customer-selected password. Says BlackSquare founder and President Robert Fleming, “We offer military-grade encryption to the personal or SMB [Server Message Block] user. Add to this high level of security the fact that our products are very simple to use, and we think we’ve built something that’s pretty cool, which can be used by anyone.”

These are the brand attributes that BlackSquare wished to convey through its retail packaging. For the package’s functional and aesthetic advantages, the company chose the Klearfold® Keeper system (see pwgo.to/1387) from HLP Klearfold. “We considered many forms of retail packaging, but we chose to work with the HLP folks, who presented a simple, two-tab, lock-and-open clamshell and a slipcover where all of the artwork could be screened,” says Fleming. “We also liked that the packaging solution is made of recycled plastic.”

Two-component system
BlackSquare is a startup company that launched in 2013. “We are a young company finding our way into the B2C and retail markets here in the U.S. and Canada,” explains Fleming. Therefore, its unique and timely product needed to pack a powerful punch on-shelf to catch consumers’ attention and immediately communicate the product’s purpose.

The Klearfold Keeper is a two-part packaging system that comprises a clear plastic sleeve designed to lock to a vacuum-formed tray or clear plastic clamshell. The trays and clamshells are fabricated to conform to the shape of the product and to the desired cross-sectional package profile.

The system is designed for easy loading by hand: The product is placed into the tray, and the subassembly slides into the sleeve. Tabs on the sleeve engage a flange on the tray, locking the two components together, without the need for sealing equipment. Part of the inner tray construction, a hang-tab at the top of the package allows the product to be displayed at retail.

For easy opening by the consumer, the sleeve features a thumb-notch perforation on the bottom corner. Removing the thumb notch also removes the lock, allowing the tray to be easily disengaged from the clear sleeve.

For its Enigma product, BlackSquare is using a clear, fold-over tray for the subassembly, made from 18-pt APET. The positioning of the USB in the tray renders the illusion that the product is floating in the package—with “the airy appearance supporting the message of product simplicity,” says Patrick McGee, Vice President of Marketing for HLP. The sleeve, printed in seven-color UV offset and one-color silkscreen, plus a UV coating, is made from 14-pt APET.

BlackSquare manually packages the Enigma device into the Klearfold Keeper at its Erie facility—a process that takes just 20 to 30 seconds, says Fleming. The packages are then bubble-wrapped and placed in mailers for shipping to retailers. Fleming adds that so far, all of its shipments have arrived at retailers “unscathed.”

Clear communication with graphics
As for the Enigma package graphics, the Klearfold Keeper’s clear plastic slipcover provides the perfect billboard for BlackSquare to tell its brand story. Graphics were designed in-house and include a deep orange background, a custom logo, and, at the bottom of the package, photography of a burglar-like character in a black cap, with just his eyes showing. Over the thief’s cap, copy in white warns, “Because you never know who’s looking.”

Other copy on the package reads, “Protect it? Encrypt it!” and “Use ENIGMA to encrypt your confidential files and folders.” Icons in the top right-hand corner indicate the product’s USB, PC, and Mac compatibility. The Enigma name in Arial is printed across the center of the package, over the USB drive “suspended” inside.

Says Fleming, “Our packaging measures four by seven inches. At this size, it’s both noticeable and helps deliver our message, ‘Because you never know who’s looking.’”

Targeted specifically at small businesses and individuals, Enigma will be sold online by retailers such as Amazon.com and in consumer electronics stores, including Best Buy, TigerDirect, Newegg, and Micro Center. The MSRP of the product is $129.95, with an annual subscription update service available for $40/yr.