Using AI to Inspire Arts & Crafts from Cardboard Boxes
Packaging is a foundational component of virtually every industry—transporting goods safely around the globe, inspiring consumers to take action, and acting as the “silent salesperson” on store shelves. Despite packaging’s importance, it is also a large component of waste, making up 28.1% of total municipal solid waste (MSW) in the US in 2018 (EPA).
Many US states have extensive curbside recycling programs that accept a wide range of materials, and five have already passed extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs that include packaging in their scope. But what if your household or office accumulates a ton of packaging waste and your local municipality does not have effective waste management services . . . what do you do with all the waste?
That's why we decided to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) tools—like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot—and ask them to generate some ideas on how to use packaging waste for arts and crafts.
For the sake of this blog, we will explore how to transform corrugated (cardboard) boxes into fun arts and crafts with the help of AI. This is part one of a multi-part series in which we will explore how to use AI to generate arts and crafts ideas with packaging waste.
Corrugated (Cardboard) Boxes
Corrugated fiberboard is one of the most widely used packaging materials in the world due to its structural integrity, recyclability and compostability, and versatility. Many recycling streams accept corrugated fiberboard, and if you don’t have access to one, the material is 100% home compostable. And if you don’t want to compost your corrugated, you can use the material to create arts and crafts!
We turned to ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s Copilot to get the ideas flowing using the prompt:
“What are some arts and crafts I can make using cardboard boxes?”
Here are the results . . .
ChatGPT
Chat GPT:
Cardboard boxes are a versatile and readily available material for a wide range of arts and crafts projects. Here are some creative ideas:
Home Decor and Furniture
Shelves and Storage Bins: Create functional storage solutions by cutting and assembling boxes into sleeves or bins. Decorate with paint, fabric, or contact paper.
Photo Frames: Craft custom photo frames by cutting out cardboard shapes and decorating them with paint, fabric, or other materials.
Wall Art: Make 3D wall art by cutting out shapes, letters, or patterns and arranging them into a mural or decorative piece.
Cardboard Furniture: Build small tables, stools, or even chairs. Layer the cardboard for extra strength and paint or decorate to match your decor.
Kids Crafts and Toys
Playhouse and Forts: Construct playhouses, forts, or castles for kids to enjoy. Decorate with paint or markers for added fun.
Toy Cars and Trucks: Design and assemble toy vehicles using cardboard. Add wheels using bottle caps or other small items.
Puzzles and Games: Create custom puzzles by cutting cardboard into interlocking pieces. You can also make board games with cardboard game boards and pieces.
Functional Items
Desk Organizers: Craft organizers for pens, paper clips, and other office supplies. Customize the size and compartments to suit your needs.
Laptop Stand: Make a custom laptop stand to improve your workstation ergonomics.
Magazine Holders: Create magazine holders by cutting and folding cardboard into the desired shape. Decorate with paper or paint.
We were impressed with ChatGPT’s response, especially how it broke up the suggestions into different subcategories. The original output had a few more subcategories but I chose the ones that were the most interesting and feasible.
Now, let’s explore how Google’s Gemini responded.
Google's Gemini
I inserted the same prompt—“What are some arts and crafts I can make using cardboard boxes?”—into Google Gemini and here are the results . . .
Gemini:
Cardboard Box Crafts: Unleash Your Creativity!
Cardboard boxes are a fantastic, free resource for crafting! They can be transformed into countless creations with little imagination. Here are some ideas to get you started:
For Kids
Playhouses and Forts: create magical worlds for imaginative play.
Vehicles: build cars, boats, airplanes, or even spaceships!
Puppets: cut out characters and attach sticks for handles.
Robots and Aliens: let your child’s imagination run wild.
For Adults
Storage Solutions: create custom-sized storage boxes for various items.
Organization Tools: make dividers for drawers or shelves.
Home Decor: design unique wall art or decorative pieces.
Furniture: build shelves, ottomans, or even a small table.
General Ideas
Painting and Decorating: let your artistic side shine!
Cardboard Sculptures: build 3D structure and characters.
Masks: design and create fun and creative masks.
Cardboard Costumes: dress up for parties or Halloween.
Similar to ChatGPT, Gemini organized the output in multiple sections. The answers are quite similar with only a minute amount of variation. Let’s look at how Microsoft’s Copilot answered the prompt . . .
Microsoft's Copilot
I inserted the same prompt—“What are some arts and crafts I can make using cardboard boxes?”—into Copilot, and here are the results . . .
Copilot:
There are so many creative and fun arts & crafts projects you can make using cardboard boxes! Here are a few ideas to get your started:
1. Cardboard Box Playhouse
Description: Create a mini playhouse for kids by cutting out windows and doors. Decorate it with paint, markers, or stickers.
Materials Needed: large cardboard box, scissors, paint, markets, stickers.
2. Cardboard Box Robot
Description: Build a robot using various sizes of cardboard boxes. Add details with bottle caps, buttons, and aluminum foil.
Materials Needed: cardboard boxes, bottle caps, buttons, aluminum foil, glue.
3. Cardboard Box Maze
Description: Create a maze for marbles or small balls by cutting and arranging pieces of cardboard inside a large box.
Materials Needed: large cardboard box, smaller cardboard pieces, glue, marbles.
4. Cardboard Box Car
Description: Turn a large cardboard box into a car by adding wheels, a steering wheel, and decorating it with paint.
Materials Needed: large cardboard box, paper plates (for wheels), paint, markers.
5. Cardboard Box Puppet Theater
Description: Create a puppet theater by cutting out a stage and decorating the box. Use socks or paper bags to make puppets.
Materials Needed: large cardboard box, scissors, paint, socks, or paper bags for puppets.
6. Cardboard Box Camera
Description: Craft a pretend camera using a small cardboard box and a cardboard tube for the lens.
Materials Needed: small cardboard box, cardboard tube, paint, markers.
7. Cardboard Box Rocket Ship
Description: Build a rocket ship by stacking and cutting cardboard boxes. Decorate it with paint and aluminum foil.
Materials Needed: cardboard boxes, paint, aluminum foil, glue.
These projects are not only fun, but also a great way to recycle and repurpose cardboard boxes.
I was impressed with Copilot’s response; I particularly like how they outlined the materials needed for each of the crafts. However, unlike ChatGPT and Gemini, Copilot did not organize the topics by subcategory.
As you can see, AI is a good source of initial inspiration for turning those piles of cardboard boxes into innovative art pieces or an afternoon of fun for all ages.
Human Inspiration
For more inspiration on how to repurpose cardboard boxes into innovative crafts, check out Jeb The Boxsmith of TikTok! Jeb is the self proclaimed “Internet’s King of Cardboard,” and he runs an account with over 360,000 followers.
Jeb makes incredibly innovative toys, sculptures and accessories out of repurposed corrugated board, which he defines as “box smithing,” hence the title of his TikTok page, The Boxsmith Show.
To get started with “box smithing,” we recommend checking out this video that has collected 1.2 million views since it was posted last December.
As we have demonstrated, AI is a great source of arts and crafts inspiration, but as Jeb illustrates, nothing can beat authentic human creativity. We highly recommend Jeb’s content to go beyond what we have explored on ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.
Learn More About Corrugated Packaging
Not just a great material for arts and crafts, corrugated fiberboard is one of the super materials of the packaging industry. Learn more about how to design effective and sustainable packaging solutions with corrugated in our suite of online courses including:
Interested in taking a deep dive into the corrugated packaging industry? Check out our Corrugated Enthusiast’s Bundle, which includes four corrugated-related courses and an “It’s Not Cardboard, It’s Called Corrugated Fiberboard” T-shirt for 60% off of the combined value of these offerings.
The bundle will run until September 30, 2024; act now to upgrade your corrugated IQ!
Learn more here!
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