Packaging of the Month April 2025: Minalba Brasil mineral water in aluminum cans with Braille embossing
Shopping at the supermarket is a particular challenge for blind and visually impaired people – especially when it comes to choosing drinks. What is a quick grab from the refrigerator shelf for sighted people requires significantly more guidance for others. This is because most packaging – in the beverage sector as in many other categories – does not yet feature tactile markings such as Braille.
An initiative by Ball Corporation, a US manufacturer of innovative and sustainable aluminum packaging, and Brazilian beverage brand Minalba Brasil aims to change this. As a fascinating example of how inclusion can succeed even under difficult conditions, the new mineral water aluminum can with Braille embossing is our Packaging of the Month for April 2025.
Easy differentiation for everyone
Água Mineral Natural from Minalba Brasil is available in two varieties: still and sparkling. People without visual impairments can easily differentiate between the two based on the colors—one variety is blue and the other orange. Thanks to the Braille embossing on the lid, blind and visually impaired people can also tell whether the mineral water can contains carbonated or non-carbonated water. They “read” the Braille by feeling the special raised dot patterns with their fingertips. The dots on the blue can mean “Água” for water, and those on the orange can mean “Água Gás,” which is carbonated water.
Challenges on the road to barrier-free aluminum cans
There is a technical reason why the embossed aluminum lids from Ball Corp and Minalba Brasil are the first of their kind on the Brazilian market: Braille is actually designed to be printed on flat surfaces and read from left to right. However, aluminum can lids are curved, so there is no clear starting point. In addition, they only offer a five-centimeter area for embossing. Ensuring high quality and good readability of Braille under these conditions is extremely challenging. To overcome this challenge, both the size and spacing of the dots had to be precisely realized. Otherwise, visually impaired consumers could have misunderstood the message. In the end, the Ball Corp team used both side areas next to the tab and printed the dot patterns following the curved shape of the lid from left to right.
Conclusion: An important, no, an essential contribution to inclusion
Ball Corporation and Minalba Brasil have succeeded in creating a unique type of accessible packaging. Their aluminum can with Braille lettering impressively demonstrates that inclusive packaging design is possible even under complex conditions and sets a new standard in the industry. This innovation, which is inspiring on both a social and technological level, was rightly honored with the 2024 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award. It inspires us to offer a better service to all consumers and, in particular, to take greater account of the specific needs of people with physical limitations. Camila Vila Verde, Regional Marketing Manager for South America at Ball Corp, had the opportunity to speak to a blind woman during a distribution of the embossed aluminum cans. She asked her, “Is this important to you?” The woman replied, “No, it’s essential.” A response that speaks volumes.
Source Info/Images: ball.com
Other news
DESIGN DEEP DIVE – WEBINAR FROM USA LIVE WITH DAVE CERADINI
