FilTear - a Coffee Filter Box With a Tear Off Measuring Cup

«FilTear,» the eco-friendly coffee filter

box, designed for the non-pretentious coffee lover

who values simplicity. Crafted from recyclable car-

ton, its design mirrors the shape of your filters and

keeps them neat and in place. But «FilTear» isn’t

just about packaging — it’s about convenience.

Simply tear off the corner for an instant measuring

cup/spoon, ensuring the perfect brew every time.

No fuss, no frills — just great coffee, made easy.

«FilTear» is your go-to companion for a worry-free

coffee experience.

This was a university project where we had 10 days to design and produce a packaging solving a problem by using only carton/cardboard. It was also preferred to use minimal glue and create a design that was both functional and sustainable. I ended up making a coffee filter box that was following the filter shape to reduce waste and empty space in the package. In addition I wanted to do something fun with the unused space in the corner of the box, and had the idea for a measuring cup which makes it easy to make coffee if you don't have a scale or a measuring device.

For prototyping (all optional):

• Paper
• Pen/Pencil
• Scissors
• Tape
• Glue

For product:

• Carton (I used 305g, but any thicker paper/carton would work)
• Scalpel
• Glue (preferably a glue gun)
• A printer and paper for the graphics (optional)
• Tailbone or something to make neat folds

For graphic design:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Spray glue or glue stick to attach printed paper with graphics to your carton design

Start off by drawing out all your ideas! It's a magical way of playing around with shapes and to understand how to make a 3D shape into a 2D foldable pattern. I played around with the shape of the box - if it should be a 90 degree angled triangle or follow the shape of the filters. To save space and give the box that iconic filter shape, I calculated the angle I needed for the box to make it fit neatly.

Making prototypes is key and important to do early in the process! This way you see how the shape works and how to best fold the carton. I played around with different options tying to avoid glue completely, but that was a challenge. I wanted a rip off band alongside the curved edge so that the filters would stay protected inside the box once opened. So in the end I ended up with using some glue on the tabs along the curved surface to attatch the band to the box tightly. I also figured out that the tear-lines for the slit and the measuring cup needed to be short lines cut all the way through the carton and they had to be close together to make it tear neatly. I made a digital pattern in illustrator with different color codes for outer cuts, inner cuts and folding edges. I used a ruler (important!!) and a scalpel for all the cuts, and a tailbone to make the folds neat. To glue the last loose part after folding I used hot glue from a glue gun.

To make my design pop I decided to add graphics to it. I used my pattern made in Adobe Illustrator and added layers on top of it with design. I printed it on normal paper, cut it out and glued it using sprayglue on my flattened carton design before folding it. TIP! If your design doesn't fit on a A4 or A3 for printing, find a good place to divide it, preferable at a folding edge on your design. Try to glue it neatly before folding!

Fold your design using a tailbone and use a little glue on the tabs and press them on the inside of the box.

Enjoy this stop motion film of how my final product is in use!