When people talk about changing McDonalds, they're usually referring to the restaurant's unhealthy menu. But for industrial design student Robert Bye, his concern was how that food was served. As part of a packaging design course, Bye created a concept that takes a fresh look at how you buy a Big Mac, focusing on three main points: making it renewable, simple, and specific. The result is a single cardboard container that holds your entire meal, and weighs in at just over half of the current design's 50 grams. It even features a handy "snack flap" for easy access to your fries.
Bye says that the inspiration came from the way the meal is served today. "Nearly all staff lay the chips on top of the burger in this way," he says, "so why couldn't these somehow be combined into a single unit?" While the final product isn't perfect yet — the drink holder in particular looks like it could be problematic — it's a great example of doing more with less.