Often under appreciated (though sometimes more than adequately appreciated given the occasionally questionable artistic merit), the firecracker label is nevertheless the inspiration for at least a couple of books, an occasional gallery booking, and an annual buying frenzy (okay, that last one is probably more due to the cultural significance around the celebration than the excitement generated by the product packaging). There is no doubt that a look through the catalog at crackerpacks.com is bound to inspire—if not the artistic muse, then at least nostalgic thoughts of the ear-ringing, nerve shattering, hand-numbing explosions that rocked those special summer holidays. Although I’ve gotta say the examples I pulled here are pretty sweet. Now I just need a cereal packaging, or cleaning product client that would allow me to pay homage to these retro designs. Okay, maybe not.