We knew about this since early May, when the first Windows 7 retail box images were leaked online, and then again from early June when they made an appearance on the official Microsoft Store web page, but the Redmond-based software giant has just now acknowledged that the Windows 7 retail boxes will indeed look like that. But Microsoft being late to announce stuff is not the focus of this article; the focus is on how Microsoft designed the retail boxes.

According to Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team, Brandon LeBlanc, the focus was to keep the packaging simple, easy to use and environmentally friendly. “We approached the packaging for Windows 7 the same way we approached the product – by listening to what our customers told us they wanted: make it a simple clean design, easy to open, and reduce waste.”

According to customer feedback, Microsoft needed to change the design of the Windows 7 retail boxes by implementing the following changes:
- A big, bold Windows logo that lets you know straight away that you are looking at a Windows 7 product.
- Make it easy to read with larger typefaces.
- Color coding, meaning that each Windows 7 version is colored differently: Windows 7 Home premium is green, Windows 7 Professional is blue, and Windows 7 Ultimate is black.

Making the package easier to open meant that the number of elements in the package has been reduced to just three:
1. Plastic case that opens just like a standard DVD case and has a single easy-to-remove seal at the top.
2. Paper sleeve
3. Getting Started guide

Just as Windows 7 is environmentally friendly by efficiently using energy, the Windows 7 retail box is eco-friendly as well. Brandon LeBlanc explains: “The plastic case protecting the Windows 7 disk is lighter and is recyclable. The packaging itself has a 37% weight reduction and the econometrics score has improved by 50% over it’s predecessor.”