Why are software images boxed?

Question

You know what I mean—like Adobe. If you go to their website, their product images are in a box. The same with games, they're in a box. I've always found it awkward that a circular disk would be found inside of a box.

Even in some cases where there aren't physical copies of a software, the downloadable file is represented by a box. So why a box?

Answer 1

Two reasons come to mind:

• Visual conventions are analogous to natural language: signifiers are arbitrary.
• Boxes stack much better than circular packaging, and is easier to produce. Which led to the emergence of a visual convention.

Answer 2

Some guesses:

1. Historically, software came with manuals (and 5.25 floppy disks, yes I'm that old). Manuals are square and fit nicely in a box. Boxes fit nicely on a bookshelf. So some of it might be history.
2. For anything sold retail, shelf-appeal is important. The box has to do the same job that Fruity Pebbles cereal does in the grocery store. Namely scream at my kids to pick it up.
3. If the "box" where round, it would roll away. That would be annoying.

Answer 3

For the same reason that the "save" icon on the toolbar looks like a floppy disk, or that a directory icon looks like a folder. Because this gives it some concrete representation the user can relate to. Seeing a "box" representing something you are paying money for looks like you're getting something more than whatever a download link signifies.

Answer 4

Boxes are the most efficient use of shelf and storage space.

Consider circles:

OOOOOOO
OOOOOOO
OOOOOOO

Note how much dead space is between the circles. You don't have that with boxes.