Design Innovation

Distillery Chooses Shrink Labels

DALLAS—Eastman Chemical Company has announced that DeLos Vodka, the only vodka distillery in Dallas, Texas, has introduced one of the first glass vodka bottles to incorporate a full-body shrink label. DeLos Vodka is available in 50 ml, 750 ml, and 1.75 liter bottles.

Shying away from the traditional etched clear glass bottles, the entrepreneur and namesake behind DeLos, Carlos Guillem, desired a package that was sleek and eye-catching. Logistically, the company also needed a packaging solution that would provide the flexibility to quickly launch new sizes and flavors. To meet DeLos's packaging needs, McDowell Label, the label printer for the vodka application, recommended Eastman Embrace™ LV co-polyesters for shrink film.

"Next to all of the clear glass bottles, we really wanted our packaging to pop on the shelf," explains Guillem. "The full-body shrink label enabled us to deliver that impact while still giving us the flexibility to create promotional packages and launch new flavors."

For Guillem, sustainability was also a factor in choosing the perfect packaging for his vodka. A deciding factor in choosing Embrace was that the label is easily separated from the bottle, maximizing the recyclability of the glass by eliminating any ink from being printed directly on it.

Shrink films manufactured with Embrace LV co-polyesters provide a virtual 360-degree billboard for packages.

"Black is one of the most challenging colors to achieve on shrink sleeves," explains John McDowell, president at McDowell Label. "By using high-definition UV ink on the Embrace co‑polyesters, we were able to achieve a rich black color that direct printing and etching could not achieve."

Environmentally-Friendly Media Packaging

NEW YORK—Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, has announced the launch of the DuoPak™, the latest member of its greenchoice™ family of environmentally-friendly media packaging. This all-paperboard DVD package is the first one to feature a paperboard twin tray. The DuoPak was designed to house two-disc titles for movies and TV series, music concerts, video games, or computer software.

"This new package is part of a continually expanding line of products in our greenchoice Environmental Solutions initiative," says Robert Anstine, vice president of marketing and business development for Shorewood. "We are working to meet the sustainable packaging goals we share with our customers by developing more options in packaging designs that use renewable, recyclable material."

The DuoPak has all of the benefits of Shorewood's other greenchoice CD/DVD packages, and more. It features a specially designed DVD paperboard tray for two discs that easily slide into vertical recessed pockets. This new package is made completely of renewable, recyclable paperboard and is printed using renewable offset inks formulated with vegetable-oil based components. There is ample billboard space to print graphics as well as customer promotional and marketing messages.

Shorewood provides its customers with a choice of virgin or recycled paperboard that is third-party certified by FSC, SFI®, or PEFC—three internationally recognized certification standards.

Package Design Earns Grammy Nomination

MALIBU, Calif.—Gary Burden's design of the Neil Young Archives, Volume 1 has been nominated for a 52nd Annual Grammy Award in the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category.

Lead art director and designer Gary Burden, R. Twerk & Co., says he had "no idea 'the archives' were entered into the awards, so it was a huge surprise when we received a phone call and learned we were nominated. This is just so cool and I am really happy for Neil, too." This is Burden's fourth Grammy nomination for design. Burden, representing his company R. Twerk & Co. has received three other Grammy nominations for Best Package of the Year.

The long-awaited Neil Young Archives Vol.1 (1963-1972) is a deluxe boxed set. It was conceived as a time-capsule of Neil Young's musical and personal journeys from 1963 to 1972. The elaborate box contains multiple CDs/DVDs/Bluerays (depending on the version, there are three), a replica of Neil Young's revealing personal journal with a faux embossed leather cover, and a "stash" box. The package was designed to last a long time, and also designed with sustainability in mind. "The Mohawk paper we used is FSC-certified, recycled with PCW content and made with windpower," said Burden.

Menasha Packaging Unveils New M•PULSE Weekender Hutch

NEENAH, Wis.—The M•PULSE Display-Ready Weekender Hutch is part of Menasha Packaging's new line of retail-ready supply chain solutions. Suitable for grocery and convenience store channels, this display-ready, pre-pack, or knock-down-flat (KDF) weekender hutch has more shelves than traditional weekenders to maximize product hold without requiring any extra space. Additionally, the durable and proprietary one‑piece corrugated design provides for quick and simple assembly.

"Our customers expect creative, cost-effective solutions from our team and the M•PULSE Display-Ready Weekender Hutch delivers," said Dennis Bonn, vice president of marketing at Menasha Packaging. "The display is specially designed to dispense more products on more shelves ... all in the same amount of space compared to our traditional weekender hutch."

The M•PILSE Display-Ready Weekender can be used by retailers looking for cross-merchandising platforms and semi-permanent displays that fit a wide array of settings.

Campbell Soup Can Design Calls Attention to American Farmers

CHICAGO—Campbell is raising excitement and support through special-edition cans that remind consumers of the source and quality of their ingredients.

For more than 70 years the Campbell Soup Company has cultivated seeds that American farmers use to grow tomatoes for its soups. Believing that quality ingredients are grown from the ground up, Campbell launched the "Help Grow Your Soup" program, which offers free packs of seeds with the purchase of one can of soup, and donates seeds to plant gardens in urban communities and schools nationwide.

Campbell tapped Anthem Worldwide to design a compelling label for this special program. The design needed to maintain the soup company's core messaging while sparking new interest in where quality food comes from and what consumers can do to participate.

According to Anthem, the final design has an honest, forward-looking approach, embracing simplicity to best express uncompromised, wholesome ingredients, while adding temporary new twists to Campbell's iconic brand elements. pP