Print

The 42nd Creativity Print & Packaging Competition was incredibly competitive this year with only about 1/3 of entrants earning awards. Entrants into the competition represented 34 countries, 3 Canadian Provinces and 28 U.S. states. The entries featured were considered by the judges to be an example of outstanding creativity and design. Here are some highlights:

• 2012 had our 1st ever winner from Lebanon - 3 awards Gold, Silver & Honroable Mention!
• We had our first entrant from Pakistan.
• 2012 had our 1st ever winner from Russia - 2 awards!
• Gee + Chung Design from San Francisco and the HISTORY Channel tie for the most Platinum awards at 4 each.
• A&E Television & Foodmix Creative (in-house) tied for the most Gold awards at 5 each!

Click categories at bottom of page to view all award winners from 2012 Print & Packaging Awards (available to view by the middle of October 2012)

Congratulations to our Best in Show Winner, Professional - Futura DDB

Creative Firm: Futura DDB d.o.o. - Ljubljana, Slovenia
Creative Team: Žare Kerin - Art Director; Žare Kerin, Zoran Gabrijan - Creative Directors; Janez Vizjak, Marko Piakur - Designers; Ana Por - Project Manager
Client: Pivovarna in pivnica Kratochwill 

Here is what the judges had to say:

"Watching tennis as I do, it often looks like it's an easy game to play. But get down on the court and have a strong serve come at you and see how easy it is. The beauty of a well-played tennis game is that it looks so simple. So it is with the Kratchowill honey bee beer glass (name?) That bee glass. So simple. It epitomizes what graphic communication should be: clear message, beautifully executed. Richard Branson said "Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to make something simple. 'Nuff said."

"This design solution strikes through its simplicity. As the product is being poured into the glass, the two simple black stripes turn into the brand identity just by means of color while the glass itself serves as a striking metaphor of the honey that is part of this particular beer - it reminds of a bee's tail. As always in truly great design solutions, less is more and simplicity is king. King of show in this particular case."

"If you have communicated the brand's essence without the use of words, then as a graphic designer, you've done your job."

"We all thought there was just as much or more conceptual experimentation and thought behind each entry as there was design. The honey bee beer glass appears to be a simple thing but the fact that the product is recognizable just by pouring the beer into a glass that is shaped like a bee with the black strips around it, so when it is filled with beer it really does represent a bee... the communication is there. There is no need to slap a logo onto the glass. They've told their story already. The glass is an extension of their branding for the beer."