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Pro Carton ECMA awards finalists announced

Four beverage packs are among the finalists in this year’s Pro Carton ECMA (European Carton Manufacturers Association) Awards.

There are eight main categories, including beverage, from which the Carton of the Year, the Most Innovative, and Sustainability awards will be selected. These will be announced at an Award Gala being held at the first joint congress of ECMA and Pro Carton on September 18 in Sorrento (Italy).

The beverage category winners are:

Jim Beam Honey promotional packaging

Carton producer: STI – Gustav Stabernack GmbH, Rainer Buchholz
Brand owner: Beam Deutschland GmbH
Structural designer: STI – Gustav Stabernack, Thomas Jonetzko
Graphic Designer: PROOF – Inhouse-Agency von Beam Global
Cartonboard manufacturer: Tullis Russell

The characteristic shape of the honeycomb inspired the packaging design (pack pictured above). Finishing with matt, UV spot varnish and effect varnish made the structure of the honeycomb visible and feel good for the consumer. In addition, the logo and honeycomb structure are embossed to deliver that certain tactile shopping feeling. The honeycomb structure also plays a part in the punching of the windows, allowing the exclusive product to be seen. The finishing not only attracts awareness and thus the probability of buying, it also underlines the premium character.

Gondola Shopper

Carton producer: Lucaprint
Brand owner: Orizzonti
Structural designer: R&DLucaprint
Graphic designer: Queruli Bruna
Cartonboard manufacturer: BillerudKorsnäs

The initial idea was to design a type of bottle packaging for the export market that could convey the ‘Made in Italy’ message and that could be easy to carry. The packaging fits the product like a made to measure garment, enhancing it at the same time. The bottle sits perfectly in the case and small side flaps hold it by the neck. The graphics with a faithful reproduction of the Venetian gondola are symbolic of Italy in a very aesthetic manner. Hot foil finishing, glossy lamination and double sided print further add to the elegance of this pack.

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve

Carton producer: CD Cartondruck GmbH
Brand owner: Diageo
Structural designer: Raison Pure New York
Graphic designer: Raison Pure New York
Cartonboard manufacturer: BillerudKorsnäs

The Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve packaging is an elegant and premium luxury carton. A composition of rich golden hues with highly tailored lines that weave together is highlighted with varnishes and detailed embossing that shimmers with excitement. Displayed next to each other, these cartons create beautiful shelf stand out resulting in a fluid, radiating pattern reminiscent of glistening water. The insert in the packaging not only offers stability and protection of the product, the golden colour in a shape of a diamond pattern also contributes to enhance its first class quality.

Grappa Nonino Monovitigno I Vigneti

Carton producer: Lucaprint
Brand owner: Nonino Distillatori
Structural designer: R&D Lucaprint
Graphic designer: Gianfranco Casula
Cartonboard manufacturer: Fedrigoni

The packaging (pictured below) for Grappa Nonino Monovitigno I Vigneti is made of two superior types of cartonboard which are able to take the weight of the product without compromising on the perceived quality of the content. The clear and elegant design represent the tradition and genuine nature of the product inside. Soft, subdued colours and hot foil finishing and embossing round off the design. This gives the product added value on the shelf and conveys all the passion and craftsmanship that goes into distilling Grappa Nonino.

The professional work of the judges, covering all aspects of the supply chain, remains a solid foundation of the awards: Satkar Gidda (chairman of the jury) on behalf of design, Stan Akkermans (Mars) and Martin Luh (Nestlé) for the brands, Marco Atzberger (EHI Retail Institute) from the perspective of the retail trade, and our special advisor of the jury Peter Klein Sprokkelhorst, as always, focused on the technical intricacies of the entered concepts.