May. 5, 2010

Diamond Packaging Wins Four Awards in FSEA Gold Leaf Awards Competition

Rochester, NY – Diamond Packaging won four awards in the 17th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards Competition, the premier showcase for the most creative, brilliant, and technically difficult works in the packaging industry. Awards were announced last month at the FSEA National Convention in New Orleans, LA.

The competition, sponsored by the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA), recognizes top quality craftsmanship and expressions of excellence in the areas of foil stamping, embossing, specialty effects, and design. Entries are judged on several criteria including design, execution, and level of difficulty. Winning an award is a mark of excellence in the packaging field and recognition of superior achievement.

Competing against hundreds of entries from around the world, Diamond earned recognition by winning two Gold Leaf awards, one Silver Leaf award, and one Bronze Leaf award.

Diamond won a Gold Leaf award in the category of “Most Difficult Application of Foil Stamping/Embossing on a Folding Carton” for packaging created for BHPC Fragrances’ Beverly Hills Polo Club Classic, a contemporary, subtle fragrance reflective of the casual and elegant California lifestyle.

The French reverse tuck carton features a textured Black Vat Dyed paperboard complemented by gold and red hot foil stamped accents, creating a carton with visual and tactile impact.

Diamond also won a Gold Leaf award in the category of “Best Use of Finishing Processes Combined with Sustainable Materials” for its 2010 corporate calendar, a popular promotional item given to customers and prospects.

This year's surfing theme features images of a vintage 1960's-era VW bus and surfboards, decorated with the latest in package printing technologies. The overall presentation imparts unusual depth and distinction by combining innovative structural design with specialty printing and finishing techniques. It also demonstrates Diamond’s expertise in sustainable packaging design, through right sizing, material selection, and the use of MiraFoil® coating.

The header is highly decorated with UV gloss spot coating, flat foil stamping (logo and VW bus trim accents), holographic foil stamping (water), and multi-level embossing (VW bus and surfboard).

The backers were die cut in the shape of three different surfboard styles and enhanced with MiraFoil®, an environmentally-friendly specialty metallic coating. MiraFoil® is an economical, in-line alternative to foil stamping which uses no heavy metals and results in less material and energy usage compared to an off-line foil stamping process.

Diamond re-sized the backers, calendar pages, and shipper compared to previous years to reduce its environmental impact. Reducing the overall calendar weight offered the most significant opportunity to conserve raw materials and energy, reduce greenhouse gases, and minimize discards. This year’s calendar weighs between 17-57% less than calendars in recent years.

Other winning highlights include a Silver Leaf Award for Coty’s new Southern Blend by Tim McGraw fragrance, decorated with a custom-designed gold foil embossed guitar pick and an overall embossed cork pattern, and a Bronze Leaf Award for US CosmeceuTechs’ Priori™ Idebenone Superceuticals® carton featuring foil stamping and debossing.

About Diamond Packaging

Founded in 1911, Diamond Packaging is a WBENC-certified woman-owned business specializing in developing innovative and sustainable packaging solutions. Utilizing state of-the-art technologies, Diamond designs and manufactures paperboard and plastic folding cartons, and provides comprehensive contract packaging services for the personal care (cosmetics & skin care, fragrance, hair care), health care, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food and confectionery industries. Its client portfolio includes Bausch & Lomb, Beiersdorf, Coty, Elizabeth Arden, Estée Lauder, Godiva Chocolatier, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, and Procter & Gamble. As part of the Global Packaging Alliance® (GPA), Diamond and its alliance members offer packaging solutions to companies operating on an international scale. Customers receive responsive, localized service, award-winning creative designs, identical product specifications and consistent brand recognition, resulting in unparalleled worldwide packaging support. For more information about Diamond Packaging, contact Dennis Bacchetta at (585) 334-8030 x229 or visit the website at www.diamondpackaging.com. For more information about Diamond’s greenbox initiative, visit the sustainability microsite at www.diamondpackaging.com/green.