Diamond Packaging Wins GDUSA American Inhouse Design Award™ for its 2025 "Press Sheet Music" Calendar
"Receiving this prestigious GDUSA award for our 2025 Calendar is incredibly meaningful to our entire team," said Dennis Bacchetta, Diamond's marketing director. "This recognition validates our commitment to pushing creative boundaries while delivering exceptional design solutions that truly resonate with our clients and their customers."
Press Release
Rochester, NY – Diamond Packaging today announced it won a coveted Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) American Inhouse Design Award™ for its 2025 "Press Sheet Music" calendar. The award-winning calendar showcases the decorative effects that can cost-effectively elevate Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands' packaging, including cold foiling, specialty coatings, and embossing.
"Receiving this prestigious GDUSA award for our 2025 Calendar is incredibly meaningful to our entire team," said Dennis Bacchetta, Diamond's marketing director. "This recognition validates our commitment to pushing creative boundaries while delivering exceptional design solutions that truly resonate with our clients and their customers."
The GDUSA Inhouse Design Awards™, sponsored by Robert Half, recognize excellence in branding, motion graphics, presentations, publications, and more, showcasing the full spectrum of in-house creative talent. Now in its 62nd year, the program highlights the essential role of internal creative teams in shaping brand identity and delivering exceptional results. With thousands of entries submitted annually, this prestigious competition demonstrates the vital contribution of in-house designers to their organizations' success.
Reflecting the growing size and importance of in-house design teams, more than 5,000 entries were received this year. From this competitive field, only a highly selective top 10% have been chosen as winners and awarded a Certificate of Excellence.
Diamond won an award in the "Sales Promotion + Sales Kits" category for its 2025 "Press Sheet Music" corporate calendar
The calendar captures the essence of vinyl through four different limited edition album releases featuring multi-color UV printing, cold foiling, reticulated specialty coating, multi-level embossing, and intricate die cutting — all housed in an attractive gatefold sleeve. An innovative, user-adjustable wheel on the backer allows collectors to rotate and personalize the artwork, inspired by iconic album covers spanning from the 1950s to contemporary times.
The calendars were converted utilizing Clearwater ReMagine 30% PCW paperboard, cold foiled, and offset printed with four color process and three PMS inks, supplied by Ink Systems, in-line with UV matte, UV gloss, reticulated, and MotionCoat® specialty UV coating.
The vinyl records were cold foiled and offset printed with semi-transparent inks to create a stunning array of limited-edition colors, including cyan, magenta, yellow, and "Columbia Records" red (c. 1970s).
Tightly registered coatings were used to enhance the design and highlight individual calendar components. A UV matte coating was applied to the wall, while UV gloss coating was used on all four vinyl records, the turntable (including the tonearm and controls), frames, stereo rack, and Diamond Packaging text. Reticulated specialty coating was applied to the turntable plinth and guitar amplifier to create texture and haptic feedback. The record grooves feature MotionCoat® specialty UV coating, supplied by ACTEGA, that creates dramatic, motion-like visual effects.
Silver cold foil, supplied by Kurz, delivers shimmering metallic effects on one of the vinyl records (red label), turntable (tonearm, controls), frames, stereo rack, and Diamond Packaging text.
Multi-level embossing – developed in collaboration with Universal Engraving – was skillfully applied to the vinyl records and turntable components, including the plinth, platter, tonearm, controls, and spindle, to enhance depth and realism. Additional elements, such as the frames, lamp, chair, stereo rack, rug, and Diamond Packaging text, were also embossed to add dimensional detail.
The calendar pages were converted utilizing Domtar Cougar Smooth 80# Text paper and offset printed with four color process inks and UV matte coating. Watermarks of a colorful room setting add depth and realism. The subtle colors and unique finish beautifully complement the overall design concept.
The recyclable shipper was converted utilizing Clearwater Candesce SBS paperboard laminated to E-flute corrugated fiberboard and offset printed with four color process inks, in-line with aqueous gloss coating. The structural design replicates a gatefold record sleeve common to some of the greatest record albums of the 1970s.
The calendar header and backer components were designed utilizing recyclable paperboard and manufactured using 100% clean, renewable wind energy, in a Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWL) and Carbon Neutral (Scope 1 and Scope 2) facility.
About Diamond Packaging
Established in 1911, Diamond Packaging is a WBENC-certified, industry leader specializing in developing innovative and sustainable packaging solutions. Utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, Diamond designs and manufactures folding cartons for the personal care (cosmetics, hair care, skincare, fragrance, oral care, and shaving), health care, pharmaceutical, cannabis, and consumer electronics markets. Its client portfolio includes Bausch + Lomb, Inter Parfums, Kendo, L’Oréal, MAËLYS, Procter & Gamble, and many other leading consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. Diamond differentiates itself through award-winning creative design, packaging innovation/technical expertise, and its greenbox sustainability initiative. For more information contact Dennis Bacchetta, marketing director, visit www.diamondpackaging.com, or follow Diamond on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Diamond Packaging 2025 Calendar
Creative Design
Diamond's award-winning team collaborated to develop another beautifully-decorated structural and ornamental piece:
- The header showcases four (4) limited edition album designs, allowing recipients to trade with others, depending on their preferred color.
- It is complemented by an innovative, user-adjustable wheel on the backer. This interactive feature allows collectors to rotate and personalize the artwork, drawing inspiration from iconic album covers spanning from the 1950s to contemporary times.
- Specialty printing and coating effects combined with intricate embossing details create visual interest.
- All cutting dies and counter plates were made in-house by the skillful hands of experienced craftspeople, ensuring the accuracy of each die.
Four Color Offset Printing
Four-color process printing delivers the WOW factor on the calendar and the pages:
- The calendars were converted utilizing Clearwater ReMagine™ 30% PCW paperboard, cold foiled, and offset printed with four color process and three PMS inks, supplied by Ink Systems, in-line with UV matte, UV gloss, reticulated, and MotionCoat® specialty UV coating.
- The vinyl records were cold foiled and offset printed with semi-transparent inks to create a stunning array of limited-edition colors, including cyan, magenta, yellow (CMY), and "Columbia Records" red (c. 1970s).
- Diamond employed its new Heidelberg XL 106 10-color offset printing press, which represents the state-of-the-art in package printing technology, providing an unprecedented combination of cost innovation and sustainability.
UV and Specialty Coatings
Tightly-registered coatings were used to enhance the design and highlight the individual calendar components:
- UV matte coating was used on the wall.
- UV gloss coating was used on all four (4) vinyl records, turntable (tonearm, controls), frames, stereo rack, and Diamond Packaging text.
- Reticulated specialty coating was applied to the turntable plinth and guitar amplifier to create texture and haptic feedback.
- The record grooves feature MotionCoat® specialty UV coating, supplied by ACTEGA, that creates dramatic, motion-like visual effects.
Cold Foil
Cold foil is a cost effective, in-line alternative to metallized polyester film or specialty foil board. Overprinting offers a limitless palette of color options. Precise registration was maintained between the foil and overprinted inks and coatings:
- Silver cold foil, supplied by Kurz, delivers shimmering metallic effects on one of the vinyl records (red label), turntable (tonearm, controls), frames, stereo rack, and Diamond Packaging text.
- The vinyl records were cold foiled and offset printed with semi-transparent inks to create a stunning array of limited edition colors./page/53/cold-foiling/
Embossing and Debossing
Multi-level embossing lends distinction and depth to the design:
- Multi-level embossing was tastefully applied to the vinyl records and turntable (plinth, platter, tonearm, controls, spindle) to add depth and realism.
- Many of the other calendar components were embossed, including the frames, lamp, chair, stereo rack, rug, and Diamond Packaging text.
- The visual and tactile effects promote consumer interaction.
Calendar Pages
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The calendar pages were converted utilizing Domtar Cougar Smooth 80# Text paper and offset printed with four color process inks and UV matte coating.
- The watermarks of a colorful room setting add realism.
- The unique finish and subtle colors beautifully complement the design concept.
Shipper
- The recyclable shipper was converted utilizing Clearwater Candesce® SBS paperboard laminated to E-flute corrugated fiberboard, and offset printed with four color process inks, in-line with aqueous gloss coating.
- It was designed to maintain integrity of the piece during shipping and storage.
- The structural design replicates a gatefold record sleeve common to some of the greatest record albums in the 1970s.
Production Credits
Reflecting the size and importance of Inhouse designers and departments, more than 5,000 entries were received overall this year — and a highly selective Top 10% have been selected as winners and presented with a Certificate of Excellence.
Diamond's award-winning team collaborated to develop a beautifully-decorated structural and ornamental piece:
- Dennis Bacchetta | Creative Director, Art Director, Designer
- Maddy Griebel | Structural Designer and Graphic Design
- Tyler Farren | Graphic Design
- Jamie Gunter | Prepress
Embossing Dies
Universal Engraving, part of the UEI Group, provided all of the embossing dies after reviewing the graphic and structural design layouts with the Diamond production team.
A collaborative effort between Universal’s designers and Diamond’s lead embossing operator, led to suggestions on optimizing the embossing and debossing dies to add more realism to the design.
To add depth and realism, multi-level embossing was tastefully applied to the vinyl records and turntable components (plinth, platter, tonearm, controls, spindle).
The multi-level embossed vintage speakers (cabinet, tweeter, woofer, port) and album frame take you back to another time and place.
The embossed amplifier, guitar, stereo rack, and rug add realism and convey your favorite music room setting.
