Diamond Packaging Wins GDUSA American Inhouse Design Award
The 2025 "Press Sheet Music" calendar. | Credit: Diamond Packaging
Diamond Packaging 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.
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Packaging Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Packaging Impressions.
