We are excited to learn that one of our recent project – the Bindlestiffs has won the American Package Design Award from Graphic Design USA. We spoke with the graphic designer Sydnee Davidson on this project and other topics on package design.

1. What is your inspiration for the Bindlestiffs DVD design?
The Bindlestiffs series is about a family circus and the struggles and hard work it takes to keep the show running.   I figured a grungy, vintage style circus poster might work, with some political elements as one of the ad campaigns for the show was to vote Kinko, the clown, for president.

2. What are some of your favorite techniques to make the title or the marketing message pop?
The title should always be clearly visible, and we wanted to make sure that each of the characters in the show were represented by demonstrating one of the acts they participated in to give the potential buyer an idea of what the series is about.

3. What is your suggestion if the main photo is taken poorly – blurry, pixelated, out of focus etc?
Improvise.  In this case we did have both high and low-res images for the cover.  The main image was a high-res photo, the rest were low-res video captures.  So I gave all the images a few Photoshop filters and hand-drawn outlines to essentially create a new set of images that all worked together as a family and that suited the design style I was going for.

4. Can you offer some tips on basic design for a beginner?
Have more than one idea, browse the internet and/or magazines for inspiration, research the product you are creating artwork for, and put all your thoughts and ideas into the design.  It’s also always good to have people to bounce ideas off of in case you get stuck.

5. What questions to ask a printer before submitting an artwork?
What kind of paper stock do you offer?  Do you do spot varnish?  How do you want the file set-up for spot varnish?  What file format is best (PDF, AI, PSD, etc)?

To learn more about the Bindlestuffs, visit http://www.thebindlestiffs.com/ and check out more of Sydnee’s work on her website.

Clients often fall in love with the reverse board because of its rustic feel and textured look. You may be surprised to know that designing for reverse board requires consideration from the very beginning.

Here we have a few examples that compare with the final print from the pdf proof, viewed from monitor. It shows you how drastic the reverse board changes the artwork, and how you can make the best use of this interesting stock (click on the images below for full-resolution photo):

1. Color: The main reason why reverse board is so special is that it makes colors look muted, washed out for that ‘vintage’ look. It is especially more visible with darker tones.

2. Fine details: As you can see from these examples, reverse board printing works best with images with high contrasts and definitive boundaries. If the object of the image blends in with background with no clear definition, it will lose even more details on reverse board. Illustrations, images applied with various filters will work best in this case.

3. Hard copy proof: When it comes to reverse board, it is the best to see a hard copy proof before to running with production. You may be surprised by the way your print comes out otherwise.

Touch it! Don’t judge the print effect of reverse board with what you see here. Always get a sample to get a true feeling of the texture of the paper material, you will see why this is quickly becoming one of our most popular options!

Fiberboard material is alot like kraft paper used in packaging materials, it looks un-finished and rustic, and works in many type of disc packaging. We will go through a few past projects and highlight the best ways to make the best out of this material.

1. Keep colors simple

Keep the number of colors to a few and it will complement nicely with the rustic brown background.

This design consists of 2 PMS colors.

This design consists of just black

2. Illustration vs realistic image

Due to its rough surface, photographs and images are not as detailed as they would seem on regular stock. A good way to compensate for that is turn the image into illustration, like the following example:

Realistic images tend to lose details on this paper so avoid it if possible.

3. Dark vs light colors

Fiberboard absorbs quite a bit of ink, and because of its brown color, whites, pastels, and other light colors look pale and vague.

On the other hand, brown, black, and other dark tones are popular choices because it always comes out very nice and deep.

Conclusion

Let the unique texture and color of the paper be the spotlight of the design! Less is more and keep it simple.

Do you have any unique ideas or experience with designing with alternative paper stock? Let us know in the comments below!

Previously we have done a vinyl style CD sleeve that is retro and cool. Check it out if you have not seen it.

Recently another client came to us wanting to do something that mimics and old vinyl jacket but they want a spine so it is visible on shelves. We use an standard 4 panel wallet template, and added a knockout in the middle of the inside panel. Both ends of the inside pocket are open so the disc can be taken out from either direction.

The client also went with a vinyl CD which has grooves that look and feel just like that of a vinyl’s. The result is an ultra-cool CD packaging that reminds you the good days of vinyl.

The client wanted to create a look that is classic and timeless, like a hardbound book. They created a design with gorgeous details of depth and emboss. They went with a 4 panel wallet with reverse print.  A rustic, old photo album look is achieved by printing on the uncoated side of the stock.

outside panels of the DVD wallet

inside panels of the DVD wallet

QR / 2D barcode

Have you seen one of these barcodes like the one here? More and more they are popping up on product packaging, business card, magazines. These QR / 2D barcodes can be read by cell phones with scanner apps installed. It redirects the user to a web URL that is pre-programmed on the code on a web browser. The possibility is endless – you can point it to a home page, software download trial page, portfolio, and more, all without typing in a single character into the phone.

Let’s do a test with the barcode above, download the app for your phone from http://gettag.mobi , take a picture of the barcode, and it should take you to our blog page. Pretty cool eh?

Do you have any experience or questions with QR barcodes? Post them in the comment section below!

When was the last time you were in a store and was attracted to a CD or DVD because it is a ‘collector’s edition’? Many movies or music get re-released often and a nice boost in sales thanks to different free gift with purchase items. If you are a band and selling CDs at shows, it attracts more fans and potential buyers if there are some ‘added perks’ to CDs.

iPod/cell phone skins

For the special edition of the release e=MC2 by Mariah Carey, a custom iPod skin matching the album cover was bundled with the CD, and the special edition sold 500,000 copies. While iPod skins are generally sold for around $10 a piece, when purchased in bulk for promotional purpose, they can be custom made for alot less. This is not only a great memorabilia item for fans to keep, it makes great economic sense as well – the iPod skin has a much greater perceived value than the actual cost. You may even raise the retail price to offset the cost of the free gift.

Compressed tees

The first 5000 DVD copies of the movie Paranormal Activity came with a compressed t-shirt in the shape of a DVD case. Compress tees is completely unique from start to finish. Starting with a t-shirt, your graphic is silkscreened onto it and then the tee is compressed under tremendous pressure into the solid custom shape of your choice. The actual cost of a compressed tee is about the same price as a silkscreen tee with 1 or 2 color imprint. Again the higher perceived value of the item will help bringing in more sales because customers’ thinking that they are getting a better deal by paying a little more with a free gift.

Check our special on compressed tees

Mp3 or video download card

If you or someone you know are web-savvy, this maybe an easy and effective way to entice CD or DVD sale. Include a unique download code on the CD/DVD packaging that will allow fans to to download b-sides, music video, interviews, trailers from your website. In the process you may also capture fans’ contact info. You may need help from your webmaster and a printer that can print unique codes on business-card type printed products.

Bumper stickers / stickers / temporary tattoos / magnets

If the previous items areout of your purchasing budget, the items here in this last category are for you. They have been quite successful and frequently used as added value for retail CD/DVD. The great thing is that they are light and can be inserted into any package. The key to success is a compelling, memorable and eye-catching design. Think of how many times you have seen the Apple sticker on the back of a car, a backpack, or a desk. They are extremely budget-friendly and fun for a larger audience.

Check our special on temporary tattoos

For more free gift with purchase ideas, check out our promotional items database, and let us know any past experiences you may have in the comment section below!

Thinking green this time with your CD or DVD? Choosing the right type of paper stock and packaging is no easy task, especially when there are so many options to choose from. If that’s you, read on..

Learn the recycling lingo

If this is your first time trying to figure all this out, it may be helpful to understand the most important printing terms that are frequently mentioned. We have put a list together on the Recycled printing terms.

Shopping for recycled CD & DVD packaging is a little like shopping for home remodeling materials, in order to make a well informed decision, you want to find out the origin and composition of the material, and how it was made. It takes time to research, talk to different print providers, and learn a little bit of commercial printing process too.

Is recycled plastic the way to go?

Some people maybe asking, I heard that many of the standard DVD cases already contain some recycled content, so no need to look further right? Well, as we find out in detail on how virgin plastic fares against recycled plastic, there is a difference in quality.

Choosing the right cardboard packaging

Cardboard / paper packaging is an obvious choice when it comes to eco-friendly CD and DVD packaging. Why? Paper is readily recyclable, cardboard packaging is much lighter than its plastic counterparts, thus saving fuel costs in distribution. Best of all, it comes in all shapes and sizes, single or multi-discs, different paper stock options, where special print options such as embossed and foil stamp can be applied. Well, also because of all these reasons, there are so many more options to choose from, it’s important to find out what you should know about recycled CD DVD cardboard packaging.

It used to be that most filmmakers or musicians are afraid to break away from the ‘norm’, that is the jewel cases and the DVD cases, but as we see more and more now, customers are turning to recycled CD DVD packaging for retail.

What are some of the most creative ways you have seen in recent CD DVD packaging? Tell us in the comment section below!

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/365mayhem/3291556463/

If you have had the pleasure of shopping for recycled CD/DVD sleeve or other eco-friendly disc package, you may have heard ‘recycled board’, ‘FSC certified paper’ or ‘recycled board with 10% PCW’,  are they just different way of saying the same thing? In this last part of our series about recycled packaging, we’ll navigate through the complex world of recycled cardboard CD/DVD packaging.

Recycled vs recyclable

Remember in Part 1 of this series we talked about recycled printing terms? Many manufacturers will say their disc packaging is made from “recycled” paper. It is somewhat incomplete and mis-leading because it does not say how much recycled and virgin paper it contains. Even if the paper only has 10% recycled content, it can still be called “recycled paper”. The exact composition can mostly be found in the fine print.

When a cardboard packaging is labeled as “recyclable”, it simply means it can be recycled, it can contain any combination of virgin and recycled content, or no recycled content at all.

Post-consumer waste vs Pre-consumer waste

You may have found out from the fine print that the cardboard contains some recycled content, the follow-up question should be: is it post-consumer waste or pre-consumer waste? It makes a big difference in terms of costs and environmental impact. Revisit our recycled print terms glossary to refresh your memory on what they mean.

Post-consumer waste is the best type recycled content to use, it is the essence of recycling. It has gone through the hands of the consumer, and it has been “re-born” into something new.  Processing post-consumer waste is more complex and therefore it does have a higher cost than pre-consumer waste.

Is recycled cardboard cheaper?

Contrary to popular beliefs, recycled cardboard for CD/DVD disc packaging does cost more, simply because recycled paper manufacturing involves extra steps such as collecting consumer waste, recovering fiber, making and cleaning the pulp. The higher the post-consumer recycled content is, the higher the cost. Keep in mind though most papers and cardboard now do have a at least 10% post-consumer waste content. So find out from your print provider and you can balance between your budget and goal.

What is recycled digi-tray?

One of the latest innovations in cardboard packaging is now the use of recycled materials to make the digi-tray. It is the plastic tray element that holds the disc in a discpak. Examples include potato tray, recycled bottle tray, and the paper foam tray. If you have read recycled CD/DVD case, you know that recycled plastic is not as strong and sturdy as virgin plastic. Unfortunately that is the case with the non-standard digi-tray as well. If being eco-friendly is important to you, go with a package without a tray.

Is FSC-certified paper recycled?

The Forest Stewardship Council sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns of the process of paper production. That being said, it doesn’t mean the paper contains any recycled content.

There is an on-going debate about whether it is better to use FSC-certified paper or recycled paper containing post-consumer waste, what do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

While cardboard packaging is certainly gaining popularity with the eco-conscious, standard jewel case and DVD case are still the majority of disc packaging. They are also most budget-friendly. So can a jewel case or DVD case be both budget and eco-friendly?

Jewel Case

Jewel case has been the standard audio CD packaging since the late 80s. It is made out of Polystyrene, is used to make disposable cutlery, containers and the likes. This type of plastic is notorious for recycling because it takes a very long time to biodegrade. That’s why you don’t hear about recycled jewel case all that much, except for a few companies such as GreenDisk that sells jewel cases made of 100% recycled materials that they collect.

If your goal is to do something good to the environment, you may as well avoid jewel case as a whole.

DVD Case

The DVD style case is made of a different material Polypropylene. Name brands such as AGI’s Amaray is made of 100% virgin plastic, the result is a stronger and heavier case, which is also more expensive to manufacture. The great thing about Polypropylene is that it is readily recyclable. Due to cost and availability of recycled Polystyrene, many DVD cases are made of a mix of virgin and recycled material.  These recycled cases are widely used, depending on the amount of recycled content, they are softer and may bend or break on shipping. You can tell if a DVD case is recycled by smelling it, recycled Polypropylene smells like burnt rubber. The higher the recycled content is, the stronger the smell.

Color DVD Case

DVD cases come in a variety of colors, opaque or translucent. Because of the coloring, it has to be made from virgin materials. So the only “recycled” DVD case you will find is in black.

You may be wondering now if it is any easier to choose a recycled cardboard CD DVD packaging. Find out what you should know about recycled cardboard CD DVD packaging.

What is your experiences with recycled CD or DVD cases? Share your story in the comments below!

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/andresrueda/3064596190/