A Look Back at The Dieline in 2012
by First name Last name on 12/30/2012 | 7 Minute Read
I can't believe how fast 2012 has gone by! Ending this year marks a very important milestone for me: 6 years since I first started The Dieline. It also marks another year of being able to do what I love: sharing the world's best packaging design with the you, and putting a spotlight on the industry, the issues, and the challenges you face as a package designer.
2012 has been a remarkable year. In the course of 2012 we have held The Dieline Awards 2012, visited several inspiring package design firms, held two spectacular package design conferences, and exhibited our 2012 Dieline Award winners in Paris, twice!
In the past 6 years we have received well over 100 million hits, created over 7,000 posts, and have produced 5 world class package design conferences. We have also held three The Dieline Package Design Awards competitions recognizing the worlds best packaging, and even came out with a book along the way. 83 years worth of collective time has been spent reading The Dieline since its inception. Almost an entire century! All thanks to you for reading The Dieline each and every day, entering The Dieline Awards, and coming to our events. I have so much to be thankful for.
My very first post on The Dieline read:
"The goal of The Dieline is simple: to become the leading package design resource on the web. ... From labels to bags, tags to boxes, and bands to bottles, we want to define good packaging design, as well as discuss the issues faced by designers in the field. We hope that you enjoy, learn, contribute, and most importantly, are inspired."
It gives me chills to read that again, 6 years later.
As we say goodbye to 2012, lets take a look back over the past year in the world of The Dieline.
Wishing you all the best in 2013!
- Andrew Gibbs
Events We Held in 2012:
The Dieline Package Design Conference 2012 in Boston & The Dieline Package Design Awards Ceremony
The Dieline Package Design Conference 2012 was our biggest event of the year, held in Boston at HOW Design Live.
Debbie Millman interviews Brian Collins of Collins: to kick off the show.
The Pearlfisher design team and their Dieline Awards.
Kevin Shaw of Stranger & Stranger piecing his Dieline Awards together.
Terri Goldstein of The Goldstein Group wows the crowd.
Even The Sexy Sax Man made an appearance on the show floor.
Suite Tea with The Dieline
As a big "Thank You" to our contributors, sponsors and award winners The Dieline hosted a private offsite event during this years Conference.
The event took place at The Ames Hotel Boston in their gorgeous Apartment Suite. Guests enjoyed desserts catered by the hotel and a signature drink "The Boston Mule" a delicious cocktail made with ginger beer which included Absolut's Sweet Tea Vodka.
Each guest received a gift bag packed with goodies that included some of The Dieline's favorite package designs from the year.
The Dieline Awards Winners Exhibit in Paris
The package design and production agency Diadeis and the Designpack Gallery presented The Winners Exhibit, an exhibition of the 2012 winners for the best package designs of the year, handed out by The Dieline.
It was such an honor to have our 2012 Winner's packaging on exhibit in the heart of Paris, steps from the Louvre.
The Dieline Forum: Los Angeles
The Dieline Forum: Los Angeles was a one day package design conference held in my hometown of Downtown LA this past October. We had 7 incredible sessions, keynoted by AIGA LA President Noreen Morioka of AdamsMorioka.
The Honest Company design team and founder Jessica Alba at The Dieline Forum: Los Angeles.
Left to Right: Steve Kazanjian of MVW, and The Dieline Team: Gina Angie (designer), Andrew Gibbs (me), and Ivan Navarro (editor at large)
The Dieline Awards Exhibit at Emballage 2012 in Paris
We are so proud to have been able to partner with Diadeis to present The Dieline Package Design Awards 2012 Winners Showcase at Emballage 2012, one of the biggest package design expos in the world.
Checking out the 2012 winners.
Studios We Visited in 2012:
What's coming up in 2013:
The Dieline Package Design Awards 2013
The Dieline Package Design Awards 2013 - Presented by Inwork is woldwide competition devoted exclusively to the art of consumer package design. The Dieline Awards were launched in 2009 in order to bring more awareness to the importance of well-designed packaging.
The awards are judged by a highly esteemed panel of 10 industry experts from around the world, and awarded based on Creativity, Marketability, and Innovation.
For the 2013 edition, 42 winners across 13 different categories will be awarded a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place Award, and the highest scoring project will receive a one-of-a-kind "Best of Show" award, and a session at The Dieline Package Design Conference 2013 in San Francisco.
An "Editor's Choice" award will also be given out, handpicked by Andrew Gibbs, Founder of The Dieline.
Registration Opens Jan 1st, get your entries ready!
The Dieline Package Design Conference 2013
Brand strategies are now being built from the package outward – but a major shift happening now is towards the package design architecting all brand touch points based on the brand expression centering in the package design.
Brands, and designers are beginning to understand the value of starting with the package first. The Dieline Package Design Conference 2013 will show package designers how to extend the perception of their expertise and how to vocalize and be more articulate about what their design means to their brand.
We want to teach package designers to be better at considering the role of design in improving sales of a product, and to create meaningful differentiation. There are lots of beautiful designs out there, but not many are reinventing the perceptions of product benefits or paying off on shifting, emerging cultural ideology. We would like to change that.
The Dieline Package Design Conference 2013 will give package designers the language and tools to convince higher ups that their design is truly communicating to the brand target. We will elevate the role of package designers beyond craftsmanship discussions, and have more talks about becoming more influential and in demand, and how to become industry leaders.
The Dieline Package Design Conference will take place on June 23-26 in San Francisco, CA.
Full list of speakers to be announced soon.
More Info on The Dieline Conference 2013 Here
Special Thanks To:
Avery Dennison • CB'a Brand Engine • Capsule • DuPuis • Flood Creative • HLP Klearfold • Inwork • Little Big Brands • McLean Design • OCE • Pause For Thought • PhilippeBecker • Product Ventures • School of Visual Arts - Masters in Branding • Sterling Brands • Swerve Inc.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!