European Packaging Awards

The Red Dot Awards are Europe's version of an Oscar for graphic and product design. Presented annually in a glitzy ceremony, the winners can also be viewed online or at the Red Dot Museum in Essen, Germany. Here are my favorites of the recent winners in the category of packaging design.

Swell is a line of fruit juice drinks produced in Spain. The bottle's embossed "S" creates ridges that make the bottle easier to grip. The logo's suprisingly large size on the label make it impossible to read from any one angle. This decision to break the rules of readability generates shelf presence and distinctivenes through visual tension.
Design by ruiz+company, Barcelona

Tresdon is a new and versatile wine packaging system that transforms from in-store display case to carry-home packaging to reusable wine rack. The pre-slotted wooden panels can be simply assembled and reassembled without any tools. The eco-friendly aspects of this design extend to its shipping: most cases of wine are transported to stores in boxes filled with styrofoam pellets to protect the bottles. Treson's wooden panels function as its own packing material – the only additional element required is an outer cardboard box.
Design by Icon Design Group in Irvine, California.

When buying fish, freshness is a prime consideration. This patented fresh fish packaging expresses "freshness" by presenting the fish as if it were still gliding through the waves of the sea. When viewed as a group in a store's refrigerator case, the packages create the impression of a school of fish in the ocean.
Design by feldmann+schultchen design studios, Hamburg, Germany

Quolofune is a high-end cookie and candy company headquartered in Osaka, Japan. Their packaging system avoids precious candy-box fussiness by embracing a minimal design of elegant typography and a crisp black-and-white palette.
Design by Shigeno Araki Design & Co, Osaka