Spotlight: Entertainment Packaging

Ani DiFranco’s “Evolve” CD Earns a “Package” Grammy With Aid of Unique Materials

At first glance, the delicate moth on Ani DiFranco’s 2003 “Evolve” CD looks as if it could take flight at any moment. On closer inspection, the moth appears content to rest on a shimmering sea of blue. The overall effect of this striking cover helped DiFranco and her longtime art director, Brian Grunert, snatch a Grammy in February.

FiberMark’s Skivertex® Alloy® “paper” is embossed with a Brush finish to create the lustrous effect. The material of the Grammy-award-winning slipcase is a striking metallic blue color with a subtle pattern that appears to change in luster as the package is moved. The versatile duplex Fibermark material has a crisp, modern look that contrasts with the natural, organic look of the four-panel inner packaging.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, an organization of music industry peers, awarded the pair the Grammy in the Best Recording Package category. The dramatic effect of the intricate moth die-cut, the metallic blue slipcase, and the beautiful liner note booklet wowed the National Academy. The shimmering blue slipcase has both visual and tactile elements, as it has cutouts for the delicate moth and the “EVOLVE” letters a layer below and has tightly packed, raised ridges meant to simulate brush strokes. The luster of the blue on the hybrid paper also changes hue as the angle of light’s reflection changes.

This innovative package uses an image of a moth emerging through a metallic blue foreground to express the CD’s theme of evolution. The outer blue slipcase, constructed of FiberMark’s Skivertex® Alloy® with a Brush finish, showcases the brand image with a feel and visual depth that invites interaction. A latex-saturated film is laminated to board for a versatile combination of rigidity and suppleness, allowing for 90-degree bends. The artist’s name and the track list are flat-foil stamped directly onto the material and a custom die cut is intricately crafted to outline both the shape of a moth and the letters of the album name.

Bears the DiFranco “brand”

The closed “Evolve” CD is a study in contrasts, with the crisp, modern look of the blue metallic slip case contrasting with the natural, organic realism of the moth, which is die-cut and embossed onto the inner package paper. This distinctive and artful design probably comes as no surprise to Ani DiFranco’s loyal fans, who know DiFranco to instill her artist’s vision into everything she touches. “In its look and feel, this material is key in designing a package that expresses the unique qualities of Ani’s music,” says Grunert. “Not only is it eye-catching on the shelf, but it invites people to touch the package, pick it up, examine it, and hopefully take it home with them.”

The compact disc is enclosed in a four-panel Digipak® that slides from the outer slipcase. A photograph of the moth is printed in muted reds, browns, and greens on International Paper’s Bleached Board printed on the uncoated side. The image of the moth is made lifelike with sculptured embossing. The embossing adds dimension to the body of the moth and is registered to precisely outline the moth shape. Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, partnered with art directors to create and test the precision processes needed for the intricate die cut, foil stamping, and registered embossing.

FiberMark packaging materials also improved the impact of two recent DVD releases, “The Lord of the Rings” and “Scarface,” with faux-crocodile skin adding intrigue to the “Scarface” package. Shorewood Packaging, with 19 locations in North America and overseas, is a value-added provider of high quality printing and paperboard packaging for the home entertainment, cosmetics, health and beauty aids, candy and confectionery, pharmaceutical, sporting goods, tobacco, and general consumer markets.