Packaging that rocks: Ani DiFranco CD creates high-impact packaging

Paperboard Packaging, June, 2004

The design team for Ani DiFranco's Evolve CD approached this challenge from a new angle. Co-art directors Ani DiFranco and Brian Grunert used unique materials and high-concept embossing techniques to create eye-catching, memorable packaging. The CD has received accolades from the music industry, including a 2004 Grammy award for Best Recording Package.

"Paper selection was a principal step in the design process," Grunert says. "We wanted to express the themes of Evolve by using strong colors in combination with evocative textures and patterns."

The team chose FiberMark's Skivertex Alloy[R], a packaging material that expresses and elevates brand image with a feel and visual depth that invites interaction. Produced at Shorewood Packaging's Toronto facility, the package sets the CD apart from other new releases on the retail shelf.

From Concept to Construction

The "main character" in Evolve's title track is a moth. The moth became the central metaphor for the recording's package design. It is a symbol that aptly represents the themes of change and growth, both personal and artistic that are present throughout the album's songs.

A layered approach was visualized. The art directors chose to juxtapose a slicker, metallic slipcase against a more muted, organic inner packaging. To create a lifelike appearance, the designers conceptualized a moth printed in muted browns and greens and embossed in a sculpted die. "A diecut in an exact outline of the moth suggests the emergence of the moth through the outer packaging. The combined effect is that the package itself 'evolves' as it is opened," Grunert says.

For advice on material options that would make the vision a reality, the design team relied on the converter, Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper.

"The substrate for the outer slipcase needed to be a compelling metallic material. It also needed to be receptive to precise diecutting," says Anita Samet, Shorewood account manager. "When I heard the design goals, I immediately thought of FiberMark.

"FiberMark does metallics very well, offering bold colors and finishes that can be combined in myriad ways. This makes it the ideal alternative for designers who want to go beyond the usual options to create a customized look. The high-performance material has sufficient stiffness for the manufacture of set-up boxes and slipcases, and does not chip or crack when folded."

The design team selected FiberMark's Skivertex Metallic Alloy in Twilight Blue laminated onto 12-point black board as the material for the outer slipcase. The stock has a pre-embossed brush finish. Matte black foil stamping completes the look.

The inner packaging for the award-winning CD was printed on the uncoated side of SBS (solid bleached sulfate) board from International Paper for a unique textured feel. The "moth" image was embossed onto the board stock.