Bottles with a Difference

Whether of glass, plastic or aluminium, these beverage packaging are design standouts REFLECTING two years o f economic flux, the most recent edition of the packaging design competition Pentawards was marked by a tamped down level of creativity - likely constricted by cost-consciousness of the companies for which they design. "The packaging on show was of excellent quality, but we also noted far greater caution in creativity - undoubtedly due to the conditions on the market, which requires less risk taking," explains Brigitte Evrard, co-founder of the Pentawards. Open to all designers and creatives from all over the world who are engaged in the design of packaging, the fourth edition nonetheless registered more than 850 entries from 38 countries in spite of the serious economic crisis and the overall reduction of costs. Whereas half of the entries come from the four leading markets (UK, USA, Japan and France), Ms Evrard noted this year's awards registered more and more creations from emerging countries through the years. For instance, an elegant black bottle printed with traditional embroidery created by Snash Design for Domaine Fendri, a Tunisian company that has made organic olive oil since 1994, was awarded a Bronze Pentaward 2010 for the Food category spices, oils and sauces. It was the only winner from Tunisia. Gérard Caron, publisher of www. admirabledesign.com and chairman of the Pentawards panel of judges added: "This edition of Pentawards confirms the creativity and, to a certain extent, the university of packaging design. The cultures of the five continents converge therein, especially with the advent of Africa this year! "And yet, design is not international, as can be noted, because the markets are not international. But today, the talent of the packaging designer has to have that universal dimension." Among the most coveted awards were for the Beverage category, which was further subdivided into Coffee & Tea (RTD), Soft Drinks, Juices, Water, Functional Drinks and Milk, amongst others. Gold winners in these subcategories may at first not come over as distinctive, but little twists in design and graphic appeal, and how they highlight the product merit the awards. In the RTD coffee and tea group, Identity Works literally brings about "message in a bottle" for Pour Te, an iced tea brewed in Sweden with organic and Fairtrade ingredients from Johan & Nystrom, one of Sweden's most renowned coffee roasters. The concept is based on an idea about the message in a bottle with user-generated messages on the surface of the bottle -behind a flap on the label. Anyone has a chance to express their innermost thoughts, declaring his love or just whine a little over a bottle of iced tea. The idea lives on in www.pourte. se, and lays the foundation for an integrated product identity concept. Energy drink übershot, the gold winner in Functional Drinks, comes in a small format, red aluminium shot bottle. To target an audience of hard working young professionals and represent a more 'socially acceptable' face of energy drinks, the bottle has been designed by Pearlfisher (UK) as stylish and sophisticated, urban accessory. The bold icon reflects the message of the front facing tagline: 'energy for life with no lows', and the small format expresses a big idea. Evian by Paul Smith came up with the gold in the Limited Edition subcategory. Third in as many years for a bottle design by a well-known fashion designer for the Danone Waters brand, the 2010 bottle has a festive theme that is a nod to the famous Paul Smith stripes. The annual Evian designer bottle tradition began in 2008 with a limited edition bottle designed by Christian Lacroix, followed in 2009 with Jean Paul Gaultier. The 2011 bottle is by Issey Miyake. Clean andBrands