PENTAWARDS WAS FOUNDED in 2007 with the aim of recognizing excellence in design, providing a source of inspiration and connecting the global packaging community through its competition and events. Now in its 14th year, the 2020 competition received more than 2,000 entries from 60 countries across five continents, with top contributing countries including Russia, Spain, China, the U.S. and the UK.
This year, more 400 entries were been shortlisted across the six main categories, which hold a total of 59 subcategories.
Platinum—Beverages, Professional Concept
Happy Ghost
By Pavla Chuykina
As the first ever Professional Concept Platinum award winner, this playful design is something that can be easily replicated for products going into market. To create the “ghost” character, the designer extended the height of the bottle’s punt. A pair of ghostly eyes are then added to the deep indentation, and the ghostly effect is amplified by the beverage’s liquid that helps evoke the mystical imagery of ghost eyes peering at the viewer through a fog.
Diamond—Best of Show
By Air Co, U.S.
When it came to selecting the 14th winner of the Diamond—Best of Show Award, the judges were unanimous. Clem Halpin, president of the Pentawards jury, noted, “We talk about the future of luxury and sustainable luxury, and this is it.” Steve Honour, design and visual identity leader, innovation, Europe and Africa, Diageo, remarked, “Air Co feels like its leading a new era of design. The packaging itself is stunning and really represents its fantastic backstory. The whole package is ground-breaking.”
Air Co’s packaging and design is as forward thinking, modern and transformative as the approach to creating the brand and company itself. The packaging for the carbon-negative vodka brand aligns with Air Co’s mission to be the most sustainable alcohol brand in the world. It is both reusable and comprises sustainable materials. Keeping the vodka as the star, the label is placed towards the top of the bottle giving ample space to display the liquid. By placing the label lower, the vodka is the first to meet the eye. The label itself is simple, custom-made, natural and non-toxic; it can be removed easily so the bottle can be used for other purposes such as a water bottle, flower vase or candle holder.
Platinum—Other Markets
HEMA
By Magnet Design
This charming range of packaging for Dutch retailer HEMA contains summer water inflatables. The design concept shows a range of summer products that look like they have been dropped into mini swimming pools, and there’s even a steel step that leads into the pool on the front, bringing the image to life. All toys have been designed exclusively by HEMA and represent the retailer’s most famous icons including HEMA’s smoked sausage, Takkie the Dog, tompouce pastry and summer ice creams. HEMA’s overall ambition is to stop putting plastic products into plastic packaging, so carton boxes were chosen to package and protect the products inside.
Platinum—Luxury
Hennessy VS Collector’s Edition
By Felipe Pantone—Appartement 103
Released globally at a limited quantity of 70 pieces, this Collector’s Edition from Hennessy was created in partnership with the world-renowned and pioneering street artist Felipe Pantone. The result of this collaboration is a super clean, shiny white PET box that once opened reveals the whole world of Felipe Pantone through a prism of graphical elements and textures. At the center of the experience, the consumer is invited to build their own art sculpture around a customized Hennessy V.S. (very special) bottle, which is printed with the cutting-edge digital technologies in CMYK. The exclusive carafe stands on a pedestal in the center of a grid of moiré-finished rods that consumers themselves can place, move and interchange to alter the bottle’s optics.