Diamond Packaging Wins Five Awards in FSEA Competition

Diamond Packaging announced that it won five awards in the 32nd Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards Competition, the industry's premier showcase for foiling, embossing, and other specialty effects. Awards were presented during the AMPLIFY finishing, packaging, and design event in Rosemont, IL.

The competition celebrates the quality, added value, shelf presence, security, and brand recognition that specialty finishing processes lend to the printed sheet. Entries were judged by a panel of industry experts on several criteria including design, execution, and level of difficulty.

Diamond won Gold Leaf and Silver Leaf awards in the “Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Calendar” and “Best Use of Embossing (Creative)” categories, respectively, for its 2025 "Press Sheet Music" corporate calendar.

The calendar captures the essence of vinyl through four different limited edition album releases featuring multi-color UV printing, cold foiling, reticulated specialty coating, multi-level embossing, and intricate die cutting — all housed in an attractive gatefold sleeve. An innovative, user-adjustable wheel on the backer allows collectors to rotate and personalize the artwork, drawing inspiration from iconic album covers spanning from the 1950s to contemporary times.

The calendars were converted utilizing Clearwater ReMagine 30% PCW paperboard, cold foiled, and offset printed with four color process and three PMS inks, supplied by Ink Systems, in-line with UV matte, UV gloss, reticulated, and MotionCoat specialty UV coating.

The vinyl records were cold foiled and offset printed with semi-transparent inks to create a stunning array of limited-edition colors, including cyan, magenta, yellow (CMY), and "Columbia Records" red (c. 1970s).

Tightly-registered coatings were used to enhance the design and highlight the individual calendar components. UV matte coating was used on the wall. UV gloss coating was used on all four vinyl records, turntable (tonearm, controls), frames, stereo rack, and Diamond Packaging text. Reticulated specialty coating was applied to the turntable plinth and guitar amplifier to create texture and haptic feedback. The record grooves feature MotionCoat specialty UV coating, supplied by ACTEGA, that creates dramatic, motion-like visual effects.

Silver cold foil, supplied by Kurz, delivers shimmering metallic effects on one of the vinyl records (red label), turntable (tonearm, controls), frames, stereo rack, and Diamond Packaging text.

Multi-level embossing – developed in collaboration with Universal Engraving – was skillfully applied to the vinyl records and turntable components, including the plinth, platter, tonearm, controls, and spindle, to enhance depth and realism. Additional elements, such as the frames, lamp, chair, stereo rack, rug, and Diamond Packaging text, were also embossed to add dimensional detail.

The calendar pages were converted utilizing Domtar Cougar Smooth 80# Text paper and offset printed with four color process inks and UV matte coating. of a colorful room setting add realism. The unique finish and subtle colors beautifully complement the design concept.

The recyclable shipper was converted utilizing Clearwater Candesce SBS paperboard laminated to E-flute corrugated fiberboard, and offset printed with four color process inks, in-line with aqueous gloss coating. The structural design replicates a gatefold record sleeve common to some of the greatest record albums in the 1970s.

Diamond won Bronze Leaf awards in the “Best Use of Cold Foiling (Folding Carton)” and “Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Folding Carton (Creative)” categories for StriVectin’s Glow & Protect packaging.

The folding cartons were converted utilizing FSC-certified Billerud CrownBoard Prestige paperboard, cold foiled, and offset printed with four color process inks, in-line with UV matte, UV high gloss, and DiamondTouch soft touch coating.

The graphic design creates depth by layering product imagery over a shadowy canvas, enriched with metallic blue and copper foil accents that evoke the Northern Lights, and finished with an elegant silver foil frame.

Overprinting PMS colors over silver cold foil differentiates the collection, adds distinction, and reinforces StriVectin as a prestige skincare brand. The overall soft touch matte coating adds an appealing tactile quality that promotes consumer interaction, and provides a striking contrast to the UV gloss spot coating applied over the product photos. Embossed logos on the front, top, and side panels add depth and dimension to the design.

Diamond won a Silver Leaf award in the “Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Sustainable Design” category for Inter Parfums’ GUESS Iconic for Men fragrance packaging.

The folding cartons were converted utilizing Clearwater Candesce SBS paperboard and offset printed with four color process and PMS inks, in-line with UV matte, UV high gloss, and DiamondTouch soft touch coating.

The design features soft brown gradients highlighted by a multi-level embossed leather-style band that wraps around the carton. Detailed stitching and a smooth, soft-touch coating enhance the band’s visual appeal and tactile realism. This distinctive element creates a striking contrast to the surrounding high-gloss finish. A gold foil embossed and debossed GUESS Iconic logo enhances the design and adds additional dimension to the overall presentation.

The combination of color and textures beautifully complements the design of the primary container – a contemporary glass spray bottle with a sophisticated blend of textures and materials, including leather touches and stitching, gold GUESS Iconic buckle and text, and a leather cap.

All of Diamond’s winning entries were designed utilizing recyclable or recycled paperboards (many FSC-certified), and manufactured using 100% clean, renewable wind energy, in a Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWL) and Carbon Neutral (Scope 1 and Scope 2) facility.

Source: Diamond Packaging

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