Daily News

Hazen Paper Co. Impresses AIMCAL Judges to Win 2019 Product of the Year

HOLYOKE — Turning a simple box into an unusual ‘beauty and the beast’ packaging statement, Hazen Paper Co. was honored for the second year in a row with Product of the Year honors at the annual meeting of the Assoc. of International Metallizers, Coaters, and Laminators (AIMCAL), held recently in Palm Beach, Calif.

The winning entry was a folding carton titled “The Spirit of Innovation” for prestige luxury box maker Autajon Packaging USA, which featured a three-dimensional, jewel-toned snake and a female model whose face transformed from flawless to gorgeously reptilian when the box is tilted.

The folding carton was made with precisely registered custom color-motion holography that reflects and refracts light to bring the snake’s sinuous curves to life and allows the woman’s face and eye to blaze with unexpected snake-like gleam. The box is embossed with a snakeskin pattern and finished with a soft-touch coating. Inside, a sea-green coating contrasts with the rich black exterior.

“It’s a testament to the vision and talent of the Autajon designer that this package is so visually and tactilely stunning,” said Hazen President John Hazen. “In one package, she clearly demonstrated brand-identity and brand-protection benefits that can be achieved with holography. I’m proud that our holographic artists were able to deliver on the brilliance of her idea.”

The judges were impressed with the winner’s visual impact and expert combination of registered holograms, embossing, and matte and gloss finishes. “There’s a lot of complexity,” observed one judge. “The result is a highly premium appearance,” concluded another. 

Hazen also received a “Product Excellence” award for Benefit Cosmetics’ Hoola Quickie Contour Stick packaging, created with silver Ultracure acrylic-coated metallized polyester laminated to paperboard, offset-printed in transparent and opaque colors, and embossed. Judges rewarded the package for its extensive use of embossing, halftone reproduction, tight registration, and vivid green interior. “This is a complete integration of design, metallizing, and other elements,” one noted.