idsgn (a design blog)

Box Bottle Bag is a new book that showcases the best in modern packaging design from The Dieline.

Since 2007, The Dieline has collected the most unique and recent packaging designs from around the world. Originally created by designer Andrew Gibbs as a weekend project to stay current in the industry, the blog has since become an authority in the field.

Published this month, Box Bottle Bag showcases the best work over the blog’s history, as well as a few new additions. The book is filled with hundreds of inspiring examples, broken down into six chapters: Luxe, Bold, Crisp, Charming, Casual, and Nostalgic. Packages are shown in glorious high-resolution print (the next best thing to holding the actual product in your hands) along with a brief quote from the design firm or company behind the product. Don’t expect any in-depth case studies or industry insight though—Box Bottle Bag lets the visuals do the talking, making for a perfect coffee table book.

Gibbs spoke to us about the book, his recent move from packaging designer to author, and emerging packaging design trends in 2010.

IDSGN: You started The Dieline in 2007 as a weekend project to collect inspiring work. Today it has become an important voice in the industry, have you been surprised by its quick growth?

ANDREW GIBBS: Yes and no. We have grown so large and so fast, it has been incredible. The response from the industry in a short 3 years has been overwhelming and inspiring. I started The Dieline because there was nothing like it, there was no site for packaging inspiration, nothing to see what was going on in the industry. We have grown from a few readers, to hundreds of thousands of dedicated and passionate people around the world. We filled a huge void in the industry, so I can see why our growth has been as big as it is. We have been very fortunate to have such a dedicated reader base!

How do you manage it all?

It has been a crazy few years, and at times, I have no idea how I did it all. As of now, I dedicate 100% of my time to running The Dieline and all of our endeavors, such as The Dieline Awards, the blog, the book, as well as some other things we have up our sleeve. Thanks to our incredible sponsors, as of the beginning of the year, I have quit my full time job as a package designer, and work solely for The Dieline.

Box Bottle Bag is your first published book, what was the experience like in comparison to publishing a blog?

It was an incredibly different experience. Publishing a book was a much longer and more detailed process. It took way more time than I ever thought it would. The most tedious thing was getting signed permissions for every single image of the book. Overall it was a lot of work, but a very fun and exiting thing to do. I am hoping I can do it again with a Box Bottle Bag 2!

The book is filled with hundreds of inspiring package designs, what are some of your personal favorites?

The book is a collection of my personal favorites. The book gave me the opportunity to cherry pick my favorites from the past few years on the blog, and select several new and never before seen projects that just enamored me. Every project in the book is a personal favorite.

Like anything else in design, packaging seems to follow trends. What is the one of the biggest trends you’ve been noticing this year?

I think one trend that I am starting to see this year, and expect to grow, are barcodes, in two different ways. Novelty barcodes, I see the use of them expanding, especially with the launch of vanitybarcodes.com. Also QR Codes; in Japan, they are the #1 two dimensional barcode, and I expect them to take over here in the coming years and being included on more consumer products.

You recently announced the upcoming The Dieline Awards. How did this come about and what can we expect from the first ever competition?

The Dieline Awards were a long time coming. I actually had the idea several years ago, and bought the domain name just in case. Debbie Millman was the one who really made it happen. She is co-chair of the FUSE conference, and recommended that we work together to do a Dieline event at the next conference. The awards idea popped up, and the rest is history.

The response to the competition was completely overwhelming, never did I think we would receive so many entries, and the level of quality that each of them were. You can expect the [competition] to be fierce, and can expect top notch winners, truly the world’s best packaging. We are in the midst of the very exciting judging process, and the winners will be announced April 14th at FUSE in Chicago.

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Box Bottle Bag is published by HOW Books and is available now in bookstores and Amazon.com. Author Andrew Gibbs will be doing book signings at LuxePack in Paris and HOW Conference in Denver in June.