Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) has announced the winners of its 59th Anniversary GDUSA Package Design Awards, a celebration of the power of effective package design and related disciplines to advance the brand, tell the story, make the sale.

The annual competition includes more than 20 categories. This year, more than 2,750 entries were received overall – one of the biggest totals ever. A highly selective top 10% were selected as winners and presented with a Certificate of Excellence.

Global packaging design company Equator picked up awards for four projects, including its work on Molson Coors ‘High Life’, ASR Group’s Domino sugar range, Aldi USA’s Bravissimo Single Origin Coffees, and US Foods’ Kombucha drinks range.

For US Foods, Equator created a design strategy for retail ready, individually portioned, grab & go Kombucha drinks. The strategy focused on flavours and benefits, creating strong visual appeal. The new design was praised for its on-shelf impact, with an energetic, bright aesthetic.

Equator’s collaboration with Molson Coors on its High Life beers was also a winner, with colours and typefaces chosen to create nostalgia and an old school champagne glass driving home the brand proposition of Miller High Life as the ultimate celebratory beer.

For ASR Group’s Domino sugar range, Equator created a design that stayed true to the brand’s distinct, longstanding colour palette, bringing to life product provenance, and ensuring consistency of the brand’s message.

Equator was also honoured, with client partner Aldi USA, for the design of their Barissimo Single Origin Coffees, which involved creating a unique family of designs to differentiate them from the core range. Scenic and animal illustrations were created to evoke each product’s distinctive qualities.

Michael Duffy, Global Creative Director at Equator, commented: “We want to thank our client partners for trusting us with their creative vision and working with us to bring it to life! Being challenged to push ourselves as a team, to explore the unexpected and deliver something truly impactful, is what great design is all about. Congratulations to all of the teams involved in these projects.”

GDUSA Editor Gordon Kaye added: “Package design is more critical than ever, and the depth and breadth of our annual competition reflects that. In this era in which audiences are fragmented, communication is cluttered, and brand loyalty is challenged, package design is uniquely positioned to advance the brand promise, inform and persuade, and to forge an emotional connection at the moment of truth.”