Not many kids dislike jellies and jams. And many kids like Walt Disney cartoon characters. Combining the two became the inspiration for decoration used for 10-oz tumblers of Concord, MA-based Welch's grape jelly, grape jam and strawberry jelly. Each glass jar is screen-printed with one of six different scenes from Disney's recent movie Simba's Pride. Not only did the design help sell jars of jelly, it also earned a Discovery Award from the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (Washington, DC) last September.
Each year, the SGCD awards converters in design and technical categories. In 1998, Owens-Brockway (Toledo, OH) won a Discovery Award in Food Containers, Glass, for excellence in design for its decoration on the Welch's jars. Welch's Kathleen Mirani, group marketing communications manager, marketing services, says the company is pleased with the decoration. "Our challenge is to bring the characters from the movie to life," says Mirani. "We really need to hold true to the integrity of the artwork. The trapping [of colors during printing] is just outstanding."
Mirani says both the product and the container appeal to children who want something fun, and to mothers who want to buy something their children enjoy. She notes that once the product is consumed, children use the jars as juice tumblers. Additionally, Welch's has created a collectables market for the series of decorative tumblers.
The glass containers are screen-printed in six colors, using lead-free inks. They're sealed with a snap-fit chrome-plated disk closure supplied by Crown Cork & Seal (Philadelphia, PA). The Simba's Pride jelly package debuted nationally last October and will be available through spring.
Other package design winners
Custom Deco (Toledo, OH) earned a discovery award in the Beverage Containers, Glass, category for printing a design on souvenir "growler" jugs. Glenn Jones, owner of Apex, NC-based Glenn Jones Graphics, designs and sells the bottles along the coast of North Carolina to souvenir shops. The image of a pirate is screen-printed in three colors on the back of the 1/2-gal bottle, while a sinking ship is printed on the front. The closure is a 38-mm metal screw cap. When the bottles are filled with water, the pirate image appears magnified. The bottles, which retail for $9.95, can be found at shops that cater to tourists who use them to collect small shells and gravel on the beach.
The Allen Co. (Blanchester, OH) earned an award in Cosmetics Containers, Glass, for its design of a 10-oz cologne bottle that has not yet been used in a commercial application. The design incorporates four colors blended in one screen that delivers an iridescent effect. The blending of the colors, says the company, means that no two bottles are exactly alike.
SGCD honors printers that decorate ceramic and glass containers. The 1998 awards featured 378 entries in 16 design and 15 technical categories.
