I’m talking about magazine issues. I have them. I’m fine with reading news on my laptop and iPhone. I even cut the cord on cable. But I just can’t seem to part with my magazine collection. In my office are waist-high stacks of my favorites, including a few from the 1960s and '70s. The articles in those vintage issues are entertainingly outdated but, surprisingly a lot of brand the packaging featured in the ads aren't. It’s amazing to see which brands perfected their packaging from the start ( Chanel N°5) and the brands that evolved with the times.

The first thing I did when I started at BRAND Packaging was to get all of the back issues I could find. My favorites are the annual December Design Gallery issues. I recently flipped through the 2016 Design Gallery issue and saw the then new EOS lotion and Daisy’s flexible sour cream packaging—two products with game-changing packaging designs that seem like they’ve been on shelves for much longer than two years. I’m excited to go through this year’s submissions and see all of the well-designed packaging submitted. If you hang on to your 2018 issue you can flip through it 2020 to see which brands have become consumer favorites. And, if you keep your magazines as long as I do, you can see which products have went on to become part of brand history.

DESIGN GALLERY OPEN

If you have already created an exceptional packaging design, enter it in our Design Gallery awards, where we honor packaging that effectively tells a brand’s story through design and structure to connect with consumers. The deadline for submissions has been extended until August 31

Winning designs will appear in the December special edition issue and be displayed at the Packaging That Sells conference October 8-10 in Chicago. Presentation themes include sustainable packaging, virtual and augmented reality, and how wellness trends translate to packaging.