Nearly two weeks after the New York International Olive Oil Competition announced this year’s best olive oils, winning producers around the world continue to rejoice. But there are a few more awards that the competition organizers have not yet unveiled, until now.



“We had no intention of recognizing the best package designs in the first edition of this competition,” said Curtis Cord, publisher of Olive Oil Times and the president of NYIOOC. “But each day, as my staff and I received entries from all over the world, we were so inspired every time a particularly well-designed package was unwrapped.”



Cord asked well-known New York designer Debbie Millman if she and her team at Sterling Brands would judge the entries to determine the best package designs. “Not only do I happen to love olive oil, but it sounded like a fun project and I was glad to participate in an event like this, the first of its kind in New York,” said Millman.



Debbie Millman is a partner and president of the design division at Sterling Brands, a leading brand identity firm. Millman is President Emeritus of AIGA, chair of the School of Visual Arts’ master’s program in Branding, and the chairwoman of the judges for the Dieline Package Design Awards. She is the author of “Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design.”



Millman and the Sterling Brands team assessed the entries according to these criteria: level of impact and uniqueness in the marketplace, ingenuity, distinctiveness, use of typography, use of illustration or photography and quality of structure.



The judges decided to award medals the Most Authentic and Most Innovative Packaging, and the top award for the Best Package Design overall.



​Link: http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/best-olive-oil-package-designs-for-2013/34372​