Packaging & Graphic Design Awards launched

The Exhibition will take place between 19 - 22 September at the Airport Expo in Dubai.

As Dominic McGill, Project Manager for Fairs and Exhibition's Gulf Print explained "two special awards for tertiary students will be hosted by Gulf Pack and Gulf Print - the Gulf Pack Packaging Design Award and the Gulf Print Graphic Design Award."

"Students from Universities and Colleges around the UAE have been invited to enter their work in the Awards," McGill explained. "By launching these awards, we want to encourage students' work and to help expose them to the industry."
"Eleven Universities and Colleges which offer a graphic design degree have been invited to participate and the response so far has been excellent," he added.

Gulf Pack Packaging Design Awards
Ms Sharla Hancock, Project Manager for Fairs and Exhibition's Gulf Pack explained that the Packaging Design Award will be the first such awards aimed at students. "Gulf Pack wants to encourage students to think about packaging designs in the hope that this category will become more fully explored in the UAE," she explained. "In future years, Gulf Pack hopes that the award will become more detailed and creative, and hopefully extend into more complex designs for packaging various products: bottles, cans, boxes and bags."

The Category for the Packaging Design Award will be Paper Board Carton packaging. Students will need to choose a product to package in a box format made out of card, paper or cardboard. The box can be of any size. Entries will need to include the development of a brand name for a new product and the graphics for the box.

The Graphic Design Awards will have four graphic design categories including:

1. Posters: that combine type and image, and communicate a specific message.
2. Books and/or publications: that address any topic.
3. Original typeface design: preferably an Arabic font.
4. Corporate identity: as set of a maximum of 5 print pieces, comprising the logo, a stationery set, and other direct mail printed matter.

Judging will be done by a panel of experts from Industry as well as a representative of Fairs and Exhibitions and the awards will be handed out at a special ceremony at the Exhibition in September.

The awards will include a prize to the winning University as well as a prize to the student.

"All entries will be exhibited in a specific area on the exhibition floor and will allow exhibitors and visitors to the show, expected to be over 10,000 people, to view the pieces. This will provide excellent exposure to the students," concluded McGill.