ACHOF Breaking News Update for October 2, 2018
By Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com
I’m happy to be able to share the list of winners of last night’s Making Vinyl Packaging Awards, announced at a ceremony held at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit hosted by famed album cover art director Craig Braun. Talent from all over the world was recognized for their excellent work in each of the twelve categories that comprised this year’s award show, with several nominees taking home multiple winning and/or runner-up awards.
I’ll Be Your Girl – The Decemberists
Highlights of this year’s winners list include a “Best in Show – Alex Steinweiss Award” for the team at Los Angeles-based design firm Smog Design for their eye-catching designs for a special “exploded version” of The Decemberists’ I’ll Be Your Girl – a limited-edition box set (released on Capitol Records) where the album’s music is delivered on seven colored 7-inch records (Jeri Heiden, Glen Nakasako and Carson Ellis, Designers/Art Directors, with Carson Ellis providing the illustrations and lettering) and in the “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done” category, which focuses on package designs that tested the mettle of all involved through the use of unique designs, materials and production processes, Art Directors Meghan Foley and Annie Stoll and Creative Director Dave Bett wowed the judging panel with their box-set-in-an-accordion package for Weird Al Yankovic’s Squeeze Box: Complete Works published by Sony Music.
Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of Weird Al Yankovic
Winners were presented with custom-designed turntable packages from Crosley and beautiful award certificates produced by Coral Graphics. With over 250 packages submitted for consideration this year, and each showing their maker’s passion for great design and dedication to the delivery of covers, sleeves, box sets and hybrids of these recorded music casings meant to impress their retail customers, we can all be thankful for the ongoing investment in this area and will be looking forward to seeing what impresses us further as they hit the shelves in the upcoming months.
Custom Crosley Turntable Package awarded to winners
And now, without any further delay, here are the winners and runner-ups in each Making Vinyl Packaging Award 2018 category:
The Alex Steinweiss Award – Best In Show
Winner – I’ll Be Your Girl – The Decemberists – SMOG Design
Runner-up – Too Many Bad Habits – Johnny Nicholas – Microforum Vinyl Record Pressing
Best ‘RECORD STORE DAY’ Vinyl Release
Winner – Boxer Live In Brussels – The National – 4AD/Beggars
Runner Up – Feast of Panthers – Ensign Broderick – Six Shooter Record
Best 45-RPM Single Package
Winner – “An Ambulance” – Mike Krol – Merge
Runner-up – “What a Time to Be Alive” – Superchunk – Merge
Best Vinyl Album Reissue Package
Winner – Eulogy for Evolution 2017 – Ólafur Arnalds – Torsten Posselt/FELD
Runner-up – What Another Man Spills – Lambchop – Merge
Best Vinyl Album Cover (Photograph)
Winner – Cocoa Sugar – Young Fathers – Ninja Tune
Runner-up – Sleep Well Beast – The National – 4AD
Best Vinyl Album Cover (Illustrated)
Winner – Gruff Rhys – Rough Trade/Beggars
Runner-up – The Worm’s Heart – The Shins – Sony Music US
Best Vinyl Box Set
Winner – 1 + 1 = X – Erased Tapes Records (Compilation) – Torsten Posselt/FELD
Runner-up – Cuphead Soundtrack – Maddigan – iam8bit
Best CD Box Set Package
Winner – Listen Without Prejudice – George Michael – Sony Music Intl.
Runner-up – Manchester North Of England: 1977–1993 – Key Production
Best Record Art – LP Size
Winner – Double Trouble – Wax Mage (compilation) – Gotta Groove Records
Runner-up – August Burns Red – Phantom Anthem – Concord Records
Best Vinyl Gatefold
Winner – Kaiho – Kauan – Torsten Posselt/FELD
Runner-up – A Moment Apart – ODESZA – Ninja Tune
Best Vinyl Picture Disc
Winner – 140 Vinyl (Soundtrack) – Schmid – iam8bit
Runner-up – She Taught Me How To Fly – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Key Prod.
They Said It Couldn’t Be Done – Vinyl
Winner – Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of “Weird Al” Yankovic – Sony Music US
Runner-up – Portal (Soundtrack) – Apeture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory – Stoughton
Congratulations to all of the winners and runners up and also to Larry Jaffee and his team for another successful conference and award show – hope to join you in person at your next soiree!
