Vertis Communications Wins Coveted Graphic Design USA Awards

BALTIMORE --(Business Wire)--

Vertis Communications, a results-driven marketing communications company, announced today that it received two Certificates of Excellence from Graphic Design USA's 2012 American Package Design Awards for designing compelling and innovative packaging designs on behalf of two major grocery retailer clients, A&P and Sunflower Farmers Market. GDUSA selected Vertis for conceptualizing and developing package designs that capture shoppers' attention and take them beyond the shelf to learn more about the products through new technology.

New A&P Jersey Tomato Sauce Packaging (Photo: Vertis Communications)

For A&P's Jersey Tomato Sauce, a line of all-natural products under the grocer's private label brand, Food Emporium Trading Company, Vertis leveraged its extensive grocery and private label marketing expertise to create a riveting new package design that stands out more on the shelf against its competition and compels shoppers to buy "farm grown fresh" products.

"A&P is committed to incorporating great tasting, all-natural ingredients into our local products, and we recognized the need to better communicate that through our pasta sauce line made with only the freshest Jersey tomatoes," said Beth Curran, Brand Manager, A&P Own Brands. "Vertis stepped up to the challenge of designing a package that captures the brand's essence and resonates with our local customers.We are extremely pleased to see the industry recognizing this superior work that clearly supports our vision of being the store of the neighborhood."

Vertis received a second Certificate of Excellence for its innovative package design for Sunflower Farmers Market's private label organic cereals. Incorporating intelligence gathered from in-depth consumer research, Vertis designed impactful new packaging to attract customers that desire a deeper understanding of the quality of products they purchase. With the addition of Quick Response (QR) codes, Sunflower was able to deliver this information beyond the label to enable customers to make more informed product choices in real-time using their mobile devices. By becoming one of the first private label brands to add QR codes onto its package designs, Vertis dramatically increased Sunflower Farmers Market's brand visibility and drove valuable customer engagement.

"Recognizing that package design increasingly makes the difference in purchasing decisions, GDUSA selected Vertis for conceptualizing and developing successful package designs that reflect key product attributes and capture shopper attention," said Steve Beckman, Vice President of Creative Services, Vertis Communications. "I am proud of the work we have done with A&P and Sunflower Farmers Market and am thrilled Vertis has been recognized by such a prominent industry organization."

Graphic Design USA received more than 1,600 submissions for this year's competition and ultimately awarded 250 Certificates of Excellence.

Vertis' winning entries can be viewed in the Graphic Design USA March issue as well as the Online Awards Gallery here.

For more information about Vertis' award-winning package designs, please contact Steve Beckman at sbeckman@vertisinc.com. For more on Vertis' creative services and integrated marketing capabilities, please contact Amy Bowman with Stanton Communications at 410-727-6855 or abowman@stantoncomm.com.

About Vertis Communications

Vertis Communications is a results-driven marketing communications company that delivers inventive advertising, direct marketing and interactive solutions to prominent brands across North America. Our deep industry knowledge and extensive range of offerings-including integrated data solutions, digital program management systems, creative services, world-class print and mail production, logistics, out-of-home and business process outsourcing-are used to deliver superior program performance that drives bottom line results for our clients. With 100 strategically positioned locations and more than 5,000 dedicated professionals, we deliver impeccable quality and fast turn-around to any market. For more information, visit www.vertisinc.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50246183&lang=en