(FEBRUARY 17, 2004) – Ani DiFranco’s latest CD, Evolve, just won a 2004 Grammy for the Best Recording Package. This innovative package uses an image of a moth emerging through a metallic blue foreground to express the CD’s theme of evolution. The package, constructed of FiberMark’s Skivertex® Alloy®, expresses and elevates brand image with a feel and visual depth that invites interaction. This duplex material combines strength and rigidity with the high-impact aesthetics needed to create an award-winning package.

This distinctive design comes as no surprise to Ani DiFranco’s loyal fans, who recognize packaging as an important extension of the artist’s vision. The CD was co-art directed by Ani DiFranco and Brian Grunert.

“In its look and feel, this material is key in designing a package that expresses the unique qualities of Ani’s music,” said Grunert. “Not only is it eye-catching on the shelf, but it invites people to touch the package, pick it up, examine it, and hopefully take it home with them.”

The closed Evolve CD uses an outer slipcase with a crisp, modern look that contrasts with the natural, organic look of the moth, embossed onto the inner package. The slipcase material is a striking metallic blue color with a subtle pattern that appears to change in luster as the package is moved.  This specialized look is created by using FiberMark's Skivertex Alloy embossed with a Brush finish.  The artist’s name and the track list are flat-foil stamped directly onto the material and a custom die cut is intricately crafted to outline both the shape of a moth and the letters of the album name.

The disc is enclosed in a four-panel Digipak^® that slides from the outer slipcase. A photograph of the moth is printed in muted reds, browns, and greens on International Paper's Bleached Board printed on the uncoated side. The image of the moth is made lifelike with sculptured embossing. The embossing adds dimension to the body of the moth and is registered to precisley outline the moth shape.

Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, partnered with art directors to create and test the precision processes needed for the intricate die cut, foil stamping, and registered embossing.

Final winners of the Grammy Awards were announced on February 8th, 2004. GRAMMY Awards are awarded by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc.  Established in 1957, it is an organization of musicians, producers and other recording professionals and is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its makers.

FiberMark (www.fibermark.com) offers inventive packaging materials that express and elevate brands with a feel and visual depth that invites interaction.  FiberMark combines colors, finishes, and special techniques to create depth and feel – the results are a limitless array of packaging design possibilities. FiberMark material design specialists work with creative teams to develop packaging that captures a brand’s personality and conveys distinct quality and uniqueness to consumers. Versatility, durability, and sales-driving impact make FiberMark the ultimate medium for packaging and collateral materials. FiberMark (FMK: AMEX) crafts specialty fiber-based materials through its U.S. and European facilities, with attention to the specialized material and service needs of its global customers.

For further information on FiberMark's Skivertex®  Alloy® or FiberMark's other packaging materials and how they can enhance your brand, please contact Phyllis Custer at FiberMark, Tel: (802) 257-5934 or E-mail: packaging@fibermark.com.

Shorewood Packaging (www.shorewoodpackaging.com) is a leading value-added provider of high quality printing and paperboard packaging for the home entertainment (music, home video and multimedia), cosmetics, health & beauty aids, candy and confectionery, pharmaceutical, sporting goods, tobacco and general consumer markets in North America, Europe and China.  Shorewood is a business of International Paper’s Consumer Packaging Group. 

International Paper (www.internationalpaper.com) is the world's largest paper and forest products company. Businesses include paper, packaging, and forest products. As one of the largest private forest landowners in the world, the company manages its forests under the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program, a system that ensures the perpetual planting, growing and harvesting of trees while protecting wildlife, plants, soil, air and water quality.  Headquartered in the United States, at Stamford, Conn., International Paper has operations in nearly 40 countries and exports its products to more than 120 nations.