Fifth edition of the Colored By INX can design contest kicks off

The call for entries for the annual Colored by INX can design contest is now open, which means a new season of competition between brand owners, design agencies, marketing experts and can decorators is beginning. Those interested in participating must have used at least one color from the INX color catalog in a commercial can design prior to January 1, 2024.

If we talk about last year, the design of the Shiner Texhex Bruja’s Brew IPA was the winner of the contest. Voting was conducted by a panel of independent judges and also involved public participation through INX’s social networks on Facebook and LinkedIn. This result meant the end of the challenge that had existed between three beers from Great Lakes Brewing Company, a Cleveland-based craft company that had won the 2021 and 2022 titles, and also had an entry among the five finalists in the competition.

By April 29, participants must submit their submission form, electronic design and actual printed cans to meet the deadline. This year, only one color from the INX color catalog is allowed, unlike last year when two colors were required. The catalog has more than 600 color options for decorating metals and is considered the accepted industry standard. Its use helps to speed up the production process so that labels are available on the market as soon as possible.

According to Renee Schouten, vice president of marketing for INX, in response to requests from past contestants, a major update has been implemented for this year’s Colored by INX can design contest. This update allows any can that was released to the market before January 1, 2024 to be eligible to participate, something that had been a concern for a long time as many exceptional cans could not be considered in previous years. The company is happy to make this change for the contestants and hopes to have more people participate this year.

Likewise, the same members who were part of the jury last year in the selection of brand, color and print designs have been summoned again. Their task is to review each of the proposals submitted to choose the five finalists, taking into account aspects such as originality, overall design aesthetics, good use of the color palette and how the INX Color Catalog was used in the creation of the design.

The panel of experts includes Sarah Jacks, manager of Color Perfection at INX International; Scott Drucker, managing partner of Chicago-based marketing agency The Drucker Group; Alex Fordham, owner of the online publication The Metal Packager in London; Janet Johanson, founder and CEO of BevSource, a comprehensive provider of beverage development, sourcing and production solutions located in St. Louis, Missouri. The company is based in St. Paul, Minnesota; and Marshall Thompson, co-founder of Canworks, an aluminum can digital printing company based in Austin, Texas.

The five finalists will be announced on May 20. Each judge will have one vote and the public’s opinion through social networks will also count as a vote. Voting will take place from May 22-24 and the winner will be announced on May 29 on INX’s website and social media platforms. All contest information, including dates and times, how to submit a design entry and official rules, is available on the INX website.