Here at S. Walter Packaging, we’re firm believers in the idea that “packaging is art.” It is one of our company slogan, and much more than that, it’s a guiding principle that runs through our design department and into our sales force. Thoughtfully designed packaging can transform a brand and improve a store’s image.

We are not alone in this point of view. There is a healthy community of bloggers dedicated to the art behind packaging. While most pay scant attention to the intricacies of retail packaging — the all-important last line of packaging, what products are carried in as they leave a store —they clearly demonstrate that artistic packaging is not a luxury for top companies, it’s a business essential. Here are a few of our favorite packaging and branding blogs, and a little bit about them.

The Dieline (thedieline.com)

Around since 2007, The Dieline “is dedicated to the progress of the package design industry and its practitioners, students and enthusiasts. Its purpose is to define and promote the world’s best packaging design, and provide a place where the package design community can review, critique and stay informed of the latest industry trends and design projects being created in the field.”

Updated regularly, The Dieline features the finest in branded packaging, with images and explanatory text. Packaging designers can submit their creations for consideration on the blog, and the organization now sponsors The Dieline Awards, “a worldwide package design competition devoted exclusively to the art of brand packaging,” as well an annual The Dieline Package Design Conference & Expo. Also check out their book, Box Bottle Bag: The World’s Best Package Designs from TheDieline.com.

box vox (boxvox.net)

With everything from songs about packaging to musings about branded packaging in squalid scenes of moral turpitude, box vox is the place for talk about the socio-cultural aspects of packaging design and branding. Operating under the slogan “Packaging as Content,” boxvox.net has been online since 2007.

Lovely Package (lovelypackage.com)

High on pictures, low on text, lovely package features just that: “lovely packages.” The sleek site comes from a firm design-art standpoint, claiming to be “curating the very best packaging design.” Indeed, the blog is an art gallery for admirers of packaging as art.

Packaging of the World (packagingoftheworld.com)

With a million visits every two months, Packaging of the World is one of the premier sites for “the most interesting and creative packaging work worldwide.” Started in early 2008, it has grown from a personal blog to a gallery for users hungry for design inspiration. Arranged by different industries, Packaging of the World features sections on beverage packaging, apparel packaging, sports packaging, and over a dozen other categories.