I have a friend who was nominated for an Emmy a couple years ago and every year since, he is bombarded by the studios. Several packages come to his house every week. I like to look through them. I watch documentaries I might have missed. Or shows I don't see because I don't have cable television. It's typically just a sampler of the best work; maybe an episode or 2 out of an entire season. If it's any good, I'll Netflix the whole series.
Sometimes or OFTEN, I find the packaging is nicer than the review material. In the past, I've seen handsome volumes that anyone could be proud to display in their private libraries. HBO comes to mind. This year, everything's a little meh. I thought this one was cute though.
How I Met Your Mother.
Not a great season this year, I thought, but I've definitely recommended this show in the past. Mostly, inexplicably, to male friends. Surprisingly good and surprisingly targeted to a younger audience for a CBS series. I like that they designed this like an LP cover. It's cute the way the show is cute, but it seems to imply the show is a musical--it is not. (That is my only negative criticism of this concept.) Maybe they are playing off Neil Patrick Harris' ties to musical theater? The DVD fits on a card shaped like a record. NPH is a pop-up. Y'all know I love pop-up design--I wish it was utilized more. It's an art form. I took a class in book design and I can tell you pop-ups are time intensive and intricate and a challenge to design. I can tell this was done on a very limited budget (everything this year seemed a bit conservative) but it stood out among the pack. See what a little creativity can do?
UPDATE (June 18, 2010):
Compare to Lifetime Network's screeners. The layout and photos so typically "Lifetime" but it doesn't mean you want to watch it.
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