Best DVD Art/Cover/Package design
 

coffin joe trilogy (in coffin case and with comic book reproductions)
dark waters (no shame box set)
lizard in a womans skin (shriek show release. i love the sleave and artwork. awsome!)
texas chainsaw (new release. just love the shiny metalic case and it's the best release of the classic)
leave it to beaver (le lunch box. come on)

on the flip side; the worst would be the star trek boxes and pretty much any one of those damn paper cases with the snap edge

Hmm... snapper cases suck. Never hear that around here, do we? ;)

As for the STAR TREK boxes, I haven't actually had to deal with them, but at least on the outside they look pretty damn nifty. I'm just glad the animated series comes in something similar, because it's about the only STAR TREK TV stuff I'd want to buy (not that it's all bad, I'm just not a huge fan).

My vote would have to go for <i>The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection</i>. I mean sure, it's just a fold-out Digipak inside, but to me it's so much classier than that packaging usually looks, and it's all down to that padded slipcover. I also like the packaging for both volumes of <i>The Best of The Electric Company</i> and also <i>Sesame Street: Old School</i>. The packaging for the <i>DINOSAURS</i> TV show is pretty neat, but bordering on annoying. Other good ones would be the "black box" designs of both the <i>Men In Black</i> and <i>Monty Python and the Holy Grail</i> Deluxe Editions.

Worst would probably go to <i>Knight Rider</i> because while it doesn't really look all that bad, it doesn't even remotely resemble any design elements from the show itself. So much merchandise was produced with the logo artwork from the show, would it have killed them to use it on the DVD packaging??? I guess maybe they thought it'd make the set look dated and people wouldn't buy it if it made the show look like the cheesy '80s schlock a lot of people think it was (not me though, I've got all four seasons). <i>MIAMI VICE</i> is a good example of how the original logo artwork can be all metallicized and foil-covered, so if they absolutely had to do that with <i>Knight Rider</i> I don't see why they had to change the typography.

Best artwork has to go to any Criterion release. They take great care in using either the theatrical poster or creating some understated but perfectly appropriate cover art, and I often lament that my tastes in film are too pedestrian (and my budget far too small) to have any interest in buying their DVDs unless it's a Python-related title.

Good thread, welcome to the forum.

Were there already a release or article in DVDtalk that discussed this? for the year 2006?

As far as cool gimmick packages, I like the 2 Evil Dead "Book of the Dead" editions, the Planet of the Apes collection with the ape head bust and the James Bond collection packaged in an attache case.

I'm not a horror fan, but I did see a case for one of the SAW movies that had the circular saw blade and blood floating around in a clear case. That was probably the coolest I've seen. I like the Sex and the City Complete Collection case. It's very classy and neat.