Company Folders GDUSA award recognizes in-house folder design
Company Folders’ in-house designers won GDUSA recognition for a sample-packet presentation folder built to show print finishes.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Company Folders has been recognized in Graphic Design USA’s American Inhouse Design Awards for a presentation folder that also works as packaging for the company’s sample packet. The Company Folders GDUSA award puts a functional sales and design piece in a national competition focused on work produced by internal creative teams.
The Pontiac, Michigan-based online printing company was honored in the “Brochures + Collateral” category of GDUSA’s 63rd annual American Inhouse Design Awards. According to the announcement, the 2026 competition drew more than 4,000 entries, with roughly the top 10% selected for recognition.
The recognized piece was created by in-house designers Anatoliy Zernov, lead designer, and Viktor Yevtushenko, designer. It holds a coating swatch book, an imprint methods guide, paper samples, a custom folder guide and a sample packet guide.
What did Company Folders win the GDUSA award for?
The award recognized a presentation folder designed to organize sample materials while showing how different print finishes can work on a finished piece. For buyers of branded print collateral, that dual role matters because the item demonstrates materials and production choices instead of only describing them.
The folder uses both vertical and horizontal pockets. Its production specifications include PMS printing, 14pt C2S stock, soft-touch lamination and spot UV coating.
The design uses a central brand band and a background made from the names of Company Folders clients. Selected names are highlighted with spot UV coating, according to the company.
The back cover lists the folder’s production details so recipients can see how a comparable piece could be made. That makes the folder both a container for samples and a reference piece for the company’s print and design capabilities.
How GDUSA judges in-house design work
GDUSA’s American Inhouse Design Awards focus on completed projects made by internal creative teams for their own organizations or brands. Honorees in the 2026 competition included corporations, nonprofits, educational institutions, government agencies and other brands.
GDUSA describes its evaluation process as a review by panels of creative professionals, with work considered for problem-solving, craft, impact, innovation and communication. For in-house work, the process also weighs how well a team understands its organization, brand, products and objectives.
Company Folders said it has produced more than 40 million presentation folders for more than 15,000 organizations. The company specializes in branded pocket folders, ring binders, report covers, envelopes and related corporate stationery.
Founded in 2003 by Vladimir Gendelman, Company Folders operates in a category where physical samples can help customers compare paper, coatings, imprint methods and construction options before ordering. The recognized presentation folder sample packet reflects that sales process by combining product packaging with a working example of print collateral.