As the snow settles on the slopes in Whistler, Canada, the organising committee will be able to reflect on a highly successful Winter Olympic Games. The nation topped the medals chart with the icing on the cake coming via a last gasp winner against bitter rivals America in the ice hockey final.

One group of individuals who didn’t make it to the winner’s podium but were just as integral to the game’s success were Canada’s print and design community. Their skill and artistry was seen by millions of TV viewers across the globe.

From the advertising hoardings printed on durable substrates that lined the slopes and endured horrific wintery conditions, through to some rather nifty creative ideas in downtown Vancouver, such as an ordinary bus shelter that was transformed into a ski lift as part of a campaign for health drink company Vitaminwater.

Another highly visible and highly successful triumph for printers, and not just of Canadian ilk, was the brightly coloured printed skis and snowboards used by the athletes. With winter sports enjoying a boom thanks in large part to the Winter Olympics and unseasonably heavy downfalls of snow across Europe, printing high resolution digital designs onto skis and snowboards is providing Read the rest of this entry »

Call me an old cynic but isn’t Valentine’s Day merely an elaborate ploy by greetings card manufacturers and flower companies to rake in a few extra pounds? It was with this romantic notion in mind that I decided to break from the convention of spending upwards of £10 on a card, flowers and chocolates and instead relied on this year’s marketing buzz phrase to deliver heart-felt greetings to my nearest and dearest – for free!

“Augmented reality” has been around for a couple of years but in 2010 it’s tipped to top the agenda for marketers as increasing numbers of them get to grips with the benefits that the technology offers. I put AR to good use with my no-budget Valentine’s offering, which was made possible thanks to those good folk at QReateAndTrack.

As part of a clever marketing push the company was offering ‘romantics’ the opportunity to create a free QR code – a kind of two-dimensional barcode. On a dedicated webpage you could choose from a range of different messages, from “I love you” through to “will you be my Valentine?” Then you could select a background – a simple border made from hearts or a cute bear carrying a heart. Once you’d completed Read the rest of this entry »

If “location, location, location”, was the mantra for people looking to make a quick buck in the property boom, “innovation, innovation, innovation” is the phrase that company directors can ill-afford to ignore in the current business landscape. I received a full-colour mailer the other day from my local garage that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of innovation.

With six months left to go on my current car finance deal the garage decided that now was an opportune moment to secure repeat trade. Nothing unusual in that you might think; it’s just good business practice. However, this mailer wasn’t just any old ill-thought out piece of print. On the front it had a picture of the latest incarnation of my car, in the same colour as the model I currently own.

This could have been mere coincidence perhaps but then I noticed that the piece had further embellishments. The number plate was personalised with my christian name emblazoned across it and on the reverse there was a personalised URL address. My interest was piqued so I entered the PURL into the address bar on my computer, which took me to a fully personalised landing page giving me details about the new car, all the available optional extras in addition to different finance options and insurance deals.

I was able to register my interest for the most attractive offers and receive further printed information through the post in the form of a glossy brochure and detailed leaflet breaking down the finance terms.

This use of variable data printing, which just a few years ago might have been a one off, is now fairly commonplace in print as industry members have looked to innovate their way out of the recession. Read the rest of this entry »

Until a complete revolution in the minds and behaviour of the consumer takes place, the environment will continue to be a fashionable marketing asset rather than a genuine care.

Especially now, as the global financial system is recovering slowly from a meltdown, progress has stalled on this important innovation area within the printing industry. OK, print is a bad polluter but green issues are just not as important as commercial issues right now.

The Global Graphic Printing market, according to the FESPA/Infotrends World Wide Survey, is worth 56 Billion euros and employs over a quarter of a million people. This contribution to commerce, wealth and prosperity, far outweighs the damage done to the environment. That is a far more basic need. If we do not have work, wealth and health, how can we deliver any value back to humanity?

As an industry, it is not our fault that we pollute. It is not our responsibility to save the planet. We exist because there is a need.

And which industry is truly leading the way anyway? Apparently, the construction industry is doing some great things – wealthy people who want an environmentally friendly existence can do so by paying more to feel better about the way they conduct their lives – this has impacted on the building market and products Read the rest of this entry »

Why are printers so obsessed with plant lists?

Whatever country you visit it’s always the same. All printing company websites have a page dedicated to a roll call of the company’s equipment armoury, neatly broken down into pre-press, press and post-press.

But why? Back in the day when buyer’s had a greater awareness of technical issues and were fully conversant in all matters print you could argue the case for a plant list, but in the modern business environment where many buyers don’t know their flatbed from their roll to roll, telling people what you own is a pretty pointless exercise.

However, showing potential customers what you can do with what you own is a different matter altogether. Take the example of one modest-sized wide-format outfit that was brought to the attention of this blog. It doesn’t have a plant list on its site – indeed nowhere does it mention its impressive stash of equipment.

Instead the company focuses on its strengths and provides seemingly endless examples of fantastic looking wide-format work that it’s produced for blue-chip clients throughout Europe. While the company’s approach Read the rest of this entry »

Innovation isn’t merely a buzz word.

Innovation means action. By producing a new solution to solve a new problem, you are generating value and revenue for your business.

It’s simple economics.

In developed economies, traditional print is under significant threat. Just take a look at the publishing industry. And this is not just down to the economy.  The fact is the world is shifting online at a faster pace than we ever imagined.

Whether we decide to adopt these completely new technologies or not – recognising that technology is helping to define our consumption of information is very important indeed.

The words ‘innovation’, ‘customisation’ & ‘niche’ are the words that are now typically being used by the world’s most successful print businesses. By acting upon innovative ideas, these businesses have generated positive momentum whatever the economic challenge presented to them.

Thankfully, (and I can sense a collective sigh of relief for those of us who believe in the awesome power of print) in wide format digital print production – the revolution is continuing to meet this new challenge.  But the printed word is not spreading as fast as online or social media. It doesn’t allow for the same ability to focus, target and measure interaction with a customer base. More than that, Read the rest of this entry »