Plus Collaboratives Receives the Silver A' Design Award for Insecta Iridesse Print Sales Catalogue in Advertising, Marketing and Communication Design

The Work

Project

Insecta Iridesse Print Sales Catalogue

Function

Print Sales Catalogue

Category

Advertising, Marketing and Communication Design

Discipline

Communication Design

Industry

Branding & Advertising

Colors

Sienna, Rosy Brown, Silver, Light Gray and Peru

Images

5

The Recognition

Laureate

Plus Collaboratives

Country

Singapore

Recognition

Silver A' Design Award

Edition

2021 - 2022

Design ID

#131277

Credits

Image Credits

PLUS Collaboratives, Insecta Iridesse, 2019-2021.

Design Details

Unique Properties

The project disrupted the way colours and printing methods are traditionally presented by the print industry by showcasing the metallic print effects in the form of 3D iridescent gem-like jewellery pieces that look like rare insect species, and made almost entirely of paper printed with the new ink. The colour swatch was then completely reimagined into a fictional explorer’s journal documenting the findings of these gem-like insects, showcasing the different print effects like never before.

Inspiration

This intricate approach was inspired by the industry habit of inspecting print quality through a loupe, like a jeweller inspecting gems. The catalogue, which resembled an explorer narrating his discovery of the imaginary bugs, served as an impetus for customers to flip the catalogue and inspect the quality and technicalities of the print effects. The narrative of the catalogue enables us to showcase the possibilities of the machine capabilities and print effects on different paper type.

Research

Industry and consumer research, prototyping and technical understanding was conducted to understand the purchase journey and considerations of industry stakeholders and their end consumers as well as print capabilities. The was done through observational study and interviews. We were able to identify opportunities to disrupt the existing methods with increased effectiveness. This resulted in increase and sales enquiry and generated sales revenue of over $2 million.

Challenge

Given that the printing market is saturated and established, we needed to position Fujifilm printers as more than selling ink. It was crucial to develop a design solution to address considerations of the traditional print industry while pushing the envelope to reimagine print opportunities to target new end consumers which included the creative industries. The project became a collateral that the traditional printers could reference and began to imagine possibilities with their new age clients.

Realization and Technology

The project showcased the Fujifilm Iridesse Production Press capability in 6-colour printing with speciality ink colours of gold, silver, and white in a single pass. The print sales catalogue used a wide range of coated and uncoated paper stock of varying weights, which demonstrated the capabilities of the printer and showcased the printing effects. The print effects were realised by isolating the artworks into CMYK and speciality ink layers to achieve optimum print effects.

Operation and Interaction

The reimagined catalogue consists of 2 parts: the 3D jewellery creates intrigue and encourages print industry viewers to come up close to inspect using their loupe. The fictional explorer’s folio, which consists of various collaterals printed by the machine on different mediums, invites viewers to investigate and discover print outcomes. This also acts as samples for print industry stakeholders to market the services to their own consumers.

Project Duration and Location

The project started in July 2019 and concluded in April 2021 with a disruption in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions and the lack of access to machine capabilities. The project was done for Fujifilm Singapore and was partially showcased at a print convention held in Marina Bay Sands Singapore, attended by print industry stakeholders.

Specifications

The book measures 285mm x 205mm x 30mm when closed. The book folio opens to include folded maps, bus tickets, weather cards, fictional newspaper clippings, re-created money, field journals, photographs and certificates. The thirty jewellery pieces include bracelets, necklaces, hairpieces, earrings, brooches, and ranges from 80mm x 100mm to the largest at 500mm x 20mm.

Keywords

Print, Paper Jewellery, Graphic design, Catalogue design, Explorer guide, Bugs