TASTE FOR SUCCESS / WIDE-FORMAT PRINT APPLICATIONS PT.1 the reverse of the fabric.” Materials such as PONGS meant Banner Box was able to meet the Games’ responsible end-of-life commitments. After the Games, many of the flags were saved for re-use at other sports events or directed to the appropriate polyester recycling streams. “Large sporting events are a fantastic shop window for our work. In our wider business we produce graphics for cultural events, retail, hospitality, and other sports branding. We have grown our business by using the Commonwealth Games as a stepping stone to compete and win other high-profile jobs and new clients by demonstrating competence and a track record of delivery.” Marketing Power From flags to billboards now as the Talon agency partnered with opticians chain Specsavers on a creative campaign that stretched the boundaries of what might be possible with wide-format print in marketing. Drawing inspiration from similar campaigns in previous year, last year, the ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ initiative featured a range of witty billboards and posters that depict amusing situations where the culprit may have been better off visiting Specsavers for some new glasses before taking on the job. The installations were given names such as ‘Billboard Blunder’ and ‘Dodgy Install', as well as ‘Lost Ladder’ – the example pictured in this feature – all of which were created by Specsavers’ in-house creative agency, The Agency, and placed at sites owned by OOH giants such as JCDecaux and Clear Channel. “Embrace accommodated these with a series of perfectly placed envelope-style slits with eyelets created in advance in the factory. Once the wrap was guided over the light fittings during installation the slits were secured back with cable ties.” Other recent projects from Embrace include a huge scaffolding wrap that was placed on the world-famous Carnaby Street in London. The wrap was attached to scaffolding to hide work that was going on underneath and to ensure the building remained in touch with its surroundings, all while allowing access to the Timberland store at the foot of the building. “The wrap was installed on a bespoke offset frame, which neatly created an arch and focal point for Timberland,” Forster says, adding: “The front right-hand side of the scaffold was left open to allow materials to be lifted into the building. “At the top level a row of protruding scaffold poles that support a working platform break up the wrap, so we installed a face-fixed printed wrap as an infill. The final installation quite literally camouflaged the works, transforming ugly scaffolding into a stylish frame that elevates the property and raises its visibility rather than detracting from it all printed on Kavalan Sunlight Weldable PVC-free.” More recently, Embrace created an internal wrap for a client’s excellence training facility. Five main banners were used at a high level to cover a corrugated metal wall, with Embrace also opting for a Kavalan Sunlight Weldable PVC-free material with a resin coating to complete the job. Flying the Flag Building on Embrace’s sporting theme, Banner Box Print Solutions linked up with CMYUK to provide flags for the Commonwealth Games. Banner Box, a print and signage company based in Chesterfield, supplied the flags using equipment, inks, and textiles from CMYUK. The brief from the Games was to supply every flag required by the organisers throughout the Games, including the 72 competing nation flags that would be used. Banner Box worked with sister company Flagmakers, a specialist in hand-sewn premium flags. In total, more than 7,000 flags were produced for the Games with four different variations created across the whole job to ensure the finishing was suited to each Games location. The flags were digitally printed using Mimaki and EFI printer technology along with materials produced by PONGS, which are available exclusively from CMYUK. “We have a long-standing relationship with CMYUK for production equipment, materials, and multiple consumables which made them the natural first choice supplier,” says Ryan Shelton, director of Banner Box, adding: “We achieve accurate colour reproduction and importantly for flags, a high percentage print-through to ▲ [Above left] Embrace Building Wraps also creates interior décor applications [Above right] Banner Box Print Solutions produced over 7,000 flags for the 2022 Commonwealth Games ◄ Building wraps from Embrace help cover unsightly construction work Spectators purchased tickets for Birmingham 2022 1.5 million 60 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk Issue 342 - May / June 2023
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