Graphic design trade mag utilises digital printing tech to create genuinely unique issues.
Graphic arts trade magazine Labels & Labeling launched its first issue of 2015 with a difference – 16,000 differences, in fact, as it created that number of unique cover designs. The project was inspired by Coca-Cola Israel's astonishing marketing campaign which involved printing millions of Diet Coke labels with different variations of a kaleidoscopic design.
Both projects make use of a groundbreaking piece of software developed by HP called Mosaic – part of the company's SmartStream suite – which allows an infinite number of colour and design variations to be automatically generated from a starting design. The user can define which elements remain static and how much variation is allowed on the rest of the page.
Try finding two the same. Go on, we dare you
On this Labels & Labeling front cover, 16 official Coca-Cola patterns were used as a basis for the subsequent 16,000 variations. The covers were printed 4-up on a B2 format HP Indigo 10000 digital press by London-based Precision Printing. The cover stock is a 170gsm satimat Silk with matt lamination on one side.
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Andy Thomas-Emans, group managing editor, said: "This project demonstrates the true value of digital printing – the ability to produce multiple thousand unique images which are still recognisably derived from a common branding point.
Craig Stewart is a writer, SEO strategist and content marketer, and is a former editor of Creative Bloq. Craig has written about design, typography, tech and football for publications including Creative Bloq, T3, FourFourTwo and DSG, and he has written a book on motoring for Haynes. When he's not writing, you'll usually find Craig under his old car learning about DIY repairs the hard way.
