Business - Applications

‘Bieber Fever’ took over workers at Midlands-based Hollywood Monster when they provided stage graphics for one of the world’s biggest pop superstars.  The company helped set the stage for prince of pop, Justin Bieber, when he switched on the 2011 Christmas lights at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City.   The events, watched by thousands of Justin’s adoring fans, were an enormous success. Screaming fans were also treated to a live performance from the Canadian 17-year-old who has sold more than 11 million records worldwide.

He turned on Westfield Stratford City’s Christmas lights, which were accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display, and then sang four songs from his latest album in front of an impressive backdrop produced by the team at Hollywood Monster. Hollywood Monster printed and installed many of the graphics for the event including several PVC stage and press backdrops, red sparkle vinyl floor graphics as well as other impressive digitally printed products.

Sales director Simon McKenzie said: “As always we really enjoy working with Westfield on such high profile events and again this demonstrates the diversity of our business and our commitment to providing a professional, quality service.”

It is the latest in a string of high-profile projects it has completed for retail giant Westfield. The £1.45 billion Westfield Stratford City - Europe's largest urban shopping mall with over 300 High Street names and 50 restaurants - was officially launched in September by Nicole Scherzinger.

The 200,000 visitors on launch day were greeted by the UK’s largest ever banner display which wraps the stunning new shopping complex next to the Olympic stadium in London’  East End. Measuring a vast 350 metres by 14 metres, the banner display - which has images with a retail theme - was installed by Hollywood Monster’s fitters.

Earlier this year, the business was responsible for creating and producing the circus-ring themed set for the UK premiere of Robert Pattinson and Reece Witherspoon’s movie Water For Elephants, which took place at Westfield London. The set included a 27metre broadcast wall and coverings for the circular stage and podiums for the stars to greet their public from.

Hollywood Monster employs around 65 people and works with major companies including Next, Virgin Media, LilyWhites, Debenhams, Ann Summers, Coach, Whistles, HMV, Westfield, Carillion, Morgan Sindall, Lovell Homes, Redrow and Bovis Homes.  Sectors it is active in include commercial and residential property, construction, retail, corporate, exhibition, outdoor media, event, stadium, museum and theatrical.

The company has invested heavily in state-of-the-art printing technology enabling it to produce enormous banners and advertising hoardings at high-profile sites including sports stadiums, festivals, rock and pop concerts, shopping centres and property developments.

For more information, please visit www.hollywoodmonster.co.uk.

[Photo shows Tim Andrews, managing director of signs and graphics specialists Hollywood Monster who provided staging and backdrops for Justin Bieber's performance at Westfield Stratford City]

Madhouse Associates - one of the North West’s leading integrated marketing communications agencies - called in FBI (Flexible Business Interiors) and Image Group UK to transform its new offices into a modern and exciting place to work.

FBI asked Image Group to provide, amongst other things, some fabric banners… but with a twist!  Image Group subsequently printed a collage of images from Madhouse’s portfolio directly onto flagmesh using the Mimaki Tx400-1800D.  This high end production, wide format textile printer features Mimaki’s latest Sb210 disperse inks, recently upgraded by technicians from Mimaki’s exclusive UK & Irish distributor, Hybrid Services.  Working alongside the team from authorised Mimaki reseller, R A Smart, the technicians installed the latest ink set which Image Group has already seen deliver deeper colours and brighter hues in the many fabric prints they produce.

With an increasing demand for printed fabric graphics, The Image Group has invested significantly in state of the art printers and dye sublimation processes. It offers a rapid turnaround on fabric graphics for exhibitions and displays, point of sale applications and retail environments. Its creatively driven team has produced flying banners, feather flags, even custom tablecloths and marquees. The Image Group combines corporate art sourcing and in house creative services with print production and custom installation where required, ensuring customers benefit from its ability to truly deliver a ‘full service’.

Discussing the job for Madhouse Associates, Image Group’s Dan Fleming commented, "The new ink upgrade really helped us to get the best out of our Mimaki. It delivers amazingly sharp detail and vivid colours direct to flagmesh. Without these stunning pieces of print, the concept behind the twisted graphic would have been wasted."

Further information on The Image Group’s complete range of services can be found by visiting www.imagegroupuk.com.

For customers interested in investing in wide format textile and dye sublimation printing solutions, R A Smart’s website is www.rasmart.co.uk.

Mimaki’s exclusive distributor for the UK & Ireland is Hybrid Services Ltd and its website is www.hybridservices.co.uk.

The Hampshire Flag Company has helped The Portsmouth News and the city’s residents celebrate the return of HMS Liverpool from its seven month stint off the coast of Libya by donating an array of flags and a giant banner.

The Royal Navy Type 42 destroyer sailed into its Portsmouth base on Monday 7 November amidst cheers and waves from well-wishers and to the sight of a large scale 20m long banner, produced in partnership with The Portsmouth News, which said ‘Welcome home HMS Liverpool’ along with ‘The Crazy Red Chicken is back’ referring to the ship’s nickname.

Hampshire Flag produced the banner on a DuPont Chromaprint printer and it was turned around in just a few hours.

In addition to producing the banner for free, Waterlooville-based Hampshire Flag Company donated 100 hand waving Union Jack flags and 200m of Union Jack bunting.

Hampshire Flag’s Managing Director Graham Wilkinson said, “HMS Liverpool is part of our city’s naval heritage and it is wonderful to see it return from such an important mission and receive the warm welcome it deserves.

“We were delighted to play our part in marking the safe return of HMS Liverpool and it was fantastic to see our hand waving flags, bunting and the banner add impact and atmosphere to the occasion,” said Graham.

The veteran warship, which had a crew of around 240, has played a key role in protecting the people of Libya and has been supporting front-line operations. It has been fired on at least 10 times since it arrived in the warzone in April.

Mark Waldron, editor of The Portsmouth News, said, “We wanted to help celebrate the return of HMS Liverpool and for the crew to see the banner as soon as they sailed into the harbour. Once again, the team at Hampshire Flag pulled out all the stops and not only did the banner look impressive but the bunting and hand waving flags meant the friends and family of the crew could participate in the homecoming too.”

Hampshire Flag’s team of 24 produces hand-sewn national and international flags and digitally printed banners. It also offers a bespoke flag design service, PVC banners, marine flags, bunting, table flags, exhibition graphics and event systems in addition to the supply and installation an extensive range of flagpoles.               

Its prestigious portfolio of clients includes Selfridges, the BBC, Channel 4, Portsmouth Football Club, IBM and British Airways. The multi-award winning firm provides on-going support for various charities and expeditions including Action for Kids, Samaritans and for swimmer and environmentalist Lewis Pugh’s on-going feats.

Blink Giant Media, a display specialist, working in super-wide format print, signage and special event branding, has worked with the UK-based visual artist Natasha Rosling to display a newly commissioned piece of art for Kunst aan de Schinkel, an outdoor art exhibition in Amsterdam.

The installation uses Blink’s expertise in super wide format printing and its experience in hanging posters and artworks in complex outdoor situations. Blink worked with the artist over a few months, looking into the feasibility and practicality of the project, and facilitating the artist’s vision.

Natasha' artwork spans the arms of a drawbridge in Amsterdam and when the bridge is closed the work hangs in four equal vertical strips, yet when the bridge opens they form a horizontal field and a collage of contrasting visual surfaces. The movement of the bridge creates a sense of animation. Rosling based her installation on the existing physical components and elements of the bridge and its surroundings.

Kunst aan de Schinkel, or Art along the Schinkel (KadS), is an outdoor art exhibition along the Schinkel canal in south Amsterdam. The pieces have been specifically created for this exhibition and they are by twenty young and established national and international artists, and include installations, performance art and workshops. The event was sponsored by Stichting Kunst aan de Schinkel (Foundation Kunst aan de Schinkel or Foundation KadS).

Rosling, who specialises in large, brightly-coloured and striking indoor and outdoor artworks, commented: ‘Blink has been an incredible resource for me, providing the technical know-how and support to realise ambitious works that for me alone would be a logistical nightmare. The company has a great balance for creativity and pragmatism - it is great to share skills with a team that thinks outside the box and is passionate to push the boundaries of its own field.’

Steve Wilkinson, director of Blink said, “The biggest challenge we faced was calculating how the artwork could be best displayed on a cantilevered bridge. There are all sorts of dynamics involved to ensure that the artwork and the bridge can both function correctly and in harmony with one another. We worked with Rosling from an engineering perspective to facilitate the installation of the piece and we are delighted with the results.”

In addition to this, Blink Giant Media is helping Natasha Rosling to produce a series of works for the Jeu de Paume’s platform, Blow-Up, for which the artist is intervening with various media-zones through a series of public performances and large format installations.

[Above pictures shows bridge both closed and open.  Below picture shows the artwork created by Natasha Rosling]

For the fourth year, Xaar will be sponsoring the PrintIT! programme which aims to engage students in topical design projects using the latest print techniques to demonstrate just how diverse and interesting the print industry can be.

“We aim to educate as wide an audience as possible about the many opportunities provided by digital inkjet technology. Therefore, we are delighted to continue our support for this major initiative that promotes the print industry within schools to attract fresh talent with fresh ideas,” says Mark Alexander, Director of Marketing, Xaar. “Results of a recent survey found that students participating in PrintIT! are three times more likely to think about working in the industry after completing the programme. PrintIT! is having a real impact on the way the industry presents itself to the wider world. It develops closer links between schools and industry, whilst improving individual skills for students.”

The PrintIT! programme has gone from strength to strength over recent years, with over 16,700 students from more than 350 schools registering to take part in 2011. Heath Adams, a design teacher at Dene Magna Community School, Gloucestershire, which won the award for “Best Use of Materials” in the 2010-11 competition, explained that his students really enjoyed taking part in PrintIT!  “It was probably the combination of a live client brief, the inclusion of a Fairtrade element, and an involvement in the complete design and print process that struck a chord with the students,” he said. “I think that one of the strengths of the PrintIT! competition is that it forces both teachers and students to look at good examples of a variety of print technologies and applications. It is important to foster close links between schools and industry. The more that we can make lessons more relevant to what students will face when they leave school the better; PrintIT! is a great example of how that can be achieved,” he says.

As part of Xaar's sponsorship, the company gave every school that entered a copy of its book “Industrial Inkjet for Dummies” as an educational tool to enable them to learn more about industrial inkjet technology.

Proskills is keen to expand PrintIT! further in 2012. Deputy CEO Tom Bowtell says. “PrintIT! has gathered real momentum over the last few years and we are pleased to continue to work with Xaar as an influential print technology leader; however, we do rely on sponsors to run the programme, so if you want to support the on-going development of the print industry just as Xaar has, then please get in touch,” he says.

HP is working with a UK-based photographer - whose work will be displayed at an exhibition in London - in order to demonstrate the possibilities for art reproduction using large format digital inkjet technology.

Award-winning photographer Chris Floyd looked to HP for help with his "One Hundred & Forty Characters" project to reproduce his images as large format portraits. Floyd worked with the HP Bracknell-based team who used both the HP Designjet L25500 Printer - which runs aqueous-based HP Latex Inks - and the HP Designjet Z6200 Photo Printer to output the prints.

Inspired by Floyd's interaction with the photographers, editors and other individuals he follows on Twitter, One Hundred & Forty Characters bridges the gap between traditional relationships and those increasingly formed through online communications.

"The project essentially puts faces to 140 of the online names I have become familiar with and I wanted to show a mixture of around 100 portraits comprising both individual and group shots," said Floyd.

"I knew that, due to the strong, harsh tones in this particular project, inkjet technology would deliver a far better result than would be achieved with traditional photographic prints."

Floyd subsequently worked with the HP design team on the proofing of the artwork files to prepare the images for printing.

"The images are very stark, saturated black and white prints on white background, which required lots of heavy black ink", he said. "HP were great at being able to bring this out, adjusting the contrast to ensure it was reproduced faithfully in the printed portraits.

Using the HP Designjet Z6200 Photo Printer, HP produced 100, 16 x 20in prints on HP Matte Litho-Realistic Paper. This smooth, fine-art paper was selected thanks to its ability to successfully reproduce the strong black tones within Floyd's images. Thanks to the fast speed achievable with the Z6200 printer, the team were able to output the entire job in just half a day.

Similarly, the specific attributes of the HP Designjet L25500 Printer proved critical in meeting the requirement to produce an additional 12 life-sized portraits measuring 6ft in height.

"Using HP Latex Technologies ticked an additional set of boxes to ensuring fantastic output quality," said Victoria Walton, UK & Ireland manager, HP Designjet Supplies. "We used recyclable HP PVC-Free Wallpaper substrate with our water-based, HP Latex Inks which, importantly, enabled us to produce odourless prints.

"Photo reproduction exemplifies the capabilities of each of the two HP printers deployed on this job, particularly the large format aspect," continued Walton. "This is indicative of the increased demand by photographers to be able to display their work as wall coverings and effectively promote their skill behind the lens."

According to Floyd, the printed results are exactly what he was hoping for: "I am absolutely thrilled to bits with the fantastic results achieved," he concluded.

Chris Floyd's One Hundred & Forty Characters www.100fortycharacters.com project will be displayed from 3rd to 17th November at the Host Gallery, 1 Honduras Street, London EC1Y 0TH.

Wallpaper Tweet Life at Multiplied, Christies

HP also worked with Chris Floyd at this year's Multiplied contemporary editions fair (October 13th -18th at Christie's South Kensington, London), which enabled visitors have their photograph taken at Chris' pop-up photographic studio. The images were then printed by HP Indigo customer, F.E. Burman, as a high quality A3 portrait, before being posted to each subject. The HP ElectroInk technology and wide, accurate colour gamut of the HP Indigo Digital Presses enables F.E. Burman and other HP Indigo customers to deliver consistent, high quality photo applications while maintaining high levels of productivity.

Chris Floyd was born in Hertfordshire in 1968. He began working as a photographer's assistant in 1989 before starting his own photographic career, primarily working in the editorial field for The Sunday Times Magazine, Guardian Weekend Magazine, Esquire, GQ, The New Yorker, and Wallpaper* amongst others. Floyd has exhibited his photography in the 2008 Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize show and the 2008 and 2010 American Photography collections.

More information is available at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts or follow HP on www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.