Client Spotlight: Holywell helps prepare high spec Hangar8 brochure for take off!

We don’t have a company jet at Holywell, but if we did (well we can dream!), we know who we’d task with looking after it for us. Headquartered at Oxford Airport, just around the corner from our own offices, our client Hangar8 specialises in chartering, managing and maintaining executive jets, and supplying pilots and air crew to a discerning, international customer base.

With more than thirty jet aircraft based around the world, Hangar 8 is the largest aircraft operator in the UK, one of the top five in Europe, and the only publicly listed business jet operator on the London Stock Exchange.

Hangar8 delivers exceptional levels of service to demanding clientele who have high expectations, and the superior quality of their offering is reflected in all of the businesses online and offline marketing collateral. When they needed to create a corporate brochure for use at an international aviation exhibition, it was essential to carry this through and create an outstanding print piece.


When they approached us, our client already had a stylish design - incorporating beautiful full colour photographic imagery, but needed help and advice on the all-important refinements, materials and finishing touches that would make certain the end result would deliver their corporate message with real impact.


To ensure a truly dramatic first impression, and emphasise the premium nature of the brand, we produced the cover of the A5 brochure on a high quality, 350gsm uncoated material called Colorplan black and foil-blocked the Hangar 8 logo onto it in two colours. The visual effect is simple and striking, conveying far more about the brand than words could ever do.

For the main pages of the brochure, we selected a 200gsm silk card, and in order to really show off the iconic images to their full effect, applied a matt varnish throughout.

To complete the elegant look and feel, the brochure was Perfect Bound in-house on our BQ270 binder; this also enabled the text to be 10 pages - a saddle-stitched brochure would have to be multiples, of 4 pages or include a fold-out leaf.

We also printed business cards for staff representing Hangar8 at the show. In keeping with the understated theme, the business cards also featured a foil-blocked logo, and a selection of the brochure images were reproduced on the reverse.

All in all, this was an Executive Class project if we do say so ourselves!

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A simple card trick to bring you more business!

Even in a world packed with high-tech communication gadgets, the role of the traditional business card remains as important as ever, and no introductory meeting is complete without the ritual exchange of these humble business tools. The history of business cards and the etiquette around them can be traced back to 17th century Europe, where they were used to announce the arrival of prosperous merchants and aristocrats.  As a way of quickly conveying who you are, what you do and how you can be contacted, they are a simple and effective solution which has still not been bettered.

As an investment, your business cards will be a drop in the ocean compared to other sales and marketing tools such as your website or corporate brochure, but it’s not an exaggeration to say that they have the potential to win – or lose you business. Your card will probably be your first opportunity to make an impression and to demonstrate the values of your organisation - and when your face to face meeting is finished, your card will hopefully ensure your business stays front of mind.

So are your cards working as hard as they should to promote your business? If you want to maximise their impact, there are 3 key areas to consider; design, material and functionality:

Design
Within reason, the scope for creativity is limitless, so it makes sense to engage an imaginative designer who will help you to make the most of the space available.  Why confine yourself to just two sides?  Folding business cards can give you loads of extra space to communicate additional information. There are a wide variety of configurations - see Functionality below for ideas of how to use this extra area. You might also like to consider shaping your card to reflect the nature of your business – a light bulb for an electrician, a PC screen for a computer engineer and so on. Whatever design options you choose though, it’s a good idea to stay close to the regular, credit card size – there is nothing more annoying than a business card that doesn’t fit into a standard wallet!

Material
Before reading a card, you have to hold it, and the material you use can help you make a real statement about yourself. Many of the cards we produce at Holywell are printed onto a smooth board, and then laminated both sides for a clean, professional look, but for organisations seeking a more tactile card, there is a wide selection of material to choose from.

An uncoated card can give a sophisticated look and feel – especially where there is little ink coverage, allowing the surface area to be shown off. Using different coloured boards can create a really interesting effect too, with endless options for mixing inks and cards of different colours - and if you choose Duplex – a material made from two boards of different colours fixed together – you double the possibilities!

Functionality
When it comes to additional uses you can put your cards to, your imagination is your only limiting factor. Here are a few ideas for starters:

• Promotions - Promote special offers and discounts. Have your card double up as a loyalty card. Print a QR (Quick Response) code onto your card to take customers straight to a landing page on your website. 
• Appointment cards - Give clients cards with an area for recording appointments so they will never miss a meeting, and will always have your details to hand.
• Price Lists - Listing prices for services will help ensure your card is retained for easy reference.
• Portfolio - Display images of your products, or examples of your work. Create a set of cards with different images.

Have we got you thinking? Next time your business cards are due for a reprint, why not take a little time to consider how you can extend their use and get more business from them? Our studio will be very pleased to work with you and help give you some ideas.

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Client Spotlight: Private, keep out! Combining creativity & confidentiality for Privacy International

Here at Holywell, every now and again we are lucky enough to get to work on a project that is truly original, innovative and tests our craftsmanship to the full. One such job came to us through the global award-winning creative agency, Paul Belford Ltd.

The agency approached us with an initial concept for a direct mail prospectus they were designing for their client, the campaigning organisation, Privacy International. They had a very clear idea of what they were looking to achieve, and wanted to find a print partner that could work with them to help refine their concept and produce a workable, practical print piece.

The purpose of the prospectus is to outline the work and aims of Privacy International, and the creative approach proposed by the designers reinforced the organisation’s goals by having it sealed within an outer cover, so that the contents would be kept completely private until opened by the recipient.  

We were very pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside the creative team at this prestigious London agency, and be able to offer them the benefit of our advice on materials, production and finishing techniques. By collaborating at this crucial stage of the project, we were able to help make sure the finished print piece fully matched the agencies original concept - with no compromises.

The high-spec nature of the project called on a wide range of our skills and required us to undertake a bespoke production process in our Oxford factory. The 32 page prospectus was printed on Cyclus recycled paper, punched with three holes and hand sewn with thread into the oversized outer which was made of heavyweight (300gsm) recycled material called Paperback Loop Jute.  This outer cover which also acted as a protective envelope for mailing was blind embossed, glued shut with the prospectus inside, and perforated on three edges.

Not every job we work on is as complex as this one was, but it is great to meet creatives who see the possibilities of the printed medium and want to push the boundaries to produce something really special.

Credits to:

Creative Direction: Martin Brown and Paul Belford
Design: Martin Brown, Paul Belford and Joseph Carter

Print buying: The basics

Even in this digital age, there are few organisations that do not need to commission print at some point - letterheads, business cards, brochures, flyers, booklets, mailings, the list goes on. Some large companies that consume very high volumes of print will employ professional print buyers, but for most businesses where print is an occasional requirement this luxury will not be available. For those who are relatively new to it, buying print can seem a daunting responsibility, full of technical terms and incomprehensible jargon - if this is the case for you, the odds are that you are not talking to the right printer! 

The following list of things to keep in mind when selecting and briefing a printer is basic and by no means exhaustive, but it should at least give you a place to start from:

• A good print job begins even before you brief a printer - at the pre-production stage. Use the best creative ingredients you can afford. The highest quality design, photography and copywriting will always show through in the finished result.

• If possible, talk with your printer at about your print project when it is still at concept stage. They may be able to suggest adjustments to the design that will save you money, or even propose an alternative solution you may not have considered. Having our own design studioat Holywell enables us to make the process from creative concept to production completely seamless. Because our creatives understand print fully, all designs are optimised for cost-effective, high quality results.

• Do make sure you actually visit your printer’s premises for a tour of their factory and printing presses. A good printer will always be delighted to show off their workplace. Besides being a fascinating experience, it will help give you an understanding of the processes involved, and the capabilities of your printer. Ask to see their library of sample works and you will get a real feel for the quality of work they produce.  A factory visit will also confirm you are not dealing with a ‘print farming’ company – a business that simply acts as an intermediary, buying and selling print, but not actually printing themselves. 

• Expect your printer to explain things to you in plain English and help you with each stage of the production process. If there is something you don’t understand, don’t be embarrassed to ask to have it clarified.

• Be sure to ask your printer for physical samples of the materials (‘stock’ in print-speak) your job is going to be printed on. Material can make a huge difference. You will want to compare options and be able to touch and feel the quality of the paper or card for yourself. 

• It’s not always easy to imagine what a finished print piece will look like, especially if it is unusual or involves complex finishing. Your printer should always be able to provide you with a ‘mock up’ of your job – an unprinted, hand-made sample or ‘dummy’, so you can see how it will look and work. There may be a small charge for this service.

• When you are requesting a price for print, it may be worth asking your printer to supply ‘run on’ costs. When a job is being printed lithographically (rather than digitally), a large element of the print cost is in setting the job up and getting it ready to print. This means that the difference between printing a small run or a larger run is often very little. If it’s something you are likely to need more of in the future and you have facilities for storage, it can make economic sense to opt for a higher print run.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when buying print is that you are not simply buying a commodity, you are purchasing a service to support you with help and advice throughout the print process. Print buying requires an investment of faith and trust, so it’s vital you find the right partner to work with; a partner than not only has the right tools for the job, but one you can genuinely relate to and enjoy working with as well. 

Ink or pixels? Use both for a really effective campaign

Email is a great way to communicate; it’s instant, it’s cheap and there’s no doubt that it can be very effective. But there is also no denying that as the volume of digital traffic received by each of us every day continues to rise steadily, its value is diminished.  Of course, the irony that as traditional printers, we are using digital media to communicate with you right now will not have escaped your notice – we make no apologies - email does work, but to really engage with your target audience, you need to utilise a range of media. No one communication route works in isolation, which is why the most effective marketing campaigns generally blend online and offline channels.

In parallel with our inboxes filling up faster and faster, the number of hard copy mailings that come through our door or land on our desks has fallen dramatically since the dawn of email – with the result that when we do get an envelope or a package addressed to us personally, we are intrigued, excited and far more inclined to take notice. 

It’s much harder to ignore direct mail than it is an email, which can be consigned to trash with the click of a mouse (assuming it makes it through sophisticated spam filters), so the chances of it being opened are good. When the mailing is well designed, well written and beautifully printed, the odds of it being read and the message successfully delivered increase still further. Keep your eyes peeled for our very own printed newsletter landing with you in July - send us your address if you'd like to receive a copy! Email info@holywellpress.com

There are some wonderful examples of creativity in email marketing campaigns, but the digital medium does present certain limitations for imaginative designers. Whereas an email can only communicate on a screen through pixels, a printed piece can be touched and felt as well as seen. Print makes it possible to deliver a message using a communication that is in effect, a 4 dimensional representation of your brand, employing materials and finishes that tangibly reflect your values.

 

Both email and print communications rely on the same core elements to make them work effectively; stunning, innovative design; persuasive, compelling copy and powerful, impactful imagery. Commissioning these ingredients costs money and you will want to use the results to their full potential - and there is really only one medium that can do that.......print!

When you’re planning your next campaign and you really need to impress, make sure that print is in the mix!

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Think smart. Work smart. Print smart.

Finding ‘smarter’ ways to work is an ongoing quest for anyone in business. Generating revenue is hard enough, so anything that can help you bring down your costs has to be worth taking seriously. With sales and marketing budgets under pressure for many businesses, adopting a smart approach to print buying makes sound sense. 

So what does printing smart actually mean? We are not going to pretend that its rocket science, it’s really just common sense, a case of you and your printer working closely together with one another to make sure the route you take is the best one. Sharing information is vital. Whether the job you are requesting a price for is part of a campaign, a regular project, or a one-off, let your printer know how your brief fits into the ‘bigger picture’ and if there’s a smart way of doing it, they should tell you.

Your printer should be a partner as well as a supplier. Here at Holywell, we understand the challenges our clients face, and we work with them to help them print smart whenever we can. We’ll always consider a print job from every angle to make sure we are recommending the most cost-effective solution. Here are a few recent examples that demonstrate how we can apply print smart thinking to save money for our clients:

• A number of our clients use business cards which feature different full colour images on the reverse. To print these cards in short runs each time a new employee joins the business is expensive. Instead, we print sheets of the cards, coloured side only, and hold these ‘stock blanks’ at our premises. The client can call these off whenever they need to; we simply overprint the personalised side in one or two colours, an inexpensive process. This way each new member of staff gets their cards, complete with images on the reverse for a fraction of the cost of printing afresh each time.

• Applying the same principle, we can print different covers for booklets. One of our clients is a private school, and each term, pupils are given an academic planner.  While the content of the planners is 2 colours, the covers are full colour, and different for each term. By printing the full colour covers together, at the start of the school year, holding them in stock until we print the planner content at the beginning of each new term, we’re able to provide the diaries at a price substantially less expensive than the school’s previous printer.
• When a client asked us to print a 12 page A4 brochure and told us it was going to be used for marketing in the USA, we suggested that producing the brochure in US A4 format rather than European A4 would not only make it more suited to the market, it would also make it cheaper. Because US A4 is smaller than UK A4, we were able to get more pages up on our printing press. Fewer plates and less make-ready time meant we were able to pass on substantial savings.

So, next time you have a print brief, don’t just give your printer the basic specifications, share as much as you can with them and tell them you want to print smart!

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Client Spotlight: Helping ADMIRALTY keep everything ship shape!

One of the best things about the print business is the diverse range of industry sectors we get to work with. Our client, CT-Live, an Oxfordshire-based agency specialising in managing international events, works with the ADMIRALTY brand, a world leader in the production of charts, publications and other navigational products for customers in the commercial shipping industry and defence sector.

CT-Live have been engaged by ADMIRALTY to run workshop events around the world, promoting the launch of a new navigational software product. For previous events we have printed workshop notes as high-quality inserts, ready to go into ring binders, but for this launch, the client decided to give delegates the information they needed on a USB drive instead. But they still needed a smart, stylish way to present delegates with their USB - and a selection of other material including an event agenda, note pad, pen, brochure and CD.

Holywell proposed a solution in the form of a stylish, bespoke folder with pockets, slots and fold out areas. We created a mock up to show the client, and they really liked our concept. All workshop elements fit snugly into the folder which is kept securely closed with magnetic strips.

Not unusually in our industry, there was a tight turnaround on the project, and we found ourselves working to a tight deadline. Our intrepid MD gave up his bank holiday and drove the finished folders to our client to make sure they got them in time for a flight to Singapore – venue for the first workshop!

Our client tells us that the folders were well received by delegates - given the profile of the audience, we’ll resist saying they went down a storm - and we were delighted to receive this lovely testimonial from the client: 

"Holywell provided an end-to-end solution, working closely with us to develop the concept, adapt our ideas and turn them into a quality piece which exceeded expectations. They worked tirelessly against tight deadlines and have since won further business based on their excellent results." Shirley Chick, Managing Director, CT-Live.