The most innovative and inventive printers and print designers in the country got their moment of fame at the Graphic Arts Services of Australia (GASA) awards in Sydney last night.
All the awards demonstrated what can be done with printing when you think outside the box. David Leach, Look Print, snapped up the digital variable print award with his new app, Poster Candy. This online social media portal uses Instagram and Facebook photos to create brilliant posters. The successful app is morphing into a worldwide hit for the Sydney-based Leach.
- Three innovation angels; Bill Healey, Printing Industries, Tony Bertrand, BJ Ball and Theo Patteras, Digital Press.
Lindsay Smith picked up an award for the benchmark, Justus Magazine, reinforcing that care and application with offset printing can produce extraordinary work.
There was even a New Zealand winner, Matt Foster, who picked up another award to add to his NZ Supreme Award of this year for a translucent plastic card.
The awards appear to be gaining traction, thanks to Gary Knespal’s indefatigable efforts and the sponsorship from BJ Ball’s ICON paper. A decent number of industry types gathered at Cockle Bay for the awards for the third year in a row.
According to Gary Knespal, Printovation is definitely a “work in progress.” He thanked Printing Industries and Bill Healey, CEO, for throwing their weight behind the awards following the merger of the two organisations earlier this year.
Tony Bertrand, marketing director, BJ Ball, pledged his continuing support for the next five years, emphasising that innovation in print is essential for the future of the industry. “we need to continually innovate and produce new forms of printing and we depend on people like you to secure the future,” he said.
And the winners of the 2013 GASA Printovation Awards are…
- Digitable variable - PosterCandy - Look Print, NSW
Making photographic quality reproduction accessible online to the masses is a perfect example of how print can play a key role in the digital world we all live.
“A brilliantly integrated and affordable online and wide- format print application.”
- Offset (point of sale) - Berri Aisle Fin - Immij, VIC
The judges where impressed at the extreme high definition and precision of this point of- sale offset print production. “A superb example of innovative offset print and finishing on a non-paper substrate for the significant POS world”
- Digital non-variable - 52 Suburbs Around the World - Momento Pro, NSW
So many wonderful entries in this category, the judges considered this piece a definite standout. “The entrant has extended the bounds of what is possible when magnificent digital print and creative finishing meet.
- Offset printing - Justus Magazine Issue 03 - Eleven Eleven Design, NSW
Another flawlessly compiled publication by the writers and producers of this prestigious industry magazine. “Everything about Issue 03 is testament to the quality, diversity and innovation of print and the essence of Printovation,” commented the judges.”
- Embellishment/finishing - The Journey - Sydney Airport - Carbon8, NSW
A wonderful example of embellishment and finishing that highlights the versatility of today’s high-end digital print technologies.
“There is plenty going on to impress in this stylish short run digital piece.”
- General - Great Barrier Reef Postcard - Arria Design, NZ
A clever long run, automated and precision screen printing job on both opaque and transparent sections. “The quality and excitement of screen printing will never die if the Arria collection is an example of today’s screen printing technology and skills.”
- Wide format - Performante Lamborghini - Nulab Group, VIC
A classy and innovative piece of wide format print and assembly to match the high performance subject matter. “The entrant surely succeeded in meeting the client brief of supporting the beauty of the Lamborghini vehicle”
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