Surrey-based architectural signage solutions provider Signbox has praised the role its duo of HP Latex 300 Series printers played in an innovative project that helped the company scoop a host of major honours at the 2021 UK Graphics Awards.
The project saw Signbox, in partnership with HLW Architects and BW Interiors, produce a wide range of signage and interior décor for Pernod Ricard, the company behind world-famous drinks brands such as Jameson, Havana Club, Beefeater, Malibu and Jacob’s Creek.
Signbox was tasked with delivering a brand experience to various meeting rooms and areas throughout the new Pernod Ricard UK headquarters at Chiswick Park in West London. Pernod Ricard moved to the 85,000sq ft facility in September 2020 and most of the work was conducted during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The project included a range of 3D lettering and signage alongside of stunning wallpaper backdrops – all of which were printed on Signbox’s HP Latex Series printers. Signbox printed the designs on Digimura wallcovering media, a product selected for its environmental credentials and fire-retardant qualities.
“The HP Latex printers produce first-class quality print on any job we run, and this was no exception,” Signbox Managing Director Mark Bartlett said. “The HP Latex inks conform so much better to Digimura than other inks; we don’t get the issue of ink sitting on the surface and it doesn’t crack.
“We’re also really happy with the colour gamut of the HP Latex Series. Even if you are running pieces from the same job on two different machines, the colours will always match.”
The flexibility of the HP Latex Series meant Signbox was able to create all sorts of clever effects for each room. Mark Bartlett picked out the Beefeater Gin room, in particular, to showcase how the HP Latex technology allowed the company to innovate.
Here, Signbox was able to create an incredibly realistic effect that made it seem as if the wall was whitewashed brick, whereas in fact this effect had been created using the HP Latex printer. Signbox was also able to create accent details. Thanks to some clever creativity, it appeared that a gold signature ran from the wall directly across the raised 3D brand slogan.
“All but one of the walls in the project featured large-format printed graphics, and we were able to produce all of these on our HP Latex machines,” Mark Bartlett said.
Such was the success of the project that Signbox won two 2021 UK Graphics Awards in recognition of its work. In addition to the ‘Branded Interiors Project of the Year Award,’ Signbox scooped the highly coveted ‘Best in Show Award’ for the Pernod Ricard project.
Signbox in fact went away with four awards on the night, also picking up the ‘Innovation Award’ and ‘Wide-Format Print Company of the Year (30+ Employees)’, celebrating its other work and efforts throughout the past year.
“We were absolutely gobsmacked to win the four awards,” Mark Bartlett said. “We were incredibly humbled by the wins and real credit has to go to our team of dedicated staff.”
Signbox’s wider work in the past year or so included a significant amount of social distancing print and applications, produced during the difficult days of the pandemic when other work slowed down.
The HP Latex 300 Series printers switched from their usual interior design work to output hundreds of metres of social distancing graphics, with both machines running at full capacity to satisfy huge demand from multiple sectors.
“The HP printers were absolute workhorses when we were supplying the social distancing graphics,” Mark Bartlett said. “In fact, we produced so much that around 25% of our total turnover last year was social distancing work – and the majority of the printed vinyl went through the two HP Latex devices.”
