Strategic Insights
Landa Nano Print Quality IRL: I’m not impressed
There was one reason why I definitely wanted to attend drupa 2020: to finally get my hands on samples of Landa Nano. As you know, the show was canceled, and it seemed I had to […]
Best Practices
Fine art photo prints: “sRGB offers the highest quality” – No, not really…
I’m disappointed, frustrated. A few weeks ago, I ordered two large format prints (100 cm wide) of images from my photobook on the lockdown in Antwerp. Both had – of course – a large number […]
Strategic Insights
Deep blues, with just 4 colors? Yes, it can be done!
You may have read my previous article, on XCMYK and the business case: my ‘corona photobook’. Since the publication of that article, a lot has happened. And it’s an interesting story, and sometimes a sad […]
Strategic Insights
XCMYK vs CMYK: here’s your business case
XCMYK is a rather simple method to produce an ‘expanded’ gamut with your standard printing inks on your standard, four-color printing press. You only need FM-screening, or another non-traditional screening, and a higher ink density. Although it seems an exciting technology, I recently found that it’s tough to find a printer using it. Which is a shame: there is definitely a business case for this. […]
Strategic Insights
Selective attention and how it might affect packaging printing
Did you ever hear about the concepts of ‘selective attention’ and ‘change blindness’? These are something weird, fascinating, intriguing. And above all: very real. And it probably influences how consumers behave in a shopping environment. […]
Strategic Insights
drupa 2020: what you will see in Düsseldorf
Twenty-twenty is an exciting year for the printing industry: it’s a drupa-year. With a renewed interest in print as a communication medium – something I’ve been advocating for many years – and the introduction […]
Strategic Insights
Recognizing brand logos: shape over color
What is the decisive element that makes you recognize a brand? Many in the printing industry will say color. But I would like to differ: it’s shape, over color. A small test I did shows […]
Strategic Insights
Brand colors IRL: The Kellogg’s Case (III)
Kellogg’s red has had my attention for almost two decades. I have used examples of Special K boxes in seminars for a very long time. But I have also made pictures during that period and […]
Best Practices
Designing black for food packaging (not all black is designed equal…)
In a previous post, I already covered the fact that not all black is designed equal. ‘Black’ can be composed in different ways when going to print. And this is becoming very relevant when designing […]
Strategic Insights
Innovation begins with… (no, not with an idea, nor with an invention)
Where does innovation start? You can find all kinds of complicate theories on that, but it is simple: innovation starts with observation. […]
Strategic Insights
Brand colors IRL: the Coca-Cola case
After having seen how my color memory messed up with a package of Kellogg’s, I thought that it happened again when the cans of Coca-Cola seemed much lighter and a bit more yellowish than usual. […]
Strategic Insights
Are professionals better at judging color? (you might not like the answer…)
Are professionals better at judging color? Your immediate response will probably be: “Of course, they’re professionals!” It would seem no more than logical. But based on some tests, the answer might not be that straight […]
Strategic Insights
Brand colors IRL: The Kellogg’s Case (II)
When I went shopping some time ago, I noticed that a box of Kellogg’s Special K Fruits looked very different to me. The red in the logo looked much lighter than usual. So – contrary […]
Strategic Insights
Printing Industry Profitability: update
These are my favorite statistics: the financial ratios derived from the annual accounts that companies are required to file. The most recent figures were published earlier this week, time for an update. And this time, […]
Strategic Insights
Brand colors IRL: the Kelloggs’ case (I)
Kellogg’s is launching new packaging for several of its products. Well, at least in my country. With both old and new types of packaging next to each other on the shelves, it’s an interesting topic […]