GSM

Mhairi Flett

  2. Mhairi Flett (Page 8)

The Carbon Neutral Balance

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"Going Carbon Neutral" is something we tend to associate with the change-over from petrol to electric cars - but does this relate to paper and the print industry? In our efforts to tackle Climate change, Sir David Attenborough has warned that ‘the future of humanity, and indeed all life on earth, now depends on us’. Powerful words that have resonated around the world. So, in battling climate change—what role do we play as a collective industry? We know that, unlike many manufactured products, paper is a  sustainable resource. Paper is also one of the most recycled materials on the planet....

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Marriage by Design – Work & Home

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Work & Home

Ever wondered what it would be like being in business with your partner? GSM caught up with Leanne Hayes who, along with hubby Aaron, work together in their Blenheim-based design studio - Vanilla Hayes. Like many companies, Vanilla Hayes was born from a desire for those elusive commodities of the self-employed—flexibility and freedom. Oh, the naivety! Life, some 6-7 years ago, was stressful to say the least—juggling two pre-schoolers with an increasing workload as a freelance designer. However, my husband Aaron and I knew nothing would change if we didn’t make it so. We agreed to trial a role reversal...

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Degradable, Biodegradable, Compostable-What do they mean?

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cOMPOSTABLE

‘Soft’ eco-packaging materials are appearing on our supermarket shelves as brands look to do the 'right thing' by replacing single-use plastics. There are many types of degradable, biodegradable, compostable soft materials available - but what do these terms really mean? In GSM Re-Edit (pub. 2020) we looked at the concept of a Circular Economy and how we can significantly reduce landfill through smarter choices in materials, better recycling and reintroducing waste back into the manufacturing process. Part of creating a Circular Economy requires replacing synthetic materials with natural-based products that we can either recycle or biodegrade. This is particularly important...

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Unique Packaging providing Beauty & Functionality

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Ecology & Co unique packaging

In this case study, we take a look at the unique packaging solution for kiwi zero-alcohol spirit brand, Ecology & Co. Ecology & Co are a New Zealand based artisan producer of alcohol free spirits. Both products in the range use blended botanicals to create alternatives to alcohol-based Spirits, such as Gin or Vodka. They also distil there products without the use of artificial flavours or refined sugar. So now you can enjoy a zero-alcohol ‘G&T’ at Friday drinks! Unique Packaging Marketing such a unique product requires careful consideration. Particularly when it comes to the packaging.  Ecology & Co engaged...

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Letterpress – Creating Artwork

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Creating artwork for Letterpress is reasonably straight forward with a little understanding of the process. In conjunction with our article "The Art of Letterpress Printing"  GSM looks at the basics... Artwork It is best to create Artwork using a vector based design program like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign. Avoid using Photoshop. Colour Letterpress is effectively a one colour per pass process. This means that for every colour, we require a new plate and print pass. Therefore, limit your range to one, two or three Pantone Spot Colours. Do not use Process / CMYK colours (and definitely do not use RGB...

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Letterpress – A Timeless Print Form

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HOT TYPE

GSM takes a look at the timeless print form that is - Letterpress Letterpress is an old-school form of mass-printing. It dates back almost 600 years to when German-born Johann Gutenberg printed 180 copies of a 1,282 page Bible on his new invention. In it’s most basic form, Letterpress employs individual letterforms, or ‘moveable type’, that are ‘typeset’  within a frame or ‘Galley’. The printer loads the Galley onto the Letterpress and proceeds to ink and ‘press’ it onto the paper. When the printer has finished the job, he breaks up the Galley and the cleans the letterforms for reuse...

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Fraser Gardyne – Home Grown Talent

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Fraser Gardyne

In this instalment of Inspiration, GSM moves closer to home. We take a look at Kiwi Graphic Designer, Fraser Gardyne. In Aotearoa New Zealand, few designers in any discipline become household names. The late John Britten (Products) and British migrant David Trubridge (Lighting) represent a select few who have achieved this level of recognition. But that is not to say that our nation has not produced our own crop of home-grown design heroes and heroines. As is our national psyche—they chip away quietly in the background. Fraser Gardyne may not be a household name but most experienced graphic designers in...

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Storm Thorgerson – art as loud as the music it covers

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Storm Thorgerson

Storm Thorgerson was a British graphic designer responsible for some of the most evocative album covers ever made. Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy (1973) are prime examples. Having attended high school with Pink Floyd founders Syd Barrett and Roger Waters, it was almost predestined that Thorgerson be a part of the music industry in some way or another. But it didn't start of that way. GSM takes a look at Storm Thorgeson's career and his work... His Career Thorgerson attended the University of Leicester, from where he earned a...

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NZ Apprentice of the Year Awards

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apprentice of the year

Every year The NZ Apprentice of the Year Awards celebrate the successes of those choosing to enter the print industry - GSM takes a look… Each year PrintNZ and industry training partner, CompeteNZ, sponsor the NZ Apprentice of the Year Awards. Winners are selected from five sectors— offset printing, digital printing, screen printing, packaging and finishing & binding. Two further awards are also granted. These are the coveted Supreme Apprentice of the Year and Trainer of the Year. Winners are announced at The Pride in Print Awards Gala. As Ruth Cobb, Chief Executive of PrintNZ explains, ‘The awards recognise those...

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The Skill of Designing Cardboard Packaging

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Packaging Die lines

GSM takes a look at how cardboard packaging formes are designed and prototyped. Plus die-making and how stamping is done... Cardboard packaging is everywhere and in a time when we are becoming increasingly aware of the need for sustainability carton board is an unsung hero. Recyclable, renewable and bio-degradable, pretty much everything plastic isn’t. Designing formes and constructing packaging using cardboard is a real skill. Even at it’s most basic, cardboard packaging is very complex. Developing a packaging forme often requires significant time in prototyping to ensure it constructs correctly. Once the forme is proven to work, the operator makes...

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