GSM Blog - read more about print on paper.

The Hedonist – Label Rebrand

The Hedonist

In pursuit of modernising and strengthening their long-standing brand, The Hedonist team approached Byerlee Design, a creative studio specialising in alcohol & beverage brands. GSM takes a look... The Hedonist Vineyard The Hedonist vineyard, located in the Willunga foothills of McLaren Vale, Australia, is run by Walter Clappis, veteran winemaker of 36 years, along with daughter Kimberly and her partner James Cooter. They are passionate about making their wines using certified biodynamic and organic vineyards and winemaking practices. Byerlee Design was engaged to reinvigorate, rather than rebuild, The Hedonist brand. As James explains, ‘We had been following Byerlee’s work on...

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Quick Chat Print – Rawson Print & Packaging

rawson print & packaging

Andrew Price from Rawson Print & Packaging joins us to discuss the importance of diversification and sustainability within the print industry, as well as re-branding.   In 2022, Sydney-based Rawson Print & Packaging produced the Ball & Doggett 2023 calendar, showcasing work from last year's BJ Ball and Ball & Doggett Student Design Contest. As part of this, they opened the doors to the student winners and invited them to see their work come to life. This was a great learning opportunity that was well-received. To acknowledge that the team at Rawson went above and beyond—we decided to return and...

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‘ARGO’ –

Argo Mash

Set within the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel on Hong Kong Island, is cocktail bar Argo. GSM investigates how the Four Seasons Hong Kong approached Adelaide-based design studio, Mash. And the journey to create a name, brand identity and collateral items for a new high-end bar offering. The Ship 'Argo' After creative development and workshopping, the name chosen was ‘Argo’. Steeped in Greek mythology, around the story of ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and their fabled quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece, Argo was the ship Jason sailed in search of the treasure.  As a high-end bar, Argo is also on a quest—...

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The Message Stick – Respectfully incorporating First Nations art & culture.

first nations

In this issue of The Message Stick, Rebecca Wessels further enlightens us on how best to incorporate First Nations art and culture into commercial work in a sympathetic and respectful manner. For tens of thousands of years, First Nations peoples commonly used message sticks as a way of communicating between different groups in Australia. For GSM, the concept of The Message Stick is that the stick will be passed from speaker to speaker to continue our discussion about First Nations culture and traditional knowledge. Our intention is for these discussions to provide some guidance and understanding of how we can...

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Rākau Kōrero – Kaitiaki

Ōtautahi Christchurch artist and designer Morgan Mathews-Hale (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou, Tainui) @ Kaitiaki Studios (Ōtautahi-Christchurch) shares her views on bicultural collaboration and working together. Ko Morgan Hale tōku ingoa. He uri tēnei nō Ngāi Tahu, nō Ngāti Porou, nō Tainui hoki. As an artist and designer, I find true joy in visual expression and storytelling, and in seeing the impact my work has on the people who interact with it. Kaitiaki Kaitiaki is the Māori concept of guardianship, representing care and consideration and adapting ourselves internally as we exist in harmony with our natural world, with others in our...

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Tipping Point Wines – Sustainable Packaging

tipping point wines

Tipping Point wines gift packaging recently won Gold at the New Zealand Pride in Print awards, GSM takes a look... The Background on Tipping Point Wines Al Brown is recognised around the world as a leading New Zealand Chef and Restaurateur. He is also quite the entrepreneur who values aligning himself with people, organisations and brands he feels a strong connection with. Partnering with Constellation Brands, Al launched Tipping Point Wines. Wine which aims to do good and taste great, with each varietal supporting five not-for-profit organisations that are working hard to create a better future for New Zealand: The...

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Mark Cleverley – Craft Master

Mark Cleverley

If you lived in New Zealand in the late 1960s—70s, chances are you have seen the work of Mark Cleverley in the form of tableware by Crown Lynn. But as we have discovered, Mark was not only a creator of ceramics - but a true multidisciplinary in every sense of the word "Design". Mark Cleverley became one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading creative influencers through a six-decade outpouring of ideas and creations—spanning ceramics, architecture, graphics, type design, textiles… the list goes on. In 2014, in recognition of his significant contribution to the profession, The Designers Institute of New Zealand bestowed...

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Pantone Swatchbooks

pantone swatchbooks

Supporting the Pantone Matching System is a range of swatchbooks. Understanding the different versions and their intended uses ensure you will use the right tool for the job. GSM takes a look: Formula Guide: Two x books (C & U): Formula Guide swatchbooks show the base range of 2,400 PMS colours, along with the corresponding ink formula. Printers use these formulas to mix Pantone colours. Bridge Guide: Two x books (C & U): The Bridge Guide swatchbooks show the same base range of colours as the Formula Guide—but instead of showing the ink formula, the Bridge Guides show each Pantone...

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Colour Gamut: Screen vs Print

colour gamut

When it comes to colour, a common frustration is the mismatch between what you see on-screen versus the printed result. Understanding why this is the case, can help you to navigate this issue. GSM compares the RGB colour gamut vs CMYK... RGB Colour Gamut To create colour, a device screen uses varying degrees of light, specifically Red, Green, and Blue light (otherwise known as the RGB Colour Mode). More than 16 million colours are possible using RGB—significantly more than what the human eye can distinguish (about a million). RGB vs CMYK Colour Gamut Compare this to the CMYK colour mode...

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Pantone Colour – expanding the printable colour range

pantone swatchbooks

For this installment of Education, we return to Pantone colour and how this can expand the printable colour range. We all know that colour is a powerful tool for a designer. But how can you get more from colour when designing towards a print outcome? The answer may be through the use of Pantone colour. But first, let’s take a quick look at the theory of printed colour, and why CMYK and Pantone colour differs.  CMYK Colour 99% of all printed material uses a CMYK-based colour model. CMYK is based on the principle that printing varying amounts of Cyan, Magenta...

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