From the list of finalists in the 2021 Best Awards, we take a look at a short-run digital print project that takes colour to new levels>
—with Theola (Brisbane) & The Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ).
When Melbourne-based developers, Hirsch & Faigen, began work on their new Gold Coast residential tower project, they wanted to create something unique. They did not want just another glass-fronted apartment building typical of the area. Instead, they wanted Hemingway to feel like a classic Australian beach house—only in a multilevel format.
Designed by Rothelowman Architects (Brisbane), Hemingway reprises the golden era of ‘Queenslanders’ typified by their wrap-around balconies. Rothelowman wanted to encapsulate the classic beach lifestyle by focusing on bright open spaces and, of course, the views.
Branding in Colour
Brisbane-based design studio, Theola, created the brand to match this vision. Both nostalgic and contemporary.
The logo is unapologetically old-school and classic in its simplicity. While the colour palette plays on the Cuban/Havanan theme of the name ‘Hemingway’.
The run-out of printed collateral includes a boxed prospectus, a takeaway brochure and branded tote bags.
The prospectus is packaged in a bespoke rich yellow cloth-wrapped box. While the internal pages are bound using a ring system. The package speaks volumes about the unique qualities of ‘Hemingway’.
Taking this theme further, the team at Theola designed the sales brochure to come in a protective card shell, available in different colours. This shell, produced using premium Colorplan stock, features the Hemingway and Hirsch & Faigen logos which are foil-stamped in black. Colorplan adds an intense, rich colour density far beyond what is achievable using a CMYK ink finish.
We printed the sales brochure on an HP Indigo digital press using Knight Vellum. A paper with a soft, toothy finish which is perfect for strong ink hold-out and colour reproduction.
Theola was nominated finalist for the Hemingway project at the 2021 Best Awards for Small Brand Identity.
What’s in a name?
As an interesting side-story, the name ‘Hemingway’ was born out of the building’s design process. Initially, the architects intended to use natural concrete for the exterior columns. However, the Gold Coast City Council objected to this on the basis that it would be ‘too Brutalist’. So, the architects modified the design to incorporate tinted concrete in a light salmon colour. The resulting pastel palette is reminiscent of the colours of Havana, Cuba. In particular, the interior of the historic El Floridita restaurant and bar which was a regular haunt of Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s. Hence, the name.
PROSPECTUS AND SALES BROCHURE – The Use of Colour
Both the ‘Hemingway’ sales brochure and boxed prospectus make strong use of coloured materials to create impact.
The sales brochure employs a card outer cover available in four colour options—Candy Pink, Citrine, Vellum White and Turquoise.
The stock used for the outer is Colorplan, a premium coloured board that provides a richness far exceeding a CMYK print finish.
The logos on the outside have been foil stamped, with the inside script digitally printed.
An HP Indigo digital press printed the booklet in CMYK on a premium specialty text stock, Knight Vellum. Knight Vellum is an FSC certified paper which offers a toothy finish while at the same time providing an even print surface. It is the perfect canvas for strong ink hold-out and colour reproduction.
We constructed the vivid yellow prospectus box by hand, using bookbinding-cloth with foil-stamped details and a digitally printed insert photo.
Colorplan and Knight Vellum are available from Ball & Doggett in Australia. For more information go to: //ballanddoggett.com.au
Knight Vellum is available from BJ Ball in New Zealand. For more information go to: //bjball.co.nz
