Some products are so powerful in what they represent to us as humans, they are difficult to capture on a printed page. GSM takes a look at one such product for NZ producer of wood burners, Woodsman…
Technical vs Emotional
Fire and heat emote us on a deeply primal level. As humans, we all respond to these feelings of warmth, comfort and security. But how do you capture this feeling in a two-dimensional flat format? This was the challenge for Christchurch-based creative agency Imagic following a recent brand update for Woodsman: create a sales brochure that provides technical information—and yet, evokes emotionally.
As this brochure is for retail staff to help prospective buyers, one of the requirements was to provide a factual guide for calculating the right powered wood burner for the customer’s space—this focus on facts significantly departed from the ‘my number is biggest’ marketing tactic dominating the heating sector.
Real vs Feel
Woodsman wanted to provide good, honest information—with strong brand messaging, flitting between the product’s ‘real’ and ‘feel’ aspects. With this concept as the focus, the sales brochure opens with a half-cut cover showing a technical drawing of a wood burner —the ‘real’, under which a photo encapsulates the ‘feel’—the product in-situ in a warm and inviting interior space. This juxtaposition of these two brand personalities continues throughout the brochure through a series of product drawings accompanied by photography. (Mark Bridgewater from Imagic shot the photography).
Woodsman in Print
Woodsman and Spectrum Print (Christchurch) had a pre-existing, strong relationship. So, this was an easy fit for the team at Imagic, who have worked extensively with Spectrum on previous projects. Early conversations between Imagic and Spectrum clarified the practicalities of the concept before getting too far down the track. Clear communication with the printer and the client aligned expectations and avoided production problems.
Spectrum offset printed the project in CMYK, with one PMS colour for the dark grey—one of the Woodsman brand colours. The additional PMS ensured colour consistency throughout and solved the potential problem of misregistration within the fine details of the reverse technical drawings, had this colour been printed using CMYK only. The grey also provides contrast to the photography.
Woodsman on Paper
Regarding stock selection, and with a print run of circa 30,000—a balance was needed between cost and quality. BJ Ball Advance Laser was the perfect choice, offering a lush tactility within budget. The choice of Advance Laser also fitted with the client and their desire to communicate a stronger story around sustainability.
Retailers and customers alike have responded positively to the new brochure. So much so that there is talk of producing a short-run premium version. The plan is to print this on a specialty stock, using a white foil on a coloured cover. This might be gracing showrooms or seen in the architectural offices around the country soon—watch this space. And, as a testament to the great work produced by the team at Imagic, the brochure and new website built for Woodsman, were both finalists in the 2023 Best awards.
Advance Laser is available in New Zealand through BJ Ball.
For our Australian readers; the equivalent stock from Ball & Doggett is Supreme Laser.
