Glossy magazine Urbis has carried off the Supreme Award at the 2011 New Zealand Pride In Print Awards, stunning judges with a complex multi-fold cover that “raised the bar in New Zealand printing”.
Auckland printer GEON Auckland received not only the top prize at the award ceremony in Wellington, but also the plaudits for the best-of-category in Publications, and the best entry in the sheetfed-offset print process. A repeat Supreme Finalist, GEON’s combination of an innovative cover design, and a superb-quality insert, were enough to tip the scales in favour of the Urbis publication.
Judge Damian Fleming said the magazine caught the attention of everyone who looked at it.
“There are things about this book which are really cool. The front cover folds out to make eight pages and the folds have to be exact to make it work. It is a pretty outrageuous thing to attempt and get right. The attention to detail on the cover includes a matched image where the cover finishes just short of the fore-edge. The result is seamless.
“Inside, there is a tip-in insert which has been printed to match the colour and position of the image on the page beneath. It was printed on different stock, on a different day from the magazine, yet it matches perfectly. This wasn’t some simple glossy advert, but a perforated and complete image match up.
“Then there was the binding which has been difficult in its own right, and that has succeeded. This has raised the bar in magazine print standards,” he said.
GEON general manager Andrew Durrans described the moment as a “huge recognition” of the expertise of his staff. “What the judges said is the bar is getting lifted and the quality is getting better each year and I knew our guys had lifted the bar … if there was going to be a reward for effort and perseverance and continuing to put out a quality product to our clients …”, he said
“It is one of a number of magazines we print on a monthly basis, with very tight timelines. It has some inserts and crossovers involved with that overlay individual pages, so it is critical that you get the alignment right. It is a work or art from the front end pre-press.”
Durrans described the magazine sector as being “very competitive”. “Our customers are demanding more from us. Particularly on front covers they are looking for special colours and the ‘eye candy’. This is a magazine that also sells over the counter so it is very important that you get the people they are targeting, which is the people who are looking for high-end fashion and quality – they need to see that in the product. The advertisers in that magazine are the higher-end brands. It is important that they are aligned to a high-end product.”
Technical information:
Client: AGM Publishing
Reproduction : GEON and Pacific Laminations
Stock: Spicers Paper Media and Expression
Press: Heidelberg Speedmaster
Ink: Hostmann-Steinberg NZ
Plates: Agfa
Blankets Contitech Litho Hc
Click here for a complete list of winners
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