Awesome pulls off high-speed card job for charity

17 December 2018

Commercial

Christmas brings with it the opportunity to spread cheer and generosity. For London events company Glug, the season’s card-giving tradition represented a chance to not only liven up the often-stale expectations of what a festive card can look like, but also to use the proceeds to help those in need as the cold sets in.

What was produced?

Glug commissioned Leeds promo specialist Awesome Merchandise to produce three Christmas cards based on vibrant, quirky designs from illustrators Mariana Rodrigues, Dan Woodger and Design Lad, sourced by illustration agency Jelly.

Following an initial run of 150 packs, each containing nine cards – three of each design – Awesome Merchandise is on standby to produce another 100 packs when the first run sells out. Available online now, proceeds go to homelessness charity Shelter.

What did the job entail?

Awesome Merchandise printed the four-colour work onto Evolution Business 300gsm white recycled board using a Konica Minolta bizHub C1100 production system. Each card was then cut using an Ideal 5560 guillotine and folded on a Eurofold Touchline CF375.

What challenges were overcome?

Deadlines ran tighter than Awesome Merchandise was used to; the typical three- to four-day lead time from sign-off to delivery was reduced to 48 hours. But with the Christmas season in full swing, the firm was already braced for the increased demand with extended shifts, according to managing director James Lyall.

Important to Lyall and his team was the need to fulfil the brief to the best standard they possibly could, given the three-way collaboration between themselves, Glug and Jelly, and the social importance of the cause the cards support.

He said: “Homelessness is on the rise, and we can see it in Leeds. There was one guy I walked past every day on the way to work and we recently heard he had died. Any chance to raise money for this cause resounds with us so we thought it was very important to get everything spot on.”

What was the feedback?

Glug global partnerships manager Charlotte Simpson said: “We loved working with Awesome Merchandise on this project. They helped us make the most out of the illustrators’ artwork by recommending the card size and templates.

“Throughout the process, the team were on hand to make sure we had the best set of cards. On top of this, they printed the cards free of charge, which has allowed us to raise as much money as possible for Shelter.”

Do you have a Killer App? We are interested in special, difficult or simply fabulous print jobs. Contact Rhys Handley on 020 7501 6388 or rhys.handley@markallengroup.com.