Strategic Insights
Do we still need press checks?
It’s a controversial topic, but we need to address it. And now is the right time: do we still need visual, on-site press checks (press approvals)? Is it still necessary for a print buyer or […]
Strategic Insights
Strategic Insights
Taking brand colors seriously? Time to embrace CxF and Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE)!
I hit a nerve with my article on the Adobe-Pantone breakup and how brand owners and designers should deal with it. And most reactions were very positive, acknowledging that NOW is the right time to […]
Strategic Insights
The Google 41 shades of blue test, valued at 200 Million US$ revenue increase, is fundamentally flawed
The recent Color 22 conference had an interesting speaker: dr. Terry Wu, about neuromarketing. My LinkedIn feed was full of it! And neuromarketing is an exciting topic. E.g. emotions can influence our perceptions. Knowing you […]
Strategic Insights
My color memory IRL (it’s embarrassing…)
It is embarrassing, very embarrassing, especially for me… But I’m going to tell you anyway. I have to. Because it clearly shows what I’ve been telling for a long time: our color memory, our color […]
Strategic Insights
Printing would have never been the same again, with these revolutionary printing techniques
“Printing will never be the same again”, we’ve heard that a lot in the last decade. But essentially, nothing significant has changed. Most printing techniques have advanced, however nothing that I consider revolutionary, not enough […]
Strategic Insights
Vistaprint (Cimpress): two metrics nobody talks about (but should be a benchmark for every printer)
How is your business doing? It may seem a simple question, but the answer might be rather difficult, especially if you want to go beyond your gut feelings. To get a more objective picture about […]
Strategic Insights
Landa Nano Print Quality IRL: inkjet vs inkjet (Canon VarioPRINT iX)
The article about the Landa Nano print quality in real life did gain some traction: within 24 hours, it was read over 1.000 times, it was shared a lot via LinkedIn, via WhatsApp. But one […]
Strategic Insights
Landa Nano Print Quality IRL: I’m not impressed
There was one reason why I definitely wanted to attend drupa 2020: to finally get my hands on samples of Landa Nano. As you know, the show was canceled, and it seemed I had to […]
Strategic Insights
Deep blues, with just 4 colors? Yes, it can be done!
You may have read my previous article, on XCMYK and the business case: my ‘corona photobook’. Since the publication of that article, a lot has happened. And it’s an interesting story, and sometimes a sad […]
Strategic Insights
XCMYK vs CMYK: here’s your business case
XCMYK is a rather simple method to produce an ‘expanded’ gamut with your standard printing inks on your standard, four-color printing press. You only need FM-screening, or another non-traditional screening, and a higher ink density. Although it seems an exciting technology, I recently found that it’s tough to find a printer using it. Which is a shame: there is definitely a business case for this.
Strategic Insights
Selective attention and how it might affect packaging printing
Did you ever hear about the concepts of ‘selective attention’ and ‘change blindness’? These are something weird, fascinating, intriguing. And above all: very real. And it probably influences how consumers behave in a shopping environment. […]
Strategic Insights
drupa 2020: what you will see in Düsseldorf
Twenty-twenty is an exciting year for the printing industry: it’s a drupa-year. With a renewed interest in print as a communication medium – something I’ve been advocating for many years – and the introduction […]
Strategic Insights
Recognizing brand logos: shape over color
What is the decisive element that makes you recognize a brand? Many in the printing industry will say color. But I would like to differ: it’s shape, over color. A small test I did shows […]
Strategic Insights
Brand colors IRL: The Kellogg’s Case (III)
Kellogg’s red has had my attention for almost two decades. I have used examples of Special K boxes in seminars for a very long time. But I have also made pictures during that period and […]
Strategic Insights
Innovation begins with… (no, not with an idea, nor with an invention)
Where does innovation start? You can find all kinds of complicate theories on that, but it is simple: innovation starts with observation.