PrintIT! Awards highlight the future of print at Ipex 2010
The annual PrintIT! Awards, now a well-established event in the print industry calendar has taken place at Ipex, the global event for print, publishing and media.
The award required entrants to design a range of printed materials to promote Fairtrade products on sale in supermarkets and specify the best printing method and most suitable materials for the campaign.
Attracting a host of industry figures, print professionals and finalist schools, the event celebrated the hard work and achievements of the thousands of students who took part in this year’s PrintIT! competition. During the event Daniel Smith, a pupil from St Ives School - a specialist technology college in Cornwall was awarded the overall prize of a state-of-the-art iPad and an exclusive all-expenses paid trip to Paris to attend Canon Expo in October.
Veronica Pasteur, Head of Campaigns at the Fairtrade Foundation said: ‘Without the print industry we would not get our message out to the millions of people in the UK to persuade them to buy Fairtrade – through leaflets, press stickers, merchandise, newsletters and right to the point of sale materials which are so important for inspiring people right at the shop shelf and which the young people have worked so hard on in the Print IT scheme. Congratulations to everyone who was involved in Print IT and especially to the winners.
‘The Fairtrade Foundation is very proud of its long-standing relationship with Print IT – it is fantastic that at the same time as learning about the print industry and designing this all important point of sale material, thousands of students are also learning about Fairtrade and the importance of the little symbol on the products they buy.’
This year the overall winner of PrintIT! 2009/10 was selected by a panel of print, media and graphic arts experts that deliberated over who, out of the thousands of participating students, would win each of the competition’s eight subject categories.
Commenting on Daniel’s success, which included winning the prize for ‘Best Wall Poster’, Tom Bowtell, General Manager of Proskills, the Sector Skills Council behind PrintIT!, said, ‘Daniel’s entry emerged as the winner due to his inventive, fresh approach to the competition brief. Across all categories, Daniel’s work stood out because of the obvious amount of care and attention he’d given the project, teamed with which, the level of understanding he demonstrated for printing methods, and for the environmental concerns of the industry as a whole was exceptional. In addition, his overall winning design of the barcode is relevant to all merchandise across the Fairtrade brand.’
As part of the new ‘Green’ PrintIT!, students this year were challenged to place a greater emphasis on sustainability than in previous years, helping students to develop a better understanding of the environmental issues facing print. Creating a raft of designs to suit a print-based campaign promoting Fairtrade products in supermarkets, the PrintIT! 2009/10 course expanded its focus to include the teaching of wide and large format print processes. This in turn gave entrants the scope to design a wider variety of end products, from leaflets and shelf wobblers through to posters, mobiles, and aisle and storefront banners.
‘Our print industry is still in the early stages of recovery, but you only have to look at the skill demonstrated by these young people and the passion they have displayed for all aspects of print, to know that we have a bright future ahead of us,’ comments Terry Watts, Chief Executive of Proskills.
This year Vario Press based in Slough, Berkshire, a printing and finishing company offering a multitude of integrated services including marketing, advertising and graphic design, took home the award for ‘Best Industry Twinner’. The company was judged to have provided exceptional commitment in supporting its twinned school (Herschel Grammar, Slough) and providing advice to both teachers and students throughout the competition.
‘We believe strongly that the competitiveness and success of the print industry depends on young people today. Schemes like PrintIT! are some of the best ways of introducing students to the many print career choices available to them, and by Twinning we are taking an active role in educating potential upcoming talent,’ says Dave Clarke, Managing Director of Vario Press, commenting on his company’s role as a Twinner.
Mr Watts concludes, ‘What we have all seen today at Ipex is a glimpse of some of the future talent available to the print industry. The whole event has been a great success and it has been an inspiration, not only to see the students enjoying the awards and Ipex as a whole, but to see so many of print’s key figures in one place. PrintIT! has proved to be a uniting force for this industry since its inception in 2005, and we are sure that it will continue to play this role in the many years to come.’
All eight category winning students were presented with a top of the range digital camera and their schools were given print-related equipment for their Design & Technology departments.
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List of PrintIT! 2009/10 Category Prize Winners:
Overall Winner of PrintIT! 2009/10
Daniel Smith- St Ives School, Cornwall
2009/10 Category Winners:
• Best Wall Poster
Daniel Smith- St Ives School, Cornwall
• Best Shelf Wobbler
Fiona Shaw- Wycombe High School, Buckinghamshire
• Best ‘Free’ Design
Thomas Gavrie and Edward Johnston- Chatham House Grammar School, Kent
• Best Use of Brand across the Range
Fiona Liao- The Tiffins Girls’ School, Surrey
• Best Understanding of Printing Techniques
Madeleine Young- Wycombe High School, Buckinghamshire
• Best Use of Materials
Bethany Titcombe- Wycombe High School, Buckinghamshire
• Best Understanding of Environmental Concerns
Jaye Sahota- Herschel Grammar School, Berkshire
• Best Overall Presentation
Shreeja Basak- The Tiffins Girls’ School, Surrey
2009/10 Special Awards
• Best Industry Twinner
Vario Press, Berkshire- Dave Clarke
• Best Teacher
Ricardo Arbelaez, Design & Technology Teacher, Thomas Deacon Academy, Cambridge
Notes to Editors:
Ceremony Photography:
A full selection of images from the PrintIT! Awards Ceremony 2010 will be available on Monday 24th May 2010. For further information on images, please contact Charlotte Ward on cward@adcomms.co.uk or 01372 464470. If you require images before 24.5.10, please contact Lucy O’Dea on 07801 525646.
About PrintIT!
Launched in 2005, PrintIT! is the industry-wide educational initiative aimed to attract young people to consider a future career in print.
As part of the curriculum-based PrintIT! course, students are challenged to create a print-based campaign. Aiming to promote the many varied and stimulating career paths available within the print industry, the PrintIT! competition was extended in 2008 to include Year 9 students (aged 13-14) as well as Year 10 students (aged 14-16) studying for their GCSEs in Product Design and Graphic Products.
PrintIT! is also relevant to the Creative and Media and Manufacturing and Product Design diplomas.
PrintIT! is led by Proskills UK, the sector skills council representing the print and paper industries.
For further information on PrintIT! log on to www.printit.org.uk or contact Jan Cassidy at Proskills on 01235 432017.
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Eileen Maybin
Head of Media Relations
020 7440 7686/07770 957 451
eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk
Martine Julseth
Media and PR Manager
020 7440 7695/07825 827 791
martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk
Faith Mall
Media and PR Manager
020 7440 8597/07766 504 947
faith.mall@fairtrade.org.uk
Neil Martin
Assistant Press Officer
020 7440 7620
neil.martin@fairtrade.org.uk
Notes to Editors
1. The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label is now recognised by 72% of UK consumers and appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people – farmers, workers and their families – across 58 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.
2. Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs & spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool and olive oil.
3. 7 in 10 households purchase Fairtrade goods,, helping Fairtrade sales reach an estimated £800m in 2009, up from £712m in 2008. There are over 460 producer organisations selling to the UK with 872 certified producer groups in the global Fairtrade system, representing more than 1.5 million farmers and workers.