Like so many around the world our good friends at Rule29 Creative [projects / website] have been devastated by the plight of the Ukrainian people during the Russian invasion and were eager to help out any way they could. Thanks to the speed and flexibility of digital printing, they were able to start raising funds for related charities through the creation of an inspiring limited-edition print in a fraction of the time it might’ve taken using more traditional print methods.
The poster, “Where Love Grows,” depicts Ukraine’s state flower, the sunflower, growing from the love of their native land with the word “Peace” connecting the flower to the soil, while vivid bursts of yellow – which can be interpreted either as bomb blasts or other flowers – fill the sky all around.
The beautiful pattern of the 100 lb. Neenah Classic Techweave Solar White Cover Digital paper [PRO members: Get Swatchbook!], one of my favorites, not only gives it an added visual dimension, it also lends it a finger-pleasing punch, too.
Designed by Rule29 Creative and digitally printed CMYK by our friends at O’Neil Printing [projects / website], the poster is a powerful lesson to anyone who still isn’t convinced that digital is traditional printing’s equal today.
First, feast your eyes on the evenness of the Blue at the bottom which saturates the sheet so nicely without bending. Then there’s the crisp precision of the Blue “Peace” stem as it overlaps one of the Yellow bursts.
Even more impressive is the uniformity of the printing overall as applied to Techweave. Anyone who’s printed on a patterned sheet before knows it’s always more challenging to get consistent coverage than when using a smoother surface paper.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this whole project is the speed with which it went from idea to finished product available for purchase via Rule29’s dedicated Ukraine website – just 2 weeks! With its small print run – only 150 copies – and no need for makeready, the printer was able to produce it superfast.
Naturally the same technology that allowed Rule29 to get their humanitarian project off the ground in 2 weeks can also help you get your clients’ own unique visions up and running in no time.
Want to see for yourself how far digital printing has come and help out the people of Ukraine at the same time? Purchase your own copy of the “Where Love Grows” poster at ukraine.mattersto.us; 100% of proceeds go to UNICEF, World Central Kitchen and the International Rescue Committee. (While there, you will also find additional resources as well as links to digital art for sale by Ukrainian artists.)
