Digital print is vibrant: Hemingway

Ahead of FESPA 2015, English fashion and interior designer Wayne Hemingway MBE talks to FESPA about the relationship between print and design, and the opportunities that digital technology in the interior environment presents.

What´s special about print and its role in bringing design to life?
Wayne Hemingway MBE (WHM): I have always loved print, its vibrancy and eye-catching power. It is a visual art, which is almost impossible to resist as we are visual creatures. Print has made significant advances over the last decade, and the variety of interior applications it is possible to create with digital technology today is just amazing. Digital print allows designers to easily transfer their creativity directly onto surfaces such as furniture, floors, walls, etc. Its on-demand capability enables these designers to effectively deliver bespoke or regularly renovated interiors.

What can printers do to help designers unleash their creativity and embrace the power of print?
WHM: Technical expertise and creativity should go hand in hand, as they are both integral to a design project. Printers, engineers, architects and designers need to take advantage of their respective competences and focus on bringing them together. Structural engineers help architects and designers to understand if their creative ideas can be turned into reality; equally, printers should highlight the technical aspects of a job and the print requirements for it to successfully reflect the designer´s idea. Printers can widen designers´ horizons by educating them on new and innovative applications that can be created with print. This plays a key role in the creative and project development process.

Sustainability is a topical point in both interior decoration and print. How can the print and design industries join forces to create more sustainable projects?
WHM: Print buyers are increasingly asking for ´green´ applications to comply with specific regulations. Modern and forward-looking designers are therefore fully aware of the importance to develop sustainable projects, and they also know that printers can guide them in the selection of the most appropriate inks and substrates to create environmentally friendly applications, which will ultimately help them win new business.

Forthcoming FESPA events include:
FESPA 2015, 18-22 May 2015, Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany
European Sign Expo 2015, 18-22 May 2015, Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany
Printeriors 2015, 18-22 May 2015, Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany
FESPA Africa, 22-24 July 2015, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
African Print Conference, 22-23 July 2015, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
FESPA Mexico 2015, 20-22 August 2015, Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico
Brasil Signage Expo, 27-28 August 2015, Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, Brazil
FESPA China 2015, 21-23 October 2015, Shanghai New Int´l Expo Centre, Shanghai, China
FESPA Eurasia 2015, 26-29 November 2015, CNR Expo, Istanbul, Turkey
FESPA Digital 2016, 08-11 March 2016, RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands