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Calvin Klein MAN fragrance reflects the signature minimalism and sexy style of Calvin Klein. The package design consists of a square glass bottle decorated with four aluminum inserts. The aluminum inserts are printed in a high gloss black finish. The Calvin Klein MAN graphic is bright aluminum. The back side of the aluminum plaques are visible in the package design requiring inserts that are aesthetically pleasing on the front and back.
High volume production of the fragrance plaques required duplicate tooling to meet timing requirements. The fragrance package combines aluminum and glass for a simple clean design.
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Manufacturing flexible plastic labels and decals along with durable metal warning labels allows us to serve your safety label needs whatever they are. We offer polyester labels, flexible vinyl labels, polycarbonate (plastic) labels and aluminum labels. The warning stickers, decals and labels are manufactured with pressure sensitive adhesive or pierced holes for easy attachment to your product. Most materials have heat, UV and chemical resistant characteristics. All labels are available in custom shapes and sizes. Labels can be screen printed, litho printed or digitally printed.
A warning or safety label is used in situations where bodily harm and death are imminent if you make the wrong moves. They caution individuals and provide guidelines for safe use of products.
Warning and danger stickers, decals and labels can provide customers with the information they need to use a product safely and properly.
Would you like to know more about warning labels?
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It is often surprising when you start watching for nameplates how many you find. Nameplates are in our homes and our businesses on products that we use every day. They are even showing up in some of the local art. The LaCrosse Pump House has sponsored a public art project, Herons of LaCrosse, which includes 36 large heron sculptures located on the streets of Onalaska and LaCrosse. One sculpture, High Speed Heron, features a Dell nameplate made here in Sparta.
We thought this was a creative use of a nameplate and wanted to share it. All of the sculptures are interesting and worth a visit.
Start looking for nameplates and you'll be surprised how many you see in a day. Who knows maybe you'll even come across some interesting artwork.
Have you seen any creative unexpected uses of nameplates?
It's that time of year again... we are working on the design for our aluminum holiday card. Each year we design and manufacture a metal card featuring our processes and capabilities on aluminum. It is a tradition lasting for decades. Many of our partners have collected the cards over the years. Occasionally we visit a partner and see the series displayed year round. It puts a smile on our face to see the aluminum cards enjoyed by so many people. We have more than one tale of an individual who has retired or moved on to a new employer and contacts us with a new address to make sure to be included in our next mailing.
The design for last year's card featured a deep red transparent tint of color and a printed poinsettia. The scripted word Joy is raised in a three dimensional emboss. A large scale graphic dances through the background image in a selective brush layered with a selective gloss level.
What will we feature in this year's card? Should it be mechanical finishes, lithography or embossing? Should it be a traditional design? Should we use bright colors? How would you incorporate options in aluminum decoration and embossing into a holiday card design?
Patterns add detail and depth to metal nameplates. Technical and precise finishes create a feeling of detailed precision and engineering in product identification. Marble, mother of pearl, carbon fiber and tortoise shell are a few of the faux finishes which combine with graphics to create a refined and premium look for your brand. Custom finishes or patterns from a library of thousands of aluminum finishes are integrated into nameplates using one of four primary process options for creating patterns on aluminum.
1. Four Color Process: reproduce virtually any surface on metal2. Mechanical Finishes: add movement and flip to the nameplate3. Printed Texture: offered in various colors and gloss levels4. Tooled Texture: creates a crisp visual and tactile pattern
Process color uses four colors to print a wide spectrum of colors. Images which can be photographed, such as marble, granite and mother of pearl, are good candidates for four color process on aluminum.
Selective brushing is used to create precise technical finishes or organic structures. A combination of bright aluminum and brushing catches the light creating interactive surfaces which can be layered with transparent color.
Screen printed texture is available in high or low gloss for a subtle background surface. A colored texture creates a more dramatic contrast in a pattern. Pinstripes and grids are popular patterns in product identification as well as subtle grains.
Embossing and coining are used when the design calls for a surface with added relief or a very crisp detail. Color can be applied selectively to the metal and aligned with the embossing to add to the visual depth.
The metal processes featured here can be used independently or combined into unique surfaces for product identification. Selective brushing layered with color and texture come together to create aluminum finishes with depth and texture.
The finishes can be further enhance with doming or norlens as shown in this tortoise shell insert for a cosmetic compact and the carbon fiber nameplate. The dome is applied over transparent tints of color and acts as a lens magnifying the reflective quality of the aluminum.
How would you integrate pattern into a nameplate?
Four color process on aluminum is used to make collectible metal trading cards. The aluminum cards are similar to their paper counterparts featuring full color high resolution images and player statistics.
The metal cards feature special effects to make the players stand out. The reflectivity of the aluminum surface combines with four color process printing to create an almost holographic effect. Opaque and transparent colors are combined in the printing. Fine graphics are litho printed taking advantage of the metal surface. The aluminum trading cards are printed on both sides of the metal. A protective mask is applied to the back of the card to protect the printing during the stamping process. Unique shapes can be created through custom tooling.
Metal trading cards are one example of a creative use of the aluminum substrate. What else can you imagine doing with aluminum?
A two-dimensional emboss, multi-level emboss or sculptural emboss added to a nameplate creates dimension and a premium look for your brand. Your name is brought to life in this final stage of manufacturing a nameplate or badge. Logos, text and borders are raised in crisp detail, rounded edges or faceted planes to meet your design intent.
We can help explain your options for embossing, debossing and coining nameplates, labels and badges. Nameplate samples are available to help illustrate the various options.
Backlit aluminum dials are in demand for the aesthetic qualities and functionality they bring to gauge design. Backlit gauges and dials are manufactured using a combination of a decorated aluminum overlay and a polycarbonate backer with deadfront and backlit graphics. A pressure sensitive adhesive can be applied to the polycarbonate dial for final application to the product. The aluminum and polycarbonate pieces are laminated together creating an eye-catching integrated dial.
Aluminum dials can be decorated with mechanical finishes, transparent tints and metallic colors. Adding a spin to the metal dial creates movement. Embossed details accent the dial and are reminiscent of a watchmakers attention to detail. Fine graphics can be embossed and diamond cut further adding to the precision look. Technical finishes and textures integrated into dials create an endless palette of possibilities for your dial. Additional options include forming the aluminum dial and integrating multiple dials into one part.
Backlit aluminum gauges allow a designer to carry the decorative theme used on aluminum trim across the gauge design. Our expertise in decorating both metal and plastic substrates allows you to design a metal dial with the functionality of backlit and deadfront graphics.
What type of finish would you add to a backlit aluminum dial for your product?
Metal substrates are a durable option when your product needs a nameplate or label that withstands harsh environments. Processes are chosen based on your end application and the specifications that your product requires. Manufacturing processes available on metal for your ID tag or label include:
ID tags and labels are available with adhesive backing, holes or slots for easy attachment to your product. These heavy duty tags are typically manufactured out of aluminum or steel.
Do you have a severe environment for your product and need an ID plate? We provide complimentary consulting and help to find solutions for your tagging and labeling challenges.
Custom matching a patina finish for CD packaging in the Mile Davis metal spine series meant working closely with the packaging designer to exactly duplicate the worn and imperfect surface on the trumpet used by Miles Davis.
Once the trumpet arrived in our studio, our designers worked with litho press operators creating the patina look on metal. Steel was used on the original version of the metal spine to add weight to the final package. A later version matched the patina surface on aluminum. The graphics for both versions were coined into the metal for an authentic stamped metal effect.
Additional metal spines in the series were created using the same tooling. An anodized blue metal look was achieved by coating a transparent tint of color on brushed steel. A low gloss topcoat protects the surface and adds to the anodized effect. The graphics feature a tone on tone effect created by litho printing a slightly darker blue tint and coining. A third metal spine was manufactured using brass. Simulated brass could be achieved on aluminum. However, this would leave a visible silver edge on the spine on the completed CD packaging. The final flashy brass cd spine is akin to a shiny trumpet with detailed graphics coined into the surface of the metal.
Metal labels, plaques or spines are used effectively in packaging to draw attention to the product. They can be used to create a looks that are flashy, elegant or handcrafted.
How would you push the boundaries of metal substrates incorporating them into your package design?
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