"Splashing Fruits” Win Silver. A total of 13 awards went to DS Smith’s display and packaging strategists at this year’s Print Awards by the European Flexographic Industry Association (EFIA). The silver medallists included DS Smith Germany with their printed image for the multivitamin-12 juice drink by the Christinen brand. The photo-realistic image of fruit splashing into mineral water showcases DS Smith’s excellence in flexographic post-printing down to the very last halftone detail. When placed on the shelves, this high-impulse printed image on the corrugated board packaging becomes an unmistakeable brand ambassador and sales driver. Brilliant colours, smoothly flowing lines, and razor-sharp image details convey a visual quality which whets one’s thirst for this naturally healthy refreshing drink by the Bielefeld-based beverage group Gehring-Bunte.
The family-owned company Gehring-Bunte was founded in 1895 on the values of tradition and innovation. Their Christinen brand stands for premium mineral water of certified organic quality: Obtained from the untouched rock layers more than 400 metres deep, the naturally pure mineral waters, spritzers, and soft drinks by Teutoburger Mineralbrunnen GmbH & Co. KG are by now sold in more than 15 countries in Europe.
The multivitamin-12 juice drink, which comes in various sizes and bottles, is one of those drinks. The corrugated board packaging realised by DS Smith for the sale of the convenient 0.5-litre PET bottles helps to put the goods on adequate display on the shelves. The brand values of the drink — natural, fruity, refreshing — are conveyed perfectly in the photo-realistic image of fruit splashing into sparkling water. Realised in flexographic post-printing with 24 lines per centimeter in five colours, the shelf packaging distinguishes itself through extraordinarily brilliant colours, razor-sharp image details, and delicate colour gradients.
“The major beverage brands cannot afford to leave anything to chance in the fierce competition for the consumers’ favour”, says Anja Röhrle, Marketing & Communication Manager at DS Smith. Displays for secondary placement, seasonal editions, and eye-catching shelf packaging are supposed to push sales. “Natural-looking photo-realistic printed images which convey the taste adventure down to the very last detail and thus trigger a buying impulse in the shopper are in great demand, of course. A procedure to realise impressive print results on corrugated board which is both quick and cost-efficient is flexographic post-printing.” But technology isn’t everything, as Ms Röhrle points out. “Excellent know-how is required to achieve the best possible print. Our colleagues from the printing area know their craft, as attested by our success at this year’s EFIA Print Awards.”
