{"id":409,"date":"2014-01-22T19:43:33","date_gmt":"2014-01-22T19:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/?page_id=409"},"modified":"2015-01-22T16:35:35","modified_gmt":"2015-01-22T16:35:35","slug":"backstory","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/","title":{"rendered":"Backstory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Backstory\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

Below is a sample of work done previously before Spot On Solutions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marks & Spencer<\/h1>\n

\"burger\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Background<\/h3>\n

Marks & Spencer launched the100 point waste and recycling program \u2018Plan A\u2019 back in 2007, covering all areas in the business. This was ahead of its time and very well received by many of its customers, but with scepticism by many industry experts. As part of Plan A they have continued to look at ways to reduce packaging waste, by reducing the amount of packaging and using lighter materials.<\/p>\n

Brief<\/h3>\n

M&S in search of some inspiration asked Simon to look at the snacking range of products to see if we could develop some as they called it \u2018quick wins\u2019. The target was the overall reduction in weight, not necessarily the recyclability or the sustainability of the packaging material.<\/p>\n

Solution<\/h3>\n

The project was split into two separate elements, the first being the branding of the range and the second being to reduction for Plan A. For the branding we tied the range together with strong homely imagery and a fun American takeout feel for the brand title and product description. This was a great improvement over the disjointed imagery on the current packaging. The Burger box demonstrates in our opinion the ultimate solution. We took the current box that held three individual components and placed it in a paper bag; this gave a 70% reduction and really pushed home the American dinner brand.<\/p>\n

Outcome<\/h3>\n

Client was impressed with the creative work, especially the photography. They could see the merits of all the ideas presented and have pushed ahead with the Burger in a bag concept as a first action point.<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Unilever Laundry Project<\/h1>\n

\"Persil\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Simon began its working partnership with Unilever back in 2003, with the re-launch of the Dove deodorant range. The project was large enough to test credentials and give confidence to Unilever in there choice of supplier. Simon continued to grow this business to produces all except 1 of the deodorant portfolio (Unilever must have dual supply). The partnership prospered with Simon and his team recommending and instigating many changes over the years.<\/p>\n

Unilever Laundry had been working with the same single source supplier for over ten years and things have become a little stale and tired. Unilever Laundry had not been receiving the level of service they expected and the Supplier had become complacent and arrogant. The Artwork coordinators at Unilever thought it was time to try an alternative supplier.<\/p>\n

Brief<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To test the working relationship of Simon (Account Director) and the team and Unilever a suitably large project was selected, Tang +<\/p>\n

The project was to reaffirm the Dirt Is Good \u2018DIG\u2019 brand by the way of a redress across all 12 Western European countries.<\/p>\n

A fulfil tactical implementation across 170 SKU\u2019s range from the single concept design supplied to overseeing of the printed article and setting of colour standards.<\/p>\n

All this needed to happen within a very short initial timescale of 19 weeks.<\/p>\n

Solution<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Existing Artwork and new creative concepts were supplied. Several Master templates were produced showing how the design would look implemented on different size, shape and sub branding. This process highlighted that the updated pack claims and icons were going to need additional space as the current location on the side of pack was no longer adequate. Templates with alternative positions were submitted, with a suitable one being approved (BOP).<\/p>\n

Artwork was then produced for client approval using their bespoke online Artwork Approval System. This involved translating the new pack elements to the appropriate country cluster (up to 4 languages).<\/p>\n

Amends, if requested were gathered from the system evaluated and implemented. These briefed amends were for a single pack but could have relevance to all SKU in a language or in a product range.<\/p>\n

Print Supplier specific Repro was produce to the excising colour breakdowns. As only 6 colours were available majority of work was required simulating some special colours or replacing some process colours e.g. Magenta. Once colour proofs were approved, proof and data was supplied to the printer with a full audit trail.<\/p>\n

As many of the Print Suppliers covered both Western and Central Eastern Europe they were all contacted to establish specification and data tests. Several major printers were also visited in person to have an induction and to cement relationships. Our press passing uncovered inconsistency such as printers using an old version for a spot colour. Some printers also needed technical assistance with pre-press issues, such as having different gains outside of the spec they supplied.<\/p>\n

Result<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unilever rolled out the re-launched packaging on time and below the budget set. The relationship blossomed not only between Client and Agency but also with print suppliers, seeing everyone pulling together to achieve a common goal. Problems encountered were dealt with immediately and any preventative measures put in place if required. As you would expect there were problems along the way but these were attributed to learning a new product and different working. At the wash up meeting both Client and Agency had suitable resolves for all problems encountered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Accantia Lil-Lets<\/h1>\n

\"Colour<\/a><\/p>\n

Background<\/h3>\n

The design of the packaging while being very strong and simple for each product was outlandish to produce as a range. This range consisted of 23 products in total. These were printed in 4 common colours and 2 common varnishes and a combination of 2 other spot colours. This is manageable until you realise these spot colours were different across the range taking the total number of colours across the entire range to 14, alongside embossing for the lettering, gave considerable unit cost.<\/p>\n

Brief<\/h3>\n

The brief from client was to somehow make the existing product range more cost effective \u2018SQUEEZE\u2019 to produce while remaining visually identical to the product already on shelf.<\/p>\n

Solution<\/h3>\n

Simon working with the printer took the view of reducing the total amount of colours to make a common set of colours. This solution would make for less press down time (make-ready) and therefore more cost effective. Trials were conducted and fine-tuned with a wet proof trial. The results were presented to the client with very favourable comments. We also developed a shadow and highlight on the front of pack text to give 3D affect, negating embossing.<\/p>\n

Outcome<\/h3>\n

The carton was produced using 5 common colours and 1 varnish across the whole range. This made for mixed sheet working, meaning greater run lengths and reducing multiple make-ready costs. Common colours across the range also reduce make-ready time, by running jobs concurrently you eliminate the wash up time.\u00a0 The 3D affect removed the need for embossing giving further cost reductions. All this reduction in cost did not degrade the brand or shelf presence, maintaining market share.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Homebase<\/a><\/h1>\n

Homebase Lighting<\/h1>\n

Background<\/h3>\n

Homebase had commissioned a London based creative agency to rebrand its own brand lighting range. The Design Agency had produced extensive guidelines and visual concepts which had been approved. They had then started to build the artworks for Homebase but struggled under the shear timescale and volume, understandable as this was not their core business.<\/p>\n

Brief<\/h3>\n

Take the Graphic Guideline from Design Agency, with the copy details from client and produce Photography and Artwork to spec for 58 SKU\u2019s. On client approval, supply artwork to the printers. All this work had to be done to a tight deadline, with client needing finished goods in store for the autumn launch.<\/p>\n

Solution<\/h3>\n

Simon and the client travelled to the creative agency and took a full briefing. Returning he built a fully managed workflow with internal QA and KPI reporting around the requirements. External touch points were kept to a minimum as the client\u2019s time was very limited. A PDF approval system was implemented with the client signing off approved artworks.<\/p>\n

Outcome<\/h3>\n

Homebase signed off full repro ready Artwork (predominantly right first time) delivered to their suppliers (many in the Far East) ahead of schedule, allowing them to produce and deliver for the launch. Sales of the product far exceeded expectations and the lines were increased for the next season.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Backstory\u00a0 Below is a sample of work done previously before Spot On Solutions.   Marks & Spencer Background Marks & Spencer launched the100 point waste and recycling program \u2018Plan A\u2019 back in 2007, covering all areas in the business. This was ahead of its time and very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"page-PageTemplate3.php","meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nBackstory - Spot On Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Work produced before Spot On Solutions. Design agency with managed workflow and KPI reporting producing repro ready artwork\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Backstory - Spot On Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Work produced before Spot On Solutions. Design agency with managed workflow and KPI reporting producing repro ready artwork\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spot On Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-01-22T16:35:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/burger.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/\",\"name\":\"Spot On Solutions\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/burger.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/burger.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/\",\"name\":\"Backstory - Spot On Solutions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-01-22T19:43:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-01-22T16:35:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"Work produced before Spot On Solutions. Design agency with managed workflow and KPI reporting producing repro ready artwork\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Backstory\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Backstory - Spot On Solutions","description":"Work produced before Spot On Solutions. Design agency with managed workflow and KPI reporting producing repro ready artwork","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Backstory - Spot On Solutions","og_description":"Work produced before Spot On Solutions. Design agency with managed workflow and KPI reporting producing repro ready artwork","og_url":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/","og_site_name":"Spot On Solutions","article_modified_time":"2015-01-22T16:35:35+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/burger.jpg"}],"twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/","name":"Spot On Solutions","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/burger.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/burger.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/","url":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/","name":"Backstory - Spot On Solutions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2014-01-22T19:43:33+00:00","dateModified":"2015-01-22T16:35:35+00:00","description":"Work produced before Spot On Solutions. Design agency with managed workflow and KPI reporting producing repro ready artwork","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/backstory\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Backstory"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/409"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":835,"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/409\/revisions\/835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2022.spoton.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}