Creating award-winning global products.

A prominent manufacturer and supplier

Vivid has been Europe’s leading print finishing equipment manufacturer and film supplier for more than 30 years.

During that time the company has developed a series of front line products that fulfil a range of functions. They include machines for laminating, encapsulating, foiling, creasing, digital die-cutting and binding.

A utilitarian aesthetic

Vivid’s products were effective, but they were designed purely to be functional. Little thought had been given to the product aesthetic, in terms of form or branding.

If the company wanted to compete on a more global scale, its products needed visual appeal as much as performance. This is what would make them more desirable to international buyers.

A perfect match

Designeering was introduced to Vivid Laminating Technologies in 2004 and it soon became apparent we could give them everything they needed to succeed in the global market.

We could offer them expertise in product design and engineering, product evolution strategy, visual branding and manufacturing liaison.

It was the start of a 12-year collaboration that would revolutionise their product range and help them compete on international scale.

Identifying key differentiators

Laminating machines have existed for many years. And while a few companies have patents on proprietary systems, the technology is already established and is generally the same on all machines.

So we looked at new ways to innovate, looking at the outer casing designs, the inner workings, ergonomics and technical improvements. And we turned our attention to the aesthetics of the machines, their user interfaces and visual identities.

It was crucial to keep the manufacturing costs down. Vivid had always been keen to undercut the competition, while still delivering competitive, feature-packed products.

A flagship product

One of the most successful products we designed was the award-winning Matrix 530 single-sided laminator. We started by studying the competition, then created technical blueprints for the new compact single-sided laminator, to be engineered in China.

The new machine included several of our own ideas, attributed to Sébastien as the inventor. Vivid took out patents for the paper-feeding method to stop it being copied by competitors.

Designeering was the key manufacturing liaison with China. We were responsible for assessing the early working prototypes, then preparing manufacturing feedback and changes to production prototypes.

Following a successful launch, we continued refining and improving the system. One of the significant improvements we made was the redesign of the control panel, which was not very user-friendly, and lacking intuitiveness and ergonomics.

To counter these problems, we designed a new control panel on a movable arm that the user could swivel and adjust. The panel was intuitively designed and multilingual, making it ideal for the global market.

To stay ahead of the market, the laminator evolved into a modular system with additional features. These included a “Flatbook” film cutter, which we had manufactured in England, along with a new perforator unit and double-sided roll attachment unit.

A prosperous collaboration

Designeering and Vivid had a highly successful 12-year collaboration. During this time, we designed a series of award-winning products and Sébastien is the named inventor on 14 patents.

We played an instrumental role in helping Vivid Laminating Technologies adapt their products and visual branding so they would appeal to a wider and more global market.

To achieve this, we made the machine casings more streamlined and pleasing to look at. We also gave each machine a compelling visual identity to make it stand out. And we revised the operator interfaces to make them more defined, ergonomic and user-friendly.

As the manufacturing liaison, we communicated directly with the factory engineers in China. This was a vital part of the prototyping process for new products. We also helped Vivid make the necessary changes and improvements to their existing range.

What Vivid distributors say

Matrix 530 is one of the best value single-sided hot-roll laminating systems available, with a laminate width of up to 510mm. Perfect for business cards, menus, flyers, brochures, and much more.

Elmstock

The Matrix is designed to help breathe life into your business by allowing you to provide your customers with a service you previously had to outsource. The best value single-sided laminator on the market, is simple to use, easy to maintain, quick and reliable.

PDCUK

Take your products to the next level

If you want to make your products more globally marketable, Designeering can help. We offer product design and engineering expertise to make your product sleeker and more desirable. And visual branding to make it stand out in a competitive market.

To find out more about what we could do for you, contact us today to arrange a discovery call.