Why sustainability coupled with amazing design makes digitally printed furniture a niche to watch says Melony Rocque-Hewitt.
In the Image Reports ‘Widthwise 2012’ survey – now in its fifth year – over 50% of respondents said that despite the unstable economic conditions, recruitment was high on the agenda. From these respondents, 42% said that they would be looking to appoint design staff.
According to designers such as the Cumbrian-based Rick Casson, a far greater collaboration between the creative community at large and the owners of technology is not only needed but should be robustly encouraged as he’s found it can result in innovative new products that can benefit both parties.
Casson is founder of Fold UK, which has partnered with a packaging company that has large-format digital cutting and printing facilities, to offer flat-packed, low-cost, 100% recyclable furniture designed and produced in the UK.
“Creative links are vital,” says Casson. “As a designer I can look at the advances in digital print technology and associated processes and apply these in new and interesting ways.
“The clarity and quality of the printing produced through digital inkjet allows sharper, clearer images and realisation of concepts that can be applied to my designs. It benefits my furniture as no print plates are required during set-up and so this reduces the cost, which ultimately benefits our customers. By working with manufacturers with in-house digital printing capabilities we can quickly produce what our customers and brands require, again with minimal time and cost.”
Casson studied industrial product design at the University of Central Lancashire and after a one-year working holiday in Australia, he lived in the spiritual home of flat-pack furniture in Sweden where he worked at a design consultancy.
“Sweden was and is a great inspiration to me both in design and attitude,” says Casson. “The Swedes are way ahead of the UK when it come to attitudes to recycling and sustainability. Sweden and Scandinavian countries are renowned for quality and functionality of design.”
On returning to the UK he worked for various consultancies and companies, and went on to study for a Masters at Lancaster University Product development Unit, where he researched the use of hemp derived biocomposites as a more eco-friendly alternative to glass reinforced composites. He worked with companies both in the UK and Holland to see how these materials, principles and processes could be integrated into a business without loss of functionality or added cost while introducing a more holistic approach to the whole system throughout the whole product lifecycle.
It was when he completed his MSc in 2010 that he set-up his company with help from organisations such as Lancaster University’s LUSU Involve which offers great business and mentoring advice as well as continuing help from the West Cumbrian Development Agency team.
The impetus behind Fold UK’s furniture was poorly furnished and badly decorated student houses as well as events and festivals where there was little or no seating. Fold UK’s impactful, but simple functional seating and tables come in cardboard (suitable for indoor temporary use) and fluted polypropylene (Correx) recommended for exteriors. The company is now prototyping versions made from solid polypropylene sheets made in the UK from shredded, recycled polypropylene milk and bottle containers.
To date products on offer include the Tri-fold seat and Tri-fold table. While Fold UK offers its own designs any graphical image or branding can be printed directly applied to the surfaces to suit personal styles or branding solutions.
Art table is a very occasional table and nifty, space saving solution. This patented design sees the table top hang on the wall as art work and either the main surface can be printed on with any graphical image or it comes with a removable printed polypropylene clip on table top so owners can change their image whenever they like.
The printable table legs, made from post-it tubes, can also be used for the storage of games etc. They are easily interchangeable if damaged and fit inside the table body.
There is a matching stool seat which also hangs on the wall as mini art work, again with tube legs which can be stored separately.
Stopnflop is a recline seating design that is currently patent pending that allows users to relax when watching your favourite band, event or even chill out at home.
“The great thing about our digitally printed furniture,” says Casson, “is that we can create bespoke designs or produce large volumes. Our products are very flexible and we can deliver whatever our customers want. We can send templates to corporate in-house teams for them to apply their graphics or branding exactly as they want, or they can upload the images to us and we will do it. Customers can buy our in-house designs. We will print and deliver straight from the factory to the customer and try to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible. What’s important is that we make everything easy and affordable. Our products look good and perform well. They are strong – we’ve tested them on a 24-stone person and they held up very well!”
While Fold UK uses non-traditional materials for its furniture, Casson believes that the usage and acceptance of his products reflect the zeitgeist of the times – the need for sustainability and a new respect for how we consume resources.
Casson sees that digital printing has helped to push the acceptance of eco conscious design.
“Sometimes the roughness of the recycled material can visually look cool,” he says, “however manufacturing processes have greatly improved the quality and surface finish of the materials that we use (such as cardboard) and digital printing offers amazing precision and clarity of images and a greater flexibility for designers, customers and brands to obtain amazing images and brand continuation throughout…it’s limitless, especially for Fold’s designs and other printable sustainable products.
“The price of digital printing has dropped dramatically as its use and development become more widespread so of course it has an added benefit for printable branded products and the consumer. Everybody is more digitally savvy, even my young children, digital printing is accessible, affordable and adaptable for today’s designers, businesses and customers.”
Since starting Fold in 2010 there has been massive interest in it. Fold has serviced customers in events, festivals, corporate branding, education, schools, home and interiors. As Fold’s product range expands, digital printing will enhance the development and appeal of sustainable printable furniture.
“Further developments in non-toxic, eco-friendly degradable based inks will be another important benefit to digitally printed products and their end-of-life disposal,” says Casson.
Fold aims to cater for a range of budgets and quantities. It can produce a bespoke one-off cardboard set of three seats and table, digital printed from as little as £60 (+VAT and delivery). However, the price greatly reduces as quantities increase.
As far as the future is concerned, Casson says that the continuing advances in digital printing technology will greatly benefit Fold’s progression as a company not only in the products and services it offers, but the continuing evolution and growth of himself as a designer.