For almost 30 years Omni, and sister company K2 Screen, have been producing printed products for major corporate clients, event organisers and high-end fashion retailers, as well as one-off original artworks for internationally renowned artists and institutions. I spoke with project director Rebecca Cooper about the rise of digitally printed wallcoverings as part of the company’s offering.
We hear a lot about the opportunities afforded large-format print companies, especially in the interiors markets, digitally printed wallcoverings being one of them. When, and why, did Omni first get involved in the wallcoverings market per se? Was it with digital print?
When Bob first set up the company in 1993 he was coming from an advertising background but soon started to get pulled in by the art scene that was kicking off at the time. Omni began working closely with some of the biggest artists at the time - Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, most of the Young British Artists. We were digitally printing fine art editions and wallpapers, as well as producing the accompanying exhibition graphics. Wallpapers were seen as a great, cost-effective way to make a big impact at an exhibition and that continues to be the case now, possibly even more so.
I understand this is a part of the business that is enjoying real growth - can you tell us what’s brought that about?
There are 16 of us now and most of us are from an art or creative background. I think it’s that understanding and the level of empathy that we can share with the clients and artists involved that has been the main reason we’ve grown. We’re fortunate enough to be working with a lot of the art galleries and museums in London now, which doesn’t come without its challenges but we absolutely love it.
Are there specific materials and/or printing technologies that are giving you particular leverage in this market?
The Digimura wallpapers from Papergraphics are our go-to for wallcoverings, especially the 2.1 Smooth and Tactile for longer-term projects. We’ve recently finished installing a lovely print on the Digimura Au Gold wallpaper for Sonia Boyce’s touring exhibition currently showing at Turner Contemporary in Margate. We’re running all of these on the new Colorado 1650 and the print quality and handling on site is everything that we could ask for. What’s even more exciting for us now is that the 1650 allows for a matt or gloss finish, and is capable of running both at the same time to give a spot gloss effect which we’re looking forward to using very soon.
What other markets are providing you with growth Rebecca - and how is Omni responding to the opportunities?
We’re also seeing the big corporate clients wanting to liven up their offices, so there’s a real push from them to commission artists to produce work for those environments, and naturally wallpaper is a favourite. We’re finding ourselves getting approached for bigger projects now too, which I think is down to the clients feeling assured that the materials will work well and that the project is being well-managed. Looking forward to the rest of the year and to everything that brings.