2015 Designer Friendly Directory

AIGA

Founded in 1914 as the American Institute of Graphic Arts remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design and is now known simply as “AIGA, the professional association for design.” At one hundred, AIGA today serves more than 25,000 members through 68 chapters and 200 student groups. AIGA stimulates thinking about design, demonstrates the value of design, and empowers the success of designers at each stage of their careers. Ric Grefé is the CEO; he has been at AIGA since 1995, developing programs that reinforce the relevance of design as an extraordinary creative gift and a critical element of business strategy. Coming in 2015 is the biennial AIGA Design Conference at the Hyatt Regency, New Orleans, October 8-10, 2015.

This popular event brings the design community together to experience provocative speakers, local culture, nightly networking receptions, competitions, exhibitions, professional development sessions and face-to-face roundtables with everyone’s design heroes. www.aiga.org

APDF

Founded in 1985, the Association of Professional Design Firms is comprised of leading firms that consult in the use of design to help drive innovation and strategic business success. Member firms represent a diverse collection of design skill sets including identity, experience, environmental, branding, packaging, interactive, product, engineering and industrial design. APDF emphasizes design as a business and provides a forum for leaders to grow their business skills and businesses through education, interaction and collaboration. Design firms join APDF to give their leaders access to an unequaled resource of business information, expertise and experience. Professional insights, successes, failures, challenges and inspiration are shared in confidence; APDF is peer-to-peer interaction at its most basic and useful. www.apdf.org

ART DIRECTORS CLUB

The Art Directors Club, based in Manhattan, is one of the most concentrated groups of creative talent in the world, as well as a gathering place for leaders in visual communication. ADC members share the vision of founder, Louis Pedlar, who brought his colleagues in advertising together in 1920 to dignify their profession and judge advertising art by the same stringent standards as fine art. For over ninety years ADC members have taken up the challenge by funding programs to “Connect, Provoke and Elevate” creative professionals around the world, to celebrate the winners of the Annual Awards and Young Guns competitions, to help students through the National Student Portfolio Reviews and Saturday Career Workshops, and to honor the achievements of Hall of Fame inductees and GrandMasters recipients. www.adcglobal.org

BARD GRADUATE CENTER

The Bard Graduate Center is a graduate research institute in New York City. Its MA and PhD programs, research initiatives, and Gallery programs explore new ways of thinking about decorative arts, design history, and material culture. A member of the Association of Research Institutes in Art History (ARIAH), the Center is an academic unit of Bard College. For graphic designers and creative professionals, BGC presents important exhibitions and gallery shows including, for example, the recently completed Barbara Nessim: An Artful Life exhibit that ran through mid-January. www.bgc.bard.edu

CHOOSE PRINT

In January 2011, Printing Industries Association of Southern California launched its Choose Print campaign to promote the effectiveness and environmental credentials of print on paper. Since then, Choose Print has spread nationwide, with the support of Printing Industries of America (PIA) and its regional affiliate associations. Choose Print has an exciting story to tell – a story of print’s resilience which can be traced to its unique qualities: It is enduring, versatile, credible, inviting, popular, beautiful, personalizable, recyclable, and renewable. The hub of the campaign is the Choose Print website, which acts as a clearinghouse for recent research and links to credible websites that tell the story about print’s marketing power and environmental record. The campaign also includes direct mail, printed brochures, reprintable articles, news releases, YouTube videos, social media, an advertising campaign, and vehicle wraps. The Choose Print campaign provides research-based facts and tools needed to get more print into clients’ marketing mixes ‒ and improve the bottom line in the process. www.chooseprint.org

COLOR MARKETING GROUP

Color Marketing Group, founded in 1962, is a not-for-profit, international Association of color design professionals involved in the use of color as it applies to the profitable marketing of goods and services. CMG provides a forum for the exchange of non-competitive information relating to all phases of color marketing; color trends and combinations; design influences; merchandising and sales; and education and industry contacts. Members interpret, create, forecast , and select colors in order to enhance the function, saleability and quality of manufactured goods. CMG’s major focus is to identify the direction of color and design trends. CMG members then interpret that information into salable colors for manufactured products across all industries. www.colormarketing.org

COOPER HEWITT

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The Museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational and curatorial programming. The mission is to advance the public understanding of design across the thirty centuries of human creativity represented by the Museum’s collection. The Museum was founded in 1897 by the granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper as part of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. A branch of the Smithsonian since 1967, Cooper-Hewitt is housed in the landmark Andrew Carnegie Mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City, which has been massively renovated and restored. The Cooper Hewitt re-opened its doors in December with 60% more gallery space and a reinvigorated visitor experience. www.cooperhewitt.org

DMI

The Design Management Institute seeks to connect design to business, to culture, to customers – to the changing world. Its mission is to brings together educators, researchers, designers, and leaders from every design discipline and industry, and to encourage design that delivers competitive advantage. Over the decades, DMI has been a place where “the world’s most experienced, creative, and ambitious design leaders gather to share, distill, and amplify their knowledge.” DMI focuses it’s mission in three areas: education, design valuation and connection. dmi.org

EMERALD EXPOSITIONS

Emerald Expositions is a leading operator of large business-to-business tradeshows in the U.S., producing more than 85 shows and conference events per year, connecting over 525,000 buyers and sellers across ten diversified end-markets. The company’s shows are typically the most prominent for exhibitors and attendees within their various industries.

Coming up for graphic designers: SURTEX® is the global B2B marketplace dedicated to the sale and license of original art and designwhere artists, agents and licensors connect with manufacturers and retailers to create the next best-selling products. The dates: May 17-19 at the Javits Center in New York City. www.surtex.com

FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

FSC was created to change the dialog about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. The group sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. Its standards represent a strong system for guiding forest management toward sustainable outcomes. The FSC system includes stakeholders with a diverse array of perspectives on what represents a well-managed and sustainable forest. As a multi-stakeholder organization, FSC applies the directive of its membership to develop forest management and chain of custody standards, deliver trademark assurance and provide accreditation services to a global network of businesses, organizations and communities. Membership consists of three equally weighted chambers – environmental, economic, and social – to ensure the balance and integrity. FSC US is based in Minneapolis MN; international headquarters are in Germany. www.fsc.org

GRAPHIC ARTS SHOW COMPANY

Setting the pace for print and related tradeshows, the Graphic Arts Show Company operates first-rate events that serve the print, package and design communities. “The Show Company” was formed in 1982 by three industry associations, the NAPL, the NPES and PIA. GASC’s mission is to provide an effective forum through shows and conferences to meet the marketing requirements of the graphic communications and converting industries, and to bring industry buyers and sellers together in a cost-effective way. The next major event for GDUSA readers is GRAPH EXPO 15, September 13-16, at McCormick Place in Chicago. This event will span the realms of print, online and mobile, and promises to be the most innovative exhibition of digital, inkjet, offset, flexo and hybrid technologies. Here, across an interactive show floor, attendees will see and explore demonstrations of the latest technologies, new applications, and products and services for every key facet of the graphic communications industry. Ralph Nappi is president of GASC. www.gasc.org

GRAPHICS OF AMERICA

The Printing Association of Florida (PAF) is a trade association for the printing and graphic arts industry in Florida. It is a member-driven organization serving the needs of Florida’s graphic arts companies since 1937. It also sponsors the Graphics of the Americas tradeshow – now celebrating its 40th anniversary as one of the printing industry’s largest, annual combined exposition and education events in the U.S.

This year’s event takes place February 26-28 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. With worldwide attendance, GOA is a unique international event that attracts roughly 8,000 printers, designers, and creative professionals from over 80 countries, with concentration on North, South, Central America and the Caribbean. www.goaexpo.com

HOW DESIGN LIVE

The popular HOW Design Live, sponsored by F+W Publications, is a multi-level conference that includes the traditional HOW Design Conference, plus the InHOWse Managers Conference, the Creative Business Conference, the HOW Leadership Conference, and The Dieline Package Design Conference. This year it all takes place in Chicago May 4-8. Annually, this event is a unique opportunity to explore big ideas, meet design heroes, and learn from thought leaders – all in one five-day design extravaganza. (You can save $50 by using registration code GDUSA). www.howdesignlive.com

INSOURCE

InSource provides the network for collectively sharing professional experiences, knowledge and best practices that help empower inhouse creative leaders to run their business most effectively. Started in 2002 by two managers of creative services, the organization aspires to be the global network for inhouse creative business leaders connected by common professional experiences, knowledge and best practices. Since those early days, roundtable discussions on topics relating to real life challenges and best business practices have been at the heart of the organization. Today, InSource has expanded it’s reach to thousands of creative professionals around the world through online channels and events. Andrew R. Brenits of Arizona Public Service is currently President and Robin Colangelo of the White & Case law firm is currently Vice President. www.in-source.org

SEGD

Society for Experiential Graphic Design is the new name of the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. In a move that acknowledges the role of experience, new media, and technology in the future of design, SEGD – the multidisciplinary design community whose members create experiences that connect people to place – added “Experiential” to its descriptor andmission. SEGD President Jill Ayers states: “We are graphic and information designers, fabricators, architects, exhibition designers, technology integrators, interaction designers, brand strategists, students, wayfinding specialists, teachers, and others who have a hand in shaping content-rich, experiential spaces. We are 1505 members in more than 20 countries.” www.segd.org

SOCIETY OF PUBLICATION DESIGNERS

The Society of Publication Designers is dedicated to promoting and encouraging excellence in editorial design. Members are art directors, designers, photo editors, editors and graphics professionals. Since drafting its charter in 1965, the SPD remains the only organization specifically addressing the visual concerns of print and online editorial professionals. Activities promote the role of SPD members as journalists and partners in the editorial process, as well as foster new generations of publication designers through educational outreach and scholarship opportunities. www.spd.org

STA

The Society of Typographic Arts is Chicago’s oldest professional design organization. As a vital hub for the Chicago design community, the STA sponsors lectures and conferences, develops publications, promotes cutting edge professional design, and maintains the Chicago Design Archive. Since its inception in 1927, STA has been an integral part of the Chicago design community, sponsoring seminars and conferences, and developing publications. For a brief time in the late 1980s, STA became the American Center for Design. In 1990, the STA reorganized with a renewed commitment to design in Chicago. Today, it serves as the driving force in Chicago design, presenting a diverse schedule of programming, sponsoring organizations and events, and hosting the Chicago Design Archive, a collection of significant work from the city. www.sta-chicago.org

TWO SIDES

This independent, non-profit organization was created to provide members of the graphic communications supply chain a forum to promote the responsible production and use of print and paper, improve sustainability standards and practices, share experiences and maximize customer confidence in our products. Companies behind Two Sides represent the forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, prepress, press, finishing, publishing and printing industries. Common goals are to promote the responsible production and use of print and paper, and dispel common environmental misconceptions by providing users with verifiable information on why print on paper is an attractive, practical and sustainable communications medium. www.twosides.us

TYPE DIRECTORS CLUB

The Type Directors Club supports excellence in typography, both in print and on screen. Founded in 1946 by some of the industry’s leading practitioners, the TDC’s earliest membership included Aaron Burns, Will Burtin, Freeman Craw, Louis Dorfsman, Gene Federico, Edward M. Gottschall, Herb Lubalin, Edward Rondthaler, Bradbury Thompson, and Hermann Zapf. TDC today represents the best of today’s type design and type use. The TDC holds two yearly competitions, and its educational efforts have always been an important part of the Club’s mission. The TDC began offering lectures in 1947, and current lecture and class schedules offered by the TDC continues apace. The TDC is the home for typography – a physical meeting place and a strong professional affiliation. tdc.org

UCDA

UCDA inspires designers working in academia in North America and around the world by delivering relevant programming and benefits in a personal and thoughtful way. The organization provides for the professional and personal growth of its members, and advocates for designer and educators roles within their institution. UCDA works to elevate the importance of design overall. UCDA was founded in 1970 as the nations first and only association for professionals involved in the creation of visual communications for educational institutions.

Over the years, it has grown to more than 1000 members throughout the United States and Canada. For many years, the main purpose of the association was to organize an annual conference and design

competition for members. In the 1980s, the association experienced a period of rapid growth through a concerted marketing effort that attracted new members, increased member retention, and established a series of programs for the benefit of the membership. From the very beginning, UCDA has been guided and directed through the volunteer efforts of members who have participated in the leadership of the association. These individuals have acted with concern and interest for their profession and for their fellow designers to establish new programs and benefits and to expand the professional scope and statutes of the association. www.ucda.com

VISUAL CONNECTIONS

Visual Connections organizes the only events of the kind in the United States, bringing together buyers and suppliers of photography, illustration, footage and fonts in city center locations. The events are intimate trade fairs, and the perfect place for buyers to discover great new imagery and design elements, and mingle with the people who matter. Entry is free but restricted to professional media buyers and researchers. The organizers also run an international online directory of visual media suppliers, which is free to search. The team consists of Deborah Free, who has many years of experience in developing and marketing stock agencies; and Edward Leigh who has nearly two decades of experience of IT in the stock photo industry and has been a technical consultant to many agencies starting up or making the transition to the digital age. www.visualconnections.com

ECKART GROUP

The Eckart Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of effect pigments. Today, the Group employs approximately 1,850 people and develops, produces, and markets metallic effect and pearlescent pigments in powder, paste, and pellet form, as well as concentrates, dispersions, and printing inks all over the world. In addition to the cosmetics and personal care industry, ECKART products are used in the graphic arts industry, paint and coatings industry, the lightweight concrete industry, and in plastic products. ECKART does business in more than 70 countries. www.eckart.net

DAY-GLO COLOR CORP.

Day-Glo Color Corp. is the world’s largest manufacturer of daylight fluorescent pigments. The company develop technologies that improve and enhance any color, from subtle specialty effects, to glow-in-the-dark pigments, to our classic range of fluorescents. Perhaps best known for the role its fluorescents played in pop culture history, the company is broader than that with extensive technical expertise and diversified product lines, including custom color solutions for packaging and consumer goods, graphic arts, personal care and the cosmetics ingredients industries. www.dayglo.com

PANTONE

Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, is the global color authority and provider of professional color standards for the design industries. Pantone products have encouraged colorful exploration and expressions of creativity from inspiration to implementation for more than 50 years. Through the Pantone Color Institute, Pantone continues to chart future color direction and study how color influences human thought processes, emotions and physical reactions. Pantone furthers its commitment to providing professionals with a greater understanding of color and to help them utilize color more effectively. For graphic artists, noteworthy offerings include the PANTONE PLUS SERIES for multimedia graphics for selecting, specifying, matching and controlling ink colors; the PANTONE FORMULA GUIDE, a two-guide set consisting of 1,677 solid Pantone Colors on coated and uncoated stock and the two-book set of SOLID CHIPS provides coated and uncoated perforated tear-out chips that can be used for quality control; the digitally created PANTONE CMYK Guides provide a comprehensive palette of 2,868 colors achievable in four-color process printing; and the PANTONE COLOR BRIDGE® GUIDES coated and uncoated for comparing solid PANTONE Colors to their closest possible match in CMYK four-color process. www.pantone.com

4OVER

4over is the largest trade-only printer in North America. With facilities in several states states, it offers a broad range of in-demand offset, digital and large-format printed products, with a wide variety of production turnaround and shipping options. An industry leader in print order fulfillment for print brokers and other trade professionals, 4over has a state-of-the-art print production facility and superior computer-controlled color quality, and has established itself with a tradition of quality and consistency. Since its inception in 2001, 4over has experienced explosive growth into an operation with hundreds of employees and expanded from a single building to numerous fully-operational facilities that encompass hundreds of thousands of feet of production and office space. A new development: 4over has launched a Package Printing Division offering low-cost, short-run product packaging. The line includes a variety of paper board box styles, an assortment of promotional/point-of-sales products, and a wide range of labels and stickers to accompany these products. www.4over.com

ALLIED PRINTING SERVICES

This full service commercial/financial printing services company was established in 1949 by John F. Sommers and Betina Sommers in Manchester CT. From its first 150 sq. ft. location in 1949, Allied now operates out of a 300,000 sq. ft. modern facility on a beautiful 30 acre campus in the same town. It is a third generation family-owned business; the current President is John G. Sommers, Jr., grandson of the founder. Popular with designers for its annual reports, collateral and direct mail printing, sales growth places it among the top 50 printers in the United States and we are the largest family-owned commercial printer on the East Coast. Our team of sales professionals are the best in the business working out of offices in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington DC as well as the plant in Connecticut. www.alliedprinting.com

BLURB

Blurb is a creative self-publishing platform that enables anyone to create, self-publish, promote, share, and sell his or her own print and ebooks. Blurb offers book-making tools for every skill level ‒ from first-time book makers to experienced design professionals. Blurb’s bookmaking tools include BookSmart (a downloadable tool), Bookify (an online tool), and Blurb’s plug-in for Adobe InDesign which allows book makers to design and upload their book’s PDF files from within InDesign itself. Blurb’s add-in for Microsoft Word enables book makers to go from manuscript to book easily. Blurb authors can promote and share their books and ebooks using the free online marketing tools; set their price and sell their books and ebooks in Blurb’s online bookstore; and use the print-on-demand technology to print as few or as many books as they’d like. www.blurb.com

FEY PRINTING

Fey Printing is family-owned and places ultimate value on personal relationships. This dates all the way back to 1932, when Manuel “Manny” Fey purchased W.F. Huffman Printing Co. From a small hot-metal printshop, renamed Fey Publishing Company, to a modern 100,000 square foot full-service facility of today, the more that things have changed, the more they stayed the same. The dedication to integrity, quality and personal service remains rooted in their “desire to do business with friends.” When Donald Gasch purchased the company in 1989, the company was rejuvenated with fresh ideas, strong leadership and visionary direction. He also rebranded as Fey Printing, to emphasize that his is a full-serve commercial printing operation. But one thing did not change: Fey has remained, at its roots, a family-owned business. The leadership team crosses generations. From its small hometown home in Wisconsin, Fey Printing now conducts business across the globe, offering digital printing, offset printing, specialty printing, letterpress and bindery services and a complete fulfillment center. www.feyprinting.com

IMAGERS

Imagers opened in 1947 and has built a national following of professional designers and production people for its fast, reliable and affordable digital prepress, production and short-run printing services. The company is a single source for digital offset printing, large format posters and banners, banner stands and portable displays, color laser printing, business cards, brochures, invites and postcards with special new low rates. Imagers is also an environmentally conscious company, and is a certified chain of custody FSC. A key to Imagers’ continued success: the knowledge and expertise to be a single source for its clients’ graphic needs and to serve as a true extension of the clients’ marketing departments. A constantly updated and improved website keeps the company at the cutting edge of print technology and customer service. www.imagers.com

MODERN POSTCARD

Modern Postcard prides itself on helping clients attract and retain their best customers. With over 25 years of printing experience, the company specializes in direct mail with postcards. Its state-of-the-art 75,000 square foot facility in Carlsbad CA makes it possible to print and mail the highest quality postcards on the market at competitive rates, combined with quick turnaround and true one-on-one customer service. Everything from start to finish ‒ typesetting, drum scanning, direct-to-plate digital imaging, printing, shipping, bindery and complete mailing service ‒ is produced inhouse. Complete mailing services also add convenience, improve delivery and maximize postage savings. Their superior customer service support features personal account teams, web-based status reports and automated reminder calls. There are several ways to order: Full Service ‒ a complete solution, Upload & Go ‒ where designers prep their own files and enjoy savings, and Simplecard ‒ greeting or postcards for small orders. www.modernpostcard.com

MOO

This online print and design company is passionate about great design and the difference it can make. They believe great design work can work wonders for every business, no matter the size, and make it simple for customers to create beautiful, expertly crafted business stationery and promotional materials that start conversations and open doors with their online design tools. Their curated range of premium products includes Business Cards (including Letterpress), MiniCards, Letterhead, Stickers and Flyers. As well as the ability to print up to 50 different images across your stationery products through its patented Prinitfinity technology. Using only the finest papers, they partner with Mohawk®, and when a paper doesn’t already exist they co-create it so it’s product perfect. Catering to businesses of all sizes, minimum orders start at just 50 cards in a pack. MOO offers design tools for professionals to upload their designs as well as a reseller program for designers looking to purchase products on behalf of customers. Free sample packs are available. www.us.moo.com

MPRESS LLC

MPress Graphics, led by industry veterans Gerry Schneiderman and Maggie Black, has extensive experience working with top graphic designers and corporate end users in the New York metropolitan area. MPress’s business model is to align itself with leading production and manufacturing resources in the industry and to find exactly the right fit of capacity, capability and quality for clients. Offerings include engraving, offset printing, thermography, embossing, foil stamping and die cutting. The company has been marked by extremely rapid growth, built, say the founders, on their ability to “stand in their clients’ shoes” so as to understand their needs and deliver for them. mPress crafts GDUSA stationery and the Award Certificates for many of GDUSA’s competitions, and has been a winner in the competition as well. www.mpressllc.com

MY1STOP

My1Stop.com is “America’s online printing superstore,” offering all types of printed products. Established in 2005, the goal has always been to provide excellent customer service and superior quality products at competitive prices. The firm offers a wide range of custom printed and stock products with quick turn times. Overall customer experience is enhanced with a seasoned staff of printing experts who provide real time customer service via live chat, phone, email, and/or fax. Services and capabilities include: marketing collaterals with photo quality printing; product labels stock and custom presentation folders; plastic applications such as cards, mailers, table talkers, and spin wheels; unique magnet applications; long run labels for distribution centers; healthcare forms and wristbands; short run checks for small business; distribution labeling solutionsand more. The company regularly appears in Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500|5000 list. www.My1Stop.com

NAVITOR

Navitor is a recognized leader in wholesale, personalized printing with an impressive portfolio of products and processes, and over 60 years experience in commercial printing. Navitor customers know they can rely on quality not just for the easy jobs, but also for projects that require unique processes, specialty inks or paper, full color thermography, die cutting, blind emboss and many more process options. Navitor describes its business model as “the power of us.” In this spirit, Navitor offers wholesale print pricing to members – graphic designers, marketing services companies, print shop owners, ad agencies, print brokers and others in the promotional industries – thus creating a community of small business owners and industry experts who are actively growing their businesses together by offering quality and value to customers. www.navitor.com

PRINTRUNNER

PrintRunner and PrintRunner.com provide full service high quality printing out of Van Nuys CA. PrintRunner, Inc. was established with little more than a small press and a dream. Ten years later, the company occupies over 25,000 sq ft. Growth results from the company’s commitment to providing the best value at an affordable price for a full range of promotional needs including business cards, full color brochures, postcard printing services and beyond. To maintain that commitment, PrintRunner.com has invested millions to bring all the services it offers inhouse – from concept to completion, from prepress to bindery. www.PrintRunner.com

UNIMAC GRAPHICS

This diversified graphics communications company serves clients in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, as well as select clients throughout the U.S. Unimac consists of over 400 professionals delivering world-class service in offset and digital printing, print production, integrated marketing communications, data service, fulfillment and customer support. The company has built a reputation as a provider for cost effective, innovative, print communication solutions; and as a financially sound organization that allows it to acquire the latest equipment, keep high quality employees, and have the support of top-notch various vendors. The UNIMAC Graphics Group includes: SCI Strategic Content Imaging; Tanaseybert; Philip Holzer Mailing Services; UNIMAC Interactive; UNIMAC Mail; and UNIMAC Packaging. www.unimacgraphics.com

RED PAPER PLANE

Red Paper Plane provides an easy and cost effective way to design and order dimensional and pop up marketing collateral online. They provide all the tools you need like downloadable templates, instant pricing and free samples. When ready to order, designers can preview designs with a live online 3D design tool and download a PDF proof prior to ordering making it convenient to share proofs with clients. Create eye catching event collateral, direct mail and branding pieces that instantly capture attention and are always remembered. Red Paper Plane offers quickturn around times of 5-7 business days. Some formats include the 4.25” Pop Up Cube, 3” Pop Up Cube, Telescoping Slider, The Flapper®, Pop Up House, The Extendo®, The Exploding Page and Polygon. Red Paper Plane is the leader in producing these formats quickly and economically. Red Paper Plane is a division of Structural Graphics, a pioneer in dimensional print design, production and marketing. www.redpaperplane.com

STRUCTURAL GRAPHICS

Structural Graphics is the pioneer of the dimensional print marketing industry. For over three decades, we’ve helped market many of the most influential brands. And we’ve done this by delivering attention-getting solutions that stop people in their tracks. Structural Graphics introduced the world to dimensional print marketing in 1976, when a fascination with pop-up books and paper led them to engineer a new medium. As the world has changed, its capabilities and service offerings continue to evolve. Since then, they have become a veritable one-stop-shop for almost anything a marketer can imagine to make their print marketing materials break through, including specialty and gift card packaging, point-of-purchase displays, direct mail, magazine inserts, sales presentations, media kits and more, standalone or aligned with digital marketing efforts. www.structuralgraphics.com

CFPA

The Chlorine Free Products Association is an independent not-for-profit accreditation and standard setting organization. The primary purpose of the association, located in Illinois, is to promote Total Chlorine Free policies, programs, and technologies throughout the world. The mission is to raise market awareness by providing facts, drawing direct comparisons, and to highlight process advantages for Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) and Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) products. www.chlorinefreeproducts.org

EPA GREEN POWER PARTNERSHIP

Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,300 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. Green power is defined, for this purpose, as electricity that is generated from renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and hydroelectric sources. www.epa.gov/greenpower

FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

FSC was created to change the dialog about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. The group sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. Its standards represent a strong system for guiding forest management toward sustainable outcomes. The FSC system includes stakeholders with a diverse array of perspectives on what represents a well-managed and sustainable forest. As a multi-stakeholder organization, FSC applies the directive of its membership to develop forest management and chain of custody standards, deliver trademark assurance and provide accreditation services to a global network of businesses, organizations and communities. Membership consists of three equally weighted chambers – environmental, economic, and social – to ensure the balance and integrity. FSC US is based in Minneapolis MN; international headquarters are in Germany. www.fsc.org

GREEN-E

Green-e is an independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the retail market. The Center for Resource Solutions, the national nonprofit that administers Green-e, works to increase the amount of renewable energy used worldwide. Organizations that buy Green-e® Certified renewable energy (or generate their own electricity) can apply for Green-e logo use through Green-e Marketplace. Green-e Marketplace provides a simple, nationally recognized logo they can use to communicate their commitment to renewable energy to their customers and shareholders. www.green-e.org

GREEN SEAL

The original “Green Seal of Approval” was founded in 1989 to help safeguard the health of people and the planet. As an independent, science-based standards developer and certification body, Green Seal identifies products and services that are environmentally responsible, and provides public education for creating a more sustainable world. The organization has just introduced a new blog which, according to Linda Chipperfield, Green Seal VP of Marketing & Communications, “is specifically designed to share lessons learned and helpful habits developed over Green Seal’s more than 20 years of ecolabeling and environmental work.” www.greenseal.org

THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

The Rainforest Alliance has more than two decades of experience developing environmental and social standards for the sustainable management of natural resources while helping companies and organizations of all sizes adopt sustainable practices. Central to the sustainable forestry efforts is independent third-party certification, which assures consumers that the wood products they purchase come from well-managed forests. With the launch of SmartWood in 1989, the Rainforest Alliance developed the world’s first global forestry certification program and the first to rely on market forces to conserve forests. It is a founder of the FSC. In addition to FSC certification, the Alliance offers timber legality verification services and skills training through our Training, Extension, Enterprises and Sourcing (TREES) program. www.rainforest-alliance.org

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE

SFI® is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program. Creative professionals help ensure healthy forests, responsibly sourced products, and a generally healthier environment by looking to the SFI label for their paper and packaging projects. Across the United States and Canada, more than 240 million acres are certified to the SFI forest management standard, the largest single forest standard in the world. The SFI program’s unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. www.sfiprogram.org

ADOBE

Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. The company has redefined business, entertainment and personal communications by setting standards for producing and delivering engaging content. Its portfolio contains many of the most respected and recognizable software brands such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver and Acrobat. An initiative of particular interest: the expansion and refinement of Adobe Creative Cloud, the subscription service that lets creatives download and install Adobe’s desktop applications. This past year, Adobe continued to drive Creative Cloud innovation with the release of 14 new versions of desktop applications, including essential tools like Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe Dreamweaver CC and Adobe Premiere Pro CC. The biggest Adobe software release since CS6, it also included four new mobile apps, the immediate availability of creative hardware, service updates, and new offerings for enterprise, education and photography customers. There are now well over 2.3 million Creative Cloud subscriptions. Also of note at presstime: Adobe is in the process of acquiring stock visual agency Fotolia. www.adobe.com

AGFA GRAPHICS

Agfa Graphics has long been a world leader in prepress solutions for the printing and publishing industries, and an advocate for graphic designers and print buyers. Offerings include digital printing solutions for sign and display and industrial printing, and constantly expanded offerings in the growing digital inkjet market with wide-format printing solutions for posters, banners, signage and displays, textiles and decoration. As the world leader in prepress solutions, Agfa also provides commercial, newspaper and packaging printers with an extensive range of integrated premedia solutions, from complete computer-to-film/plate systems to digital contract proofing to PDF/JDF-based workflow automation software. And the company produces state-of-the-art analog plates as well as thermal, visible-light, and chemistry-free digital plates. Agfa Graphics was an early proponent of green printing technologies, creating the GreenWorks program to recognize and honor printers who integrate, support and promote environmentally sound practices within their facilities. To date, Agfa has recognized hundreds of printers for their green printing efforts; you can learn more about the program on the GDUSA website. gdusa.com/agfa,

APPLE

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.

In the 21st century, Apple designs Macs, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. It also leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. And it has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad. Despite the symbiotic history between graphic design and Apple’s origins, Apple’s focus has increasingly moved to the consumer market, making it one of the most valuable companies in the world. For example, for its fiscal 2014 fourth quarter, the company posted quarterly revenue of $42.1 billion and quarterly net profit of $8.5 billion. www.apple.com

CANON USA

Canon U.S.A. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $36 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2013 and is one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies in 2014. Other awards coming in 2014: recognition by Interbrand as a Best Global Brand and one of the World’s Most Reputable Companies of 2014 by RepTrak100. Canon U.S.A. is committed to customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification. www.usa.canon.com

COREL

Canadian-based Corel provides some of the industry’s best-known graphics, productivity and digital media products. Boasting a comprehensive portfolio of innovative software, Corel has built a reputation for delivering software that is easy to learn and use, helping people achieve new levels of creativity and productivity. The industry has responded with hundreds of awards for innovation, design and value. Product lines include CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, Corel Painter, Corel PaintShop Pro, Corel VideoStudio, Corel WordPerfect Office. www.corel.com

DELL

For nearly 30 years, Dell has been a major provider of computers and information technology infrastructure. Its climb to market leadership is legendary. Dell is making a concerted effort to serve the creative professional community and related small businesses with targeted products, such as the Dell Precision workstations, which often come with special offers on Adobe software. Interestingly, in the traditionally Mac-oriented world of design and publishing, Dell’s use among designers, artists, photographers and 3D animators is on the rise. Michael Dell’s biggest accomplishment may well be taking his company from a PC maker to a technology firm with a strong product portfolio from desktop to data center. As the computer and desktop market changes, Dell has gotten serious about ramping its solutions skills and capabilities with investments in key intellectual property and talent. www.dell.com

EPSON AMERICA

Epson America is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global technology company at the forefront of technological revolutions in imaging, robotics, precision machinery and electronics. Epson offers an extensive array of image capture and image output products for the consumer, photographic, business and graphic arts markets. It is the company’s vision to drive Digital Image Innovation by providing cutting-edge imaging solutions, focused on the fields of imaging on paper, imaging on screen, and imaging on glass.

Supporting this vision will be continued innovation in core devices that provide value-added solutions for linking imaging products. To see some of the products for graphic designers – Epson Stylus Pro Designer Editions of all sizes for prototyping, proofing and comping at its finest – click on the Epson banner on GDUSA’s homepage. Founded in 1975, Epson America is headquartered in Long Beach CA. www.epson.com

HP

Stanford University classmates Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in 1939. The company’s first product, built in a Palo Alto garage, was an audio oscillator – an electronic test instrument used by sound engineers. One of HP’s first customers was Walt Disney Studios, which purchased eight oscillators to develop and test an innovative sound system for the movie Fantasia. Today, HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society; the product portfolio pans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. One area generating momentum is the HP Indigo Digital Press portfolio, which is experiencing significant hardware unit growth and the introduction of new products that are expanding digital printing and related packaging capabilities in terms of hardware, ink and media. www.hp.com

KODAK

Recently emerged out of bankruptcy, the venerable Kodak has established a new organizational structure intended to make the company faster-moving, more competitive and more entrepreneurial. The company will have five market- focused business divisions: Print Systems; Enterprise Inkjet Systems; Micro 3D Printing and Packaging; Software and Solutions; and Consumer and Film. These divisions will be end-to-end operating units with responsibility and accountability for portfolio, product design, engineering, services, sales, purchasing and supply chain. Several weeks ago Kodak announced a new initiative: a smartphone for the Android platform that comes with some camera-ready software built in. www.kodak.com

MICROSOFT

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Almost needless to say, the Redmond WA-based company develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services. Its best known products – Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office office suite, and Internet Explorer – make it one of the world’s most valuable companies.

The company also produces a wide range of other software for desktops and services, and is active in internet search (Bing), the video game industry (Xbox), mobile phones (via Windows Phone OS). Recent acquisitions include Skype and Nokia’s devices and services division.

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment, used to develop websites, applications and web services. Built in tools include a forms designers, web designer, class designer and a database schema designer. www.microsoft.com

QUARK

Founded in Denver in 1981, Quark’s vision was to create software that would lay the foundation for modern publishing. For more than 30 years, Quark has striven to deliver on that promise, with intermittent success that has both riveted and confused the creative community. Quark’s current software offerings enable organizations of all sizes to meet customer demand for engaging, relevant communications when, where, and how they want them. The solutions seek to combine the power of XML with flexible layout and design to automate the delivery of customer communications to print, web, and interactive experiences on the latest digital devices. The company recently previewed QuarkXPress® 2015, the next major version of the iconic design and layout tool for print and digital publishing. Features include a new 64-bit architecture, efficient print and digital production several user-requested applications. The new version will continue to be sold as a perpetual license. www.quark.com

ROLAND DGA

Roland DGA Corp. serves North and South America as the marketing, sales and distribution arm for Roland DG Corp. Founded in 1981 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Roland DG of Hamamatsu, Japan is a worldwide leader in the sign, graphic arts, vehicle graphics, engraving, ADA signage, direct part marking, rapid prototyping, 3D modeling and dental CAD/CAM industries. Roland DG is affiliated with Roland Corp., renowned in the music industry for developing MIDI technology and for producing digital music equipment including drums, keyboard synthesizers, recording equipment and other related technologies. Soon after its founding, Roland DG began introducing a wide variety of groundbreaking products including vinyl cutters, thermal transfer printer/cutters, wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters, 3D scanners and milling devices, and engravers. The products – many of which are popular for graphic production – have blazed new trails for entire industries and earned Roland DG a reputation for innovation, quality and reliability. Each year, Roland sponsors the Creative Awards Contest, a competition designed to showcase the diverse and highly original array of projects produced by Roland users. www.rolanddga.com

WACOM

Founded in 1983, Wacom is a global company based in Japan with subsidiaries and affiliate offices around the world to support marketing and distribution in over 150 countries. It is the world’s leading manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays, and digital interface solutions. The advanced technology of Wacom’s intuitive input devices has been used to create exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs around the world and provides business and home users with their leading interface technology to express their personality. Wacom also supports designers and creators by organizing/participating in various activities to nurture new talents. The OEM segment of Wacom’s business recently reached a milestone: 100 million of its unique digital pen components have been produced illustrating the accelerating demand for digital pens as a speedy, high-precision input tool on mobile products. www.wacom.com

XEROX

For more than a half a century, Xerox has been a leader in document technology and services. It is morphing from a primarily manufacturing company to a leading enterprise for business process and document management, offering global services from claims reimbursement and automated toll transaction to customer care centers and HR benefits management. The new Xerox “is dedicated to innovation, service and giving our customers the freedom to focus on what matters most: your real business.” For the creative community, Xerox still produces, among other things, digital printing systems that address multiple needs: printing of proofs, comps and short runs of final color pieces in design studios through the Phaser family and printing of final jobs in print shops on Xerox iGen3 and iGen4 Digital Production Presses. The Phaser line of Office Printers, notably the Phaser 7800, are made with the color management and media handling needs of graphic designers in mind. www.xerox.com

ADMORE

Admore® is the largest manufacturer of premium presentation folders and related items such as binders, portfolios and other presentation products. Admore products are sold only through qualified distributors and the product line features hundreds of standard design pocket folders, portfolios, report and tax covers, binders, computer packaging, key and gift card holders, plastic cards, totes and boxes.

Customization of all products is available. There’s also a large selection of inhouse stocks, including recycled and certified papers, and sales tools and art templates are available on the website. Founded in 1947, the company’s cornerstone is quality. With the aid of engineers from the Graphic Art Technical Foundation, its 57,000 square foot facility was specifically designed to produce presentation products. Hence the mission statement: “We promise to present the best: passionate service, incredible quality and commitment to each other.” Admore is part of the Ennis family, engaged primarily in the sale of business forms, apparel and other business products, as well as private label printing. www.admorefolders.com

COLOREDGE

Coloredge Comp is a packaging prototype and creative production studio that helps some of the world’s most prominent brands bridge the gap between vision and market fulfillment. With production facilities in Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York staffed by highly skilled crafts people, the firm helps guide CPG, design, and agency clients through the laborious brand development process. Whether you need prototypes for presentations, TV commercials, focus group testing, or sales samples, Coloredge Comp creates beautiful, brand strong images and helps prove out package concepts early on in the design process. www.coloredge.com

COMPANY FOLDERS

Company Folders, Inc. is the standard bearer in online presentation folder printing. Founded in 2003 by CEO Vladimir Gendelman, the company delivers absolute quality infused with the design knowledge of an advertising agency. They also offer a wide selection of custom marketing materials, including pocket folders, binders, postcards, business cards, and much more.

The site’s Folder Design Gallery allows graphic artists to showcase their best folder designs and attract the attention of potential clients. Additionally, the Company Folders blog offers informative tutorials, tips and articles relevant to print designers. Privately held and located in Keego Harbor, MI, Company Folders offers the largest selection of presentation folders, each with an average of over 15 million unique combinations of stocks, imprint options and special features. www.companyfolders.com

CORPORATE IMAGE

Corporate Image is a leading provider of sustainable 3-ring custom binders and promotional presentation materials, including folders, boxes and multimedia packaging. The company is an FSC Certified printer, and remains committed to improving its production processes and introducing new eco-friendly materials that maintain a high level of quality while reducing waste. The company states:

“We transform outstanding graphic design into beautiful presentation products. Our goal is to help you promote and differentiate your customers and products. When you are successful, we are successful.” Catalogs and samples are available online or can be requested via the website. And the company’s website, promotional materials and eblasts represent a constant source of ideas and inspiration for graphic designers. Affiliated companies include LBS, book-binding industry for more than 80 years; Archival Products, which offers innovative solutions for preservation and conservation of printed materials; and Naked Binder, which has designed what may be the most eco-friendly binder on the planet. www.corp-image.com

CURTIS PACKAGING

Curtis Packaging is a manufacturer of high quality folding cartons to the world’s most discerning brands. Curtis draws inspiration from the creative human spirit, which it uses to create premium products of “outstanding beauty and enduring value.” Every paperboard carton passes through the hands of many experienced packaging professionals and, say officials, “each touch exemplifies the dedication, knowledge and tradition cultivated since our establishment in 1845.” Sustainability is a high priority: Curtis is 100% carbon neutral, uses 100% renewable electricity, and it is FSC and SFI certified. www.curtispackaging.com

ESKO

Esko is a global supplier of integrated solutions for packaging, brand management, sign and display finishing, commercial printing and professional publishing. The Esko product portfolio supports and manages the packaging and print processes at brand owners, retailers, designers, packaging manufacturers and print service providers. Solutions are used in packaging management, artwork creation, structural design, prepress, 3D visualization, plate making, workflow automation, quality assurance, sample-making, palletization, supply chain collaboration and the production of signage and displays. Esko solutions consist of an extensive suite of software and two hardware product lines, complemented with professional services, training and consultancy. According to the company, 9 out of 10 packages found on retail shelves have been created with the help of Esko products and services. www.esko.com

HLP KLEARFOLD

For over 40 years, HLP Klearfold has been the clear plastic packaging specialist. Clear plastic packaging from HLP Klearfold is a brand communications tool that connects consumers directly with products by, among other things, providing three-dimensionality and a clear view of the package contents. HLP Klearfold is currently the world’s largest producer of clear plastic boxes as well as a leading providing of custom thermoforming and clear plastic tubes and rounds, and the developer of clear packaging innovations like Klearfold® Keeper and InSight® packaging systems. The company employs the most advanced printing, decorating and converting technologies, and its proprietary technology ensures that Klearfold plastic boxes set up quickly and easily in both hand and machine-fill applications. It is also known for exceptional service, continuos research, and timely new product development. www.hlpklearfold.com

HOLLISTON

As the nation’s oldest and largest manufacturer of cloth coverings, Holliston, LLC, has served the book cover material, fancy packaging, and industrial cloth markets since 1895. Today, it maintains a fully functional domestic Research & Development facility-providing customers with a continually updated choice of materials, colors, fabrics, coatings, and embossings.

Built on the cornerstones of innovation and sustainability, it is meeting the 21st century head-on with environmentally friendly products designed for the digital age and increased financial stability. Interestingly, Holliston has long been the U.S. Government’s preferred supplier of high-security passport cover material. www.holliston.com

ILS

ILS is an award-winning digital label and packaging specialist located just outside Cincinnati OH. Founded as Innovative Labeling Solutions in 1996 by a family partnership, the company has quickly grown into a cutting-edge full service label and packaging company operating in a 65,000 square foot facility. With four HP 6600 Indigo presses, a new HP 20000 Indigo press, as well as finishing equipment for hot stamping, embossing, specialty varnishes, flexible packaging and shrink sleeve seaming, the company’s state-of-the-art facility offers turn-key solutions to all segments in the consumer product market. www.ilslabels.com

KALEIDOSCOPE

Kaleidoscope started as a brand imaging and prototyping company in 1995. Through that work, it began to solve product and packaging design challenges for clients. It then built disciplines and teams around those services. Today, Kaleidoscope helps clients connect the dots between consumer needs, strategy and the brand experience. The passion and dedication that made its team members true artisans at the start now fuel the company’s pursuit to further the craft of building brands. Kaleidoscope employs brand strategists, industrial and graphic designers, implementation and mock-up artists and other specialists. www.thinkkaleidoscope.com

NAKED BINDER

Naked Binder operates on the belief that good design incorporates function, aesthetics and sustainability. And is proud of the fact that it has designed what may be the most eco-friendly binder on the planet, one that is “durable, well-designed and 100% recyclable.” Company officials say that, while a 3-ring binder may not be able to save the world, it can reduce toxic landfill by about 40 million pounds a year, keep office and home air better, and preserve the forests and wild spaces. Naked Binder is a members of 1% for the Planet and supports local schools through donations and offer across the board discounts for educators. The products are made in the U.S. heartland, more specifically Des Moines IA. www.nakedbinder.com

TRICORBRAUN

TricorBraun is one of the packaging industry’s largest suppliers of glass and plastic containers, closures, dispensers and tubes in North America. The company sports an award-winning Design & Innovation center that combines package design and development, custom mold manufacturing and process engineering expertise within one organization. TricorBraun has earned a number of package awards including WorldStar, AmeriStar awards as well as GDUSA’s American Packaging Design Award and American Graphic Design Awards. With over 40 locations, TricorBraun is the leader in the development of new package designs in both glass and plastics, and is a stocking distributor of closures, pumps, sprayers, and other ancillary packaging components. www.tricorbraun.com

UNIVENTURE

Univenture has been inventing and manufacturing consumer and industrial products for entertainment and publishing since 1988. Founded by Ross Youngs in Marysville OH, the company produces media packaging under several well-known brands. With more than 50 issued patents worldwide, Youngs and Univenture credit a great deal of their successes to ingenuity. The revolutionary Safety-sleeve® material, which allows slim and secure disc protection, made such waves and led to Univenture’s first of five inclusions in the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies. The invention of the patented U-1000 system in 1997 similarly transformed the limits of high-volume, highly customizable, completely automated media packaging. Corporate brands and divisions today include Unikeep (premium storage and presentation solutions), EnvyPak (creative solutions for direct mail), PackZen (manufacturing and customizing premium vinyl binders and other flexible film products), and Safety-sleeve (the “gold standard” in media packaging). www.univenture.com

WILLIAM FOX MUNROE

WFM has been designing compelling consumer experiences for over 40 years. Opened in 1972 as a one man, one client shop, things grew quickly and accelerated even faster when employees Dan Forster, Tom Newmaster, and Steve Smith purchased the business in 1998. Today, they continue that legacy with a dedication to developing memorable, award-winning packaging and point of sale solutions. WFM has a staff of specialized designers whose goal is to create impactful graphics day-in and day-out. They provide excellent, cost-effective graphic solutions on time and on budget. WFM’s diverse clientele benefit from their extensive category expertise, exceptional personal service, and strategic thinking. Services include graphic and structural design, concept and ideation, online consumer insights, packaging prototypes and comps, point-of-sale and sales support materials. They have been listed among Fast Company magazine’s Fast 50 most innovative companies. www.wfoxm.com

CLEARWATER

Clearwater Paper is recognized worldwide for its quality paperboard, consumer tissue, and wood products, enabling customers to compete in the highest ends of their markets. Of particular note to print and packaging professionals: Clearwater is North America’s largest nonintegrated producer of bleached paperboard. Their Ancora® and Candesce® lines of premium SBS paperboard both have ultrasmooth surfaces for printing clear images and sharp text. Both stand up to demanding and advanced print jobs, making varnishing treatments, foil stamping, and embossing simple. In addition, Ancora and Candesce are available with either FSC or SFI certification in a full caliper range, and the company adheres to rigorous standards on greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. www.clearwaterpaper.com

CTI PAPER USA

CTI Paper USA offers an eclectic ensemble of specialty papers and envelopes. Elegant, sophisticated, fresh and fun, The Fine Paper Collection® includes first-rate translucent, cast coated, and metallic printing papers. CTI continually strives to develop, manufacture and source innovative papers and envelopes, perfect for use for annual reports, birth announcements, brochures, business cards, covers, greeting cards and wedding invitations, among other things. A recent addition: the Kromekote Collection. This famed cast-coated paper is known for decades for a brilliant, mirror-like gloss surface and smoothness. Exceptional printability and performance ensure realistic, highly detailed images and vibrant, saturated colors, while a resilient surface allows for clean crack-resistant folding and scoring. The Kromekote Collection includes papers for digital and offset printing applications. www.thepapermill.com

DOMTAR

Domtar is the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity. The company designs, manufactures, markets and distributes a wide range of business, commercial printing and publishing grades. Their brands are well-known to graphic designers and printers, and include Cougar®, Lynx® Opaque Ultra, Husky® Opaque Offset, First Choice® and Domtar EarthChoice® Office Paper, part of a family of environmentally and socially responsible papers. The company sponsors the award-winning “Paper Because” campaign to promote the power of print and paper and recently introduced Blueline by Domtar, which features content for graphic designers, printers and print buyers. The name is a tribute to the printing process by paying homage to proofing techniques of yesterday and today, and “it’s a gentle reminder that producing printed pieces is a labor of love requiring many steps to get it right.” www.domtarblueline.com

FIBERMARK

FiberMark is a U.S.A. manufacturer of fiber-based decorative covering materials for luxury set-up boxes, dyed-through paperboards for premium folding-cartons and decorative cover stocks with tactile appeal that invite touch for high-end identity and branding collateral. When it comes to packaging top-of-the-line cosmetics and coveted media box-sets to specialty confections and top-shelf liquors, the material quality of FiberMark products has promotional value to define and distinguish brands. A new FiberMark Colors App is available for iPhone and iPad. Specifically made for designers, this new app features a carousel library of swatches sorted by color family, which allows users to build a collection of swatches based on color, texture, or whatever pattern they require and then share it via email. www.fibermark.com

INTERNATIONAL PAPER

International Paper is a global leader in the paper and packaging industry and supplies a wide range of products that people rely on every day. The company produces uncoated papers and industrial and consumer packaging. Key brands for graphic artists include Accent Opaque, Carolina Coated Cover, Hammermill, Springhill and Williamsburg. A new offering of note for creative professionals is Accent Opaque Digital. It’s available in a wide variety of cut sizes – even nonstandard sizes – and optimized for great color and great performance on digital and offset equipment including high-speed printers, copiers, and digital presses. IP partners with customers and environmental, academic, civic and governmental organizations, as well as landowners and harvesting professionals, to encourage responsible forest stewardship, improve the health and productivity of forestlands, and increase recovery of recyclable products. www.internationalpaper.com

KALLIMA PAPER

Kallima® FSC Certified Coated Cover paperboard line is proudly manufactured by Tembec. The Kallima Paper family, with its outstanding blue-white shade, is very popular among commercial print, graphic design and end-user customers because of its print gloss and brightness. In addition to being a leading advocate of sustainability, the company has the know-how to back it up: Kallima Paper has a low-density, high-bulk construction resulting in less trees used and significant cost savings to the customer. The company is excellent at teaching and entertaining specifiers and buyers; its lively and fun blog, Kallima Storyboard, shares stories about papermaking, printing and design, environmental responsibility and more. And its Cost Savings Calculator is a great tool that translates Kallima’s basis weight advantage into real dollar and cents savings. GDUSA magazine covers are printed on Kallima Coated Cover C2S 8 Pt. www.kallimapaper.com

KAPSTONE

KapStone Paper and Packaging is a manufacturer of high-quality kraft papers and paperboard, containerboard, and corrugated packaging. Their paper manufacturing facilities in North America include three pulp and paper mills, one recycled containerboard mill, and a coast-to-coast network of 22 converting plants for corrugated sheets and boxes. Products include high-performance multiwall paper, bag and wrapping paper, container-board, and specialty paper and paperboard grades, along with value-added corrugated and solid-fiber containers. The KRAFTPAK® folding carton grade is a low-density, uncoated and unbleached kraft paperboard grade, designed to provide maximum strength, cleanliness and performance. www.kapstonepaper.com

MOHAWK

Mohawk is North America’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of fine papers and envelopes. Mohawk fine papers and envelopes include the signature brands Mohawk Superfine® and Strathmore®, as well as proprietary treatments Inxwell® and i-Tone®. With a culture of innovation, Mohawk’s business model now extends into new areas of growth, including digital substrates and web-based software platforms. As a leader in environmentally and socially responsible business practices, Mohawk was the first U.S. manufacturer of commercial printing papers to match 100% of its electricity with wind power renewable energy credits and the first U.S. premium paper mill to shift toward carbon neutral production. The portfolio of recycled papers is certified by Green Seal and the FSC. The fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business publishes the popular Mohawk Maker Quarterly, a vehicle to support the maker community of small manufacturers, artisans, printers, designers and artists. New for 2015: Mohawk a new series of swatchbooks developed by San Francisco’s Hybrid Design to make the paper specification process clearer, easier and more inspirational. The entire swatchbook line will be redesigned and rolled out through the year. The first to launch is a combined portfolio featuring Mohawk Carnival & Mohawk Via papers. www.mohawkconnects.com

MONADNOCK PAPER MILLS

This is a family owned business and it lays claim to being the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States. Its premium Printing, Packaging, Specialty and Technical papers, as well as Non-Woven products are used by the world’s leading brands. Leading brands choose Monadnock for high quality products,attentive customer service and a commitment to the environment. It’s graphic arts brands include Astrolite, Caress, Dulcet, and the Envi family of products for packaging. www.mpm.com

NEENAH

Neenah is a world-class manufacturer of premium writing, text, cover, specialty and private watermark papers. Headquartered near Atlanta GA, Neenah is entirely focused on the premium paper market, and is committed to producing only superior quality products and developing new technologies that meet the needs of designers, consumers, printers and merchants and ensure that paper remains a vital and vibrant medium of expression. With multiple manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, prime importance is also placed on offering recycled and alternative fiber products to customers and a continuous focus on reducing its own environmental footprint. The Neenah signature portfolio includes market leading brands such as CLASSIC®, ENVIRONMENT®, and ROYAL SUNDANCE® Papers. The company also produces envelopes in thousands of unique styles. Neenah is committed to developing relevant mobile and online technologies including the Neenah Cabinet App, an efficient way to view swatchbooks, search and browse the collection. And its Against The Grain blog is a consistent source of ideas and inspiration. Neenah’s exclusive sponsorship of GDUSA’s American Package Design Awards™ helps highlight its array of unique and premium packaging papers which are specifically engineered for superior performance and durability, outstanding printability, and highly dependable functionality for boxes, hangtags, bags and labels. www.neenahpaper.com

ROLLAND ENTERPRISES

After more than 130 years in existence, 22 of them with Cascades, the maker of Rolland papers is independent. The name of the new business is Rolland Enterprises Inc., which maintains the rich and long history of its St-Jerome, Quebec plant. The Rolland name has a strong reputation for high quality and driving innovation, and reinforces the Quebec-heritage which remains a vital piece of its identity. The new corporate identity is, therefore, based on the three pillars of Rolland: Performance, Innovation, and Environment.

Rolland papers are a bright and sustainable choice, offering a concrete way to reduce the environmental footprint. The company maximizes the life of the forest resources by recycling papers, coupling this art with innovative processes such as chlorine-free bleaching and renewable biogas energy usage. White and green at the same time, the Rolland Enviro100 family, as well as Rolland Opaque, Rolland Hitech and ReproPlus, remain the core commercial grades. Containing 100% and 30% postconsumer fiber, they are EcoLogo and FSC certified. GDUSA’s September/October 2014 edition, featuring the annual “Green Design” report, was printed on Rolland Enviro100 Satin, 60 lb. Text. www.rollandinc.com

SAPPI

Sappi Fine Paper North America is a preeminent North American producer of coated fine and release papers, as well as dissolving wood pulp (DWP) and market kraft pulp headquartered in Boston. Its coated fine papers, with highly recognized brand names such as McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are used in premium magazines, catalogs, books, and high-end print advertising and collateral materials. The company is also a leading international supplier of release papers for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries, including the Ultracast brand. Sappi Fine Paper North America is a division of Sappi Limited, a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. www.sappi.com/na

VERSO

Based in Memphis TN, Verso Corporation is a leading North American producer of coated papers, including coated groundwood and coated freesheet, and specialty products. Verso’s paper products are used primarily in media and marketing applications, including magazines, catalogs and commercial printing applications such as high-end advertising brochures, annual reports and direct mail advertising. The Influence® grade is a recognized leader in its category, and represents an excellent option for all types of upscale end uses. Its heavy basis weights deliver the printability and appearance expected of a higher grade paper while the lighter weights are ideal for postage sensitive applications. Verso Paper is perennially the sponsor of GDUSA’s Annual Print and Paper reader survey, which most recently ran in June 2014. Big news! Verso has acquired NewPage Holdings, which will increase annual sales to approximately $3.5 billion and employees to approximately 5,800 in eight mills across six states. www.versopaper.com

VERITIV

Veritiv Corporation, with corporate offices in Atlanta and Loveland, Ohio, is a North American leader in business-to-business distribution solutions. Serving customers across virtually every industry, Veritiv provides print, publishing, packaging, facility and logistics solutions that help shape the success of its customers.

Established in 2014, following the merger of International Paper’s xpedx division and Unisource Worldwide, the company employs approximately 9,500 team members across more than 170 distribution centers throughout North America. Among its many products and services for graphic designers and print buyers is the Endurance® family of printing, papers and products. These include Endurance Printing papers, Endurance Digital, Endurance Reycled and Endurance Board. www.veritivcorp.com,

YUPO

More than forty years ago, Yupo Corporation embarked on a journey to create a variety of grades of synthetic paper that would stand out among competitors. Through extensive research and development, Yupo has become a global leader in the production of 100% recyclable, tear- and chemical-resistant synthetic papers and in satisfying the growing demand for its applications in the print, design and packaging worlds.

Currently the largest manufacturer of synthetic papers in the Western Hemisphere, YUPO Synthetic Paper is manufactured in a 160,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility located in Chesapeake VA. Available grades include YUPO Original, YUPO Accel, YUPO Blue, and YUPO Translucent. Of special note to designers are the Wally Awards, a unique design competition for work printed on YUPO products. Check out the creative and innovative uses of YUPO among past winners displayed on the website. www.yupousa.com

ENVELOPES.COM

Headquartered in Amityville NY, with distribution facilities strategically located throughout the U.S., Envelopes.com products range from standard sizes and styles of mailing envelopes to unique, hard to find, specialty envelope products. Most are available both plain or printed. A second generation family-owned and operated business founded in 1971, the company’s mission is to provide every customer with high-quality products, the best envelope value and the most comprehensive service. Today, Envelopes.com has grown into a leading online supplier of envelopes, paper and coverstock products. Customers can now easily purchase hard to find products such as digital sheet sizes, or made to order items. Along with unique product offerings and cutting edge services such as White Ink and Variable Data Printing, the site recently launched a brand new, user-friendly online design tool with hundreds of templates. The tool allows customers to customize just about anything from invitations to personalized notecards. www.envelopes.com

JAM PAPER

A proudly family-owned and operated company for over 55 years, JAM Paper & Envelope has retail stores and offices in New York and New Jersey – including two locations in Manhattan and one in Northvale NJ. (“JAM” stands for Janet, Andrew and Michael Jacobs, a tight-knit family who head the company’s operations day-in and day-out.) Its robust website carries a wide range of envelopes, plastics, paper, folders, bags, portfolios and boxes to help businesses and individuals look professional, creative and smart. With stores and offices in New York City and New Jersey, JAM Paper is in the center of the fashion, media, public relations, design, marketing, event planning, and photography industries. Known as “The Best NYC Paper Store,” JAM manufactures a very large percentage of the products that they carry in order to ensure the highest quality product. www.jampaper.com

THE PAPER MILL STORE

This online store began in 2004 with the idea of offering graphics professionals great papers and prices that are easy to get when needed. The corporate office campus is in Sun Prairie WI, with a state-of-the-art converting and distribution center in the heart of the “Paper Valley.” Because they stock all papers in climate controlled safety, and their own people pick and pack orders for same-day or next day delivery, paper and envelopes will arrive on time and in perfect condition. The company uses 100% wind power through the purchase of renewable energy credits, offsets carbon produced by shipments, and FSC and SFI chain of custody certification. www.thepapermillstore.com

AQUENT

Aquent is a global staffing company dedicated to creative, marketing and digital roles. Aquent offers a broad range of staffing services that help companies add technical expertise to their team, increase the bandwidth of their in-house employees and focus on solving their biggest digital, creative and marketing challenges. With a notable client list, generous benefits, and leading-edge training opportunities, Aquent, along with its sister brand Vitamin T, attracts and places thousands of in-demand talent worldwide. Aquent originated the concept of specialized temporary staffing for high-end creatives and web experts. Today, it offers a range of services including: temporary and contract-to-hire staffing, employer of record, studios, web applications; and online classes. www.aquent.com

ARTISAN

Artisan is an interactive, digital, marketing and creative staffing agency. It advocates for the best talent, including graphic designers, web and mobile developers, UX designers, interactive learning consultants, project managers, and more. And it nurtures relationships with the best clients, from interactive agencies to small non-profits to major corporations. Artisan was founded by Bejan Douraghy in 1988 as a creative haven for Chicago’s top talent. By 1993, Artisan had tripled in size and was cited in Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the nation. Now a respected authority and leader in the staffing industry, Artisan has continued to evolve into an influential interactive, technical, and creative staffing agency – not just in it’s hometown but nationwide. Today, Artisan is a respected authority and leader with offices throughout the country. In 2014, the company won two Awards: “Best of Staffing ‒ Clients” and “Best of Staffing ‒ Talent,” placing Artisan among the top 2% of all agencies nationwide. www.artisantalent.com

THE BOSS GROUP

The BOSS Group is an interactive creative and marketing staffing agency. The company has been supplying temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire professionals to leading organizations across virtually every industry sector for 25 years. The BOSS Group has local offices in many major metropolitan areas – such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington DC – and is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise and a member of the BLR Holdings family of companies. Founded in 1988 by two principals of a graphics production house, the company has focused exclusively on human capital solutions for the creative profession since the beginning. It attributes its success to a strict focus on creative staffing and adherence to its values: employee centricity, service excellence, entrepreneurial spirit and passionate performance. www.thebossgroup.com

THE CREATIVE GROUP

The Creative Group (TCG) is a leader among creative and marketing staffing agencies. It specializes in connecting talented, creative professionals with companies looking to hire interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations talent. As the creative and design staffing division of Robert Half, TCG offers flexible solutions to meet companies’ project, contract-to-hire and full-time employment needs. Through the parent company, they also have the resources to support organizations’ temporary and full-time staffing needs in the areas of technology, accounting, finance, administrative and legal. The Creative Group is well-connected to the communities they serve, having built valuable relationships with the top industry organizations, including AIGA, HOW Magazine, GDUSA, and The American Advertising Federation (AAF). They also have an exclusive relationship with The Wall Street Journal. Working with The Creative Group gives companies and individual professionals a unique advantage. www.creativegroup.com

123RF

This is a leading global provider of high quality yet budget-friendly commercial and editorial photos, vector illustrations, video footage and audio clips for all your creative ideas. With over 100,000 content contributors uploading more than 35,000 royalty free stock elements on a daily basis, the library currently hosts more than 35 million digital assets. 123RF offers flexible plans and packages to cater to every budget and requirement. Products and services include: 123RF Corporate+ which is a content licensing platform that lets you collaborate with massive teams of creatives and manage creative content purchases better; 123RF Subscription Plans and Credit Packages are flexible for any creative need and budget, with subscriptions when you constantly need content for your individual creative projects and with credits for the occasional purchases; 24/7 Client Support and Image Search assistance; and Image Retouching Service (IRS) and Image Enlargement Service (IES). www.123RF.com

500PX PRIME

500px began more than five years ago as a premier photography community where photographers were encouraged to share their best work. It has since grown into a community of more than five million photographers, a home to more than 50 million photos, and a source of inspiration for tens of millions of people who visit the platform every single month. In April 2014, 500px unveiled 500px Prime. Prime is a collection of hundreds of thousands of the best photos from the 500px community now available for licensing, with most of the collection exclusive to 500px by virtue of it coming from a passionate photography community. With every photo, the focus is on quality over quantity. And with 70% of every sale going back to the photographer, designers can be confident the photographer is being compensated for their talent. You can review the entire 500px Prime collection and request images never before licensed at prime. Photos are available in two price points, one for a hi-res, unlimited usage, royalty free license; and a lower rate for single usage, lower res, web-only license. 500px.com

ADOBE STOCK

Adobe Stock is the first stock content service to be integrated directly into the content creation process and the tools creatives use every day. Available through Adobe Creative Cloud, the new service simplifies buying and using stock content, including photos, illustrations and graphics. The collection of 40 million-and-growing images is deeply integrated into the latest releases of Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC. Designers can launch Adobe Stock directly within CC desktop software, add watermarked images to their Creative Cloud Libraries, and then access and work with images across multiple desktop tools. When creatives are ready to license the image for finished work, they can do it directly within the desktop software they are working in. The launch of Adobe Stock shakes up the $3 billion global stock image market, as Adobe customers are active contributors to stock image services and regular purchasers of stock content. An estimated 85 percent of creatives who buy stock content use Adobe tools; and more than 90 percent of sellers use Adobe software in the preparation of their photos and images. Adobe Stock is based on the acquisition of stock content provider Fotolia. Adobe Stock is also available as a standalone stock service. stock.adobe.com

ART RESOURCE

Art Resource is the world’s largest fine art stock photo archive, with more than a million fine art images available for licensing to all media, hundreds of thousands of which are keyword searchable online. This includes high quality images of works of painting, sculpture, architecture and the minor arts from most of the world’s major museums, monuments, and commercial archives.The range of offerings run the gamut from prehistoric times to the present. Art Resource carries the works of almost every major museum in Europe, and functions as the official rights and permissions representative for many institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

A complete (and stunning) list is available on the site, but among the museums for which Art Resource functions as the official rights and permissions representatives are: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, LA County Museum of Art, The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Pierpont Morgan Library, Jewish Museum of New York, Newark Museum, Tate Britain and Tate Modern, Harvard University Art Museums, National Gallery London, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York Public Library, and Wadsworth Atheneum Art Museum. To name just a few. www.artres.com

ARTARENA

ArtArena is a virtual marketplace for digital imagery where graphic designers and other creative professionals have access to a diverse selection of high-quality stock photos, videos and illustrations. The goal is to help creative people bring their projects to life with photos, illustrations and footage clips. Company officials describe the new service as “easy to use, super affordable and since we already have a database of carefully selected, licensed media, you’ll save on one of the things you value most – time.”

The company is also actively encouraging photographers and designers to post their images on the site for sale. www.artarena.com

BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

Bridgeman Images is a leading archive of fine art, cultural and historical stills and footage available for licensing and reproduction.

Representing works from museums, galleries and artists across the globe, our extensive archive of over a million images covers every genre and subject matter from vintage photography to unique contemporary art, including content exclusive to Bridgeman. Users can search footage alongside still images to create a complete visual package. Expert image research and sourcing from partner institutions, copyright advice and clearance services, are provided free of charge by our dedicated sales team. The portfolio of brands include Bridgeman Studio, an online platform for contemporary artists, Bridgeman Footage, Bridgeman Prints and Bridgeman Education for academic research. (PHOTOGRAPH: Snow, Times Square 1/Bill Jacklin / Bridgeman Images) bridgemanimages.com

CORBIS

Founded by Bill Gates, Corbis is a major digital media company and entertainment consultancy empowering advertisers, publishers, brands, and other media producers to break through the clutter by accessing and integrating with the world’s great creative content. Through its branded websites – Corbis Images (stock photography and illustration), Corbis Motion (creative and editorial motion clips from leading collections and studios), Corbis Entertainment (product integration, entertainment marketing partnerships, promotions and placement programs), Veer (affordable creative stock photography, illustrations, and fonts) – the company helps the creative community produce distinctive work for websites, magazines, newspapers, books, television and films. www.corbisimages.com

DANITA DELIMONT

Danita Delimont Stock Photography specializes in global travel destinations, natural habitats and ecosystems, and animal behavior. The collections include a diversity of world cultures and their traditional lifestyles. The firm represents more than 300 world-class photographers and several international agencies. Many of the photographers are universally recognized as specialists in specific geographic locations or subject matter, providing extensive breadth and depth within the agency’s areas of focus. There are rights managed, royalty free and footage collections. Galleries run the gamut from African Culture and America the Beautiful to the Wild West and World Religions. www.danitadelimont.com

DOLLAR PHOTO CLUB

$1 per image. That’s the promise. As the name suggests, Dollar Photo Club cuts straight through with one “super simple offer – $1 per image.

Always $1. Always high-resolution. Always royalty-free.” Devised to suit creative, passionate and serious stock image users and creative professionals, Dollar Photo Club has made an impact in the stock photography industry with an innovative pricing structure, huge image portfolio, and simple yet effective client membership plan. Members can access the vast array of diversified local content; over 25 million premium images, with over 150,000 more added each week, as well as select benefits and offers from high-value partners. Another bonus: downloads last forever, even when the membership is over. www.dollarphotoclub.com

ERICKSON STOCK

Erickson Stock is a treasure: it is a premier source for high-quality, emotional lifestyle stock photos and video footage. With a range of collections, the agency has more ways to tell your story – through stills or video. Erickson Stock Photography is the work of renowned assignment photographer Jim Erickson. For decades, Erickson and his teams have generated thousands of images and stock video clips in order to supply clients who demand super-consistent, assignment-quality, stock photography and video content. Among the popular categories: Healthcare, Business, People & Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure, Landscape & Nature, and Architecture. A new development: “Stories” is a collection of character-driven, ready-made, customizable video spots with stills for the same shoot. The “stories” include music, message and interchangeable content and are customizable for any brand. www.ericksonstock.com

FOTOLIA

Around the world, over five million people rely on Fotolia for its stock library of over 34 million affordable, royalty-free images and HD videos. So whether you’re a professional designer, manager, presenter, small business owner or student, you’ll find the right images for all your professional and personal needs. Founded in 2004, Fotolia was the first worldwide microstock organization to offer both crowdsourced and professional images on one site. The service now spans the globe, providing the images via websites in 15 languages – hence the slogan “The World’s Local Stock Image Website.” Fotolia customers get robust search options, a smart, user-friendly interface, as well as featured galleries that assure competitive rates. A major news announcement: Adobe has entered into an agreement to acquire Fotolia. Fotolia will operate as a standalone stock service as well as integrating the images into Adobe Creative Cloud, providing Creative Cloud members to access and purchase millions of images and videos. www.fotolia.com

GETTY IMAGES

Getty Images is a world leading creator and distributor of award-winning still imagery, video, music and multimedia products, as well as other forms of premium digital content, available through its premium content site, gettyimages.com, and its leading content site, istock.com. With its advanced search and image recognition technology, Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries. Its best-in-class photographers and imagery help designers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and online media. Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein founded Getty Images in 1995 with the goal of turning a fragmented stock photography market into a modernized industry. It was the first company to license imagery online, moving the entire industry online. And to make it easier than ever for creatives to access the content, Getty Images has introduced several apps for desktop, phones and tablets. www.gettyimages.com, infocus.gettyimages.com

IMAGE SOURCE

Image Source is a leading independent photography agency. Celebrated for creating trend-driven imagery with high production values, they provide advertisers, publishers, brands and the corporate sector with impactful, effective, emotionally intelligent rights managed and royalty free imagery. In 1999, Christina Vaughan founded Image Source with the challenge to become a different kind of agency – one where royalty free photography was produced to the same quality standards as traditional rights managed. Her team has spent over a decade producing some of the most respected royalty free stock photography in the world, and now bring that knowledge and passion to every part of our business, including a new line of rights managed imagery, as well as our representation of best of breed third party image brands. With offices in London and New York, the creative teams continue to be highly respected and strive to break new artistic ground. Image Source regularly contributes content on visual trends to the GDUSA Blog. www.imagesource.com

INMAGINE

Founded in 2000, INMAGINE is a top supplier and distributor of rights managed and royalty free stock worldwide. Offering over 30 million of the industry’s impeccable stock images curated from an ever-increasing list of 130 prominent best selling collections, the company can lay claim to having the most complete list of royalty free publishers in the market. The company also provides 24-hour service throughout its offices in US, UK, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Australia and Asia. A multi-language website supports nearly a dozen languages complete with an array of online tools, precise search and instant downloads. www.inmagine.com

ISTOCK BY GETTY IMAGES

iStock by Getty Images is the web’s original resource for crowd sourced royalty-free stock images, media and design elements, offering millions of hand-picked photos, illustrations, videos and audio tracks. A site “by creatives, for creatives,” iStock started in 2000 as the pioneer micropayment photography site, “freeing creatives everywhere to create beautiful communications on a budget.” The site has become one of the most successful and profitable user-generated content sites in the world.

Indeed, millions of people now turn to iStock. All iStock files are royalty free and the company offers a Legal Guarantee that content used within the terms of the license agreement will not infringe on any copyright, moral right, trademark or other intellectual property right, or violate any right of privacy or publicity. iStock is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Getty Images. www.istock.com

MASTERFILE

Masterfile features millions of premium rights managed and royalty free photos and illustrations by world class artists covering a wide range of subjects. The company acquires, organizes, distributes and licenses images for commercial use in media ranging from editorial publications to print advertising to websites. Images are acquired under exclusive contract from professional photographers and illustrators who are paid a royalty every time an image is licensed. The images are stored digitally, showcased, licensed and delivered instantly to business clients worldwide via the Internet 24/7. The business is global: Masterfile’s corporate headquarters are in Toronto, with European Headquarters in Düsseldorf and sales offices in London and Paris. The site highlights new additions, subscription offers, and a free image of the week. www.masterfile.com

OFFSET

Offset is a new, curated collection of engaging imagery from top artists and storytellers around the world. Conceived and developed by the people at Shutterstock, “Offset has reinvented the way authentic images are curated, viewed and licensed. With straightforward and clear pricing, we want you to focus on what’s truly important: telling your story and being creative.” According to officials, every image in the collection is hand selected, chosen for its artistic distinction and narrative quality. Sourced from a broad range of categories, Offset offers a mix of photography and illustration, both commercial and editorial imagery from best-in-class artists who shoot for major advertising clients and renowned brands. www.offset.com

PHOTOSPIN

This pioneering agency provides annual subscriptions and single-image purchases at some of the best prices on the planet today. The company began in 1996 with the sale of images on CD ROMs, and has offered annual subscriptions and individual image purchases ever since. Started by creative’s who understand the cost of doing business in the design world, PhotoSpin’s mission is to provide an affordable solution to the high cost of stock images. Their annual subscriptions allow subscribers to login and download up to 50 images per day, and up to 1000 images per month, depending on the subscription level. For the customer who just needs a few images, they offer individual image purchases starting as low as $2.00 per image for a low res image. The library is refreshed with up to 50,000 new images per month. Customer retention rate is very high, and many of their customers have been with them since the beginning. www.photospin.com

SHUTTERSTOCK

Shutterstock is a major global provider of high-quality royalty free licensed stock images, including photographs, vectors, illustrations, videos and music to businesses, marketing agencies and media organizations around the world. Working with its growing community of nearly 50,000 contributors, Shutterstock adds hundreds of thousands of images a month, and currently has nearly 50 million images available. Headquartered in New York City, with offices in Berlin, Chicago, London, and San Francisco, Shutterstock has customers in more than 150 countries and 20 languages. The company also owns Bigstock, a value-oriented stock media agency; Offset, a high-end image collection; and Skillfeed, an online marketplace for learning. Several subscription options are available for frequent users – GDUSA’s creative department is a happy subscriber – as well as an on-demand option and one for special uses. www.shutterstock.com

STOCKFOOD

StockFood is the world’s leading food specialist among media agencies, providing the most wide-ranging, high-quality collection of food images and videos available anywhere. Offerings also include feature articles with images and text, and recipes in several languages. This includes a broad range of rights managed and royalty free images, videos and features from over 1,000 renowned photographers and film producers. Expert recipe texts, created by an inhouse team, are available for all images, videos and features. StockFood was established in Germany in 1979 and is now represented in nearly 80 countries. A private company, it is a part of the CulinArts Holding Group which brings together under one roof several specialist companies, all of whom feature high-quality media content and products in the topics of food and lifestyle. www.stockfood.com

STOCKUNLIMITED

StockUnlimited makes it easy to find the right content for every project, whether it is vectors, clipart or illustrations. The site adds thousands of new and fresh files every day to ensure we always meet your needs for the most up-to-date content. What really sets StockUnlimited apart from other content providers is its super simple license modle. For one low monthly fee, you can download and use as much content as you wish in any projects. No complicated licenses. No daily limits. No credits. No additional fees. Ever. As long as one has an active StockUnlimited subscription, you can use all your downloaded content on new projects. www.stockunlimited.com

VIDEOBLOCKS

VideoBlocks is subscription-based site that provides members with unlimited downloads of stock video, After Effects templates, motion backgrounds and more. With 100,000 clips and counting, VideoBlocks has become the largest distributor of stock video with over 23 million downloads. GraphicStock, launched in 2013, takes the unique subscription model and applies it to the web and graphic design world. The site currently offers more than 250,000 graphics, vectors, icons, images, info graphics and more. And the newest member of the family of companies is AudioBlocks, launched recently with 100,000-plus music tracks, sound effects and loops, and a totally reimagined content discovery process specifically built for music.

In 2014, VideoBlocks was named to the Inc. 5000 list as the 11th fastest growing media company in the country. New at presstime: VideoBlocks is expanding beyond its subscription business model with a new marketplace for contributed content. www.videoblocks.com

FUNCTIONFOX

FunctionFox is the leading provider of time and project tracking software for small creative companies. FunctionFox is dedicated to providing simple, secure, web-based tools to help creative companies improve productivity and profitability. TimeFox, its web-based timesheet and project management software, is the number one ranked time-tracking system in North America. Graphic design, advertising, communications, marketing, multimedia, public relations, and interactive firms all choose TimeFox as their web-based time and project management application. It is currently used by thousands of customers in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. FunctionFox was originally designed by an advertising agency for creative companies, so it is uniquely suited to the specific billing and timesheet needs of this industry. Many in-house marketing groups have also discovered how FunctionFox timesheets help improve accountability and simple project management. And FunctionFox is especially strong in customer service and care. www.functionfox.com

BERTHOLD TYPES

Berthold is an historically important designer source for high-quality, classic typefaces. Founded in 1858 in Berlin, the H. Berthold foundry was renowned for crafting high-quality typefaces, and was one of the largest and most successful type foundries in the world. Berthold Types continues this tradition by offering graphic design professionals the quality typefaces comprising the Berthold Exklusiv Collection. Berthold exclusively offers the Akzidenz-Grotesk typeface known as “the mother of all sans serifs.” Among other classic typefaces offered are AG Book, Barmeno, Block, City, Corporate ASE, Delta, Formata, Imago, and many other new and long-time favorites. Berthold font software is available in the Open Type format with many font families available with extended language support. The firm offers a variety of licensing options from basic end user licenses for individuals and small companies to flexible corporate extended licenses for use with the latest technologies. With regard to using Berthold fonts on the web, designers can now purchase web licensing for favorite Berthold fonts and use them on Typekit alongside the library subscription. The License fee is a onetime perpetual cost. www.bertholdtypes.com,

THE DARDEN STUDIO

The Darden Studio produces and publishes the typeface designs of Joshua Darden and his collaborators. Based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the studio create new typefaces and lettering for publications, institutions, corporate brands and private clients. Working closely with clients, they pursue typography that is “the result of earnest inquiry, appropriate for current editorial standards and technology, and rooted in the values and practices of five centuries of typefounding.” Born and raised in suburban Los Angeles, Joshua Darden, since establishing his Brooklyn-based studio in 2004, has collaborated with clients in dozens of markets, including developing custom typefaces for Latin-based, Cyrillic, and Greek alphabets. He has lectured at the University of California Santa Barbara, has sat on panels at the TypeCon and South by Southwest Interactive conferences, juried the Type Directors Club Type Design Competition, visited RISD as a Guest Critic, and taught at Parsons and SVA. dardenstudio.com/studio

HOEFLER

For 25 years, this firm has helped the world’s foremost publications, corporations, and institutions develop unique voices through typography. The body of work includes some of the world’s most famous designs, typefaces marked by both high performance and high style. Hoefler & Co. works with brand leaders in every sector, developing original typefaces for print, web, and mobile environments, and licensing fonts from a library of more than one thousand designs. Innovation abounds with recent introductions: Quarto®, a new family of display faces for print and web, a modern interpretation of some of the intriguing and open-ended aspects of Dutch Old Styles; Tungsten Rounded, a new family of six fonts that’s at once earnest, energetic, and wry; and a two-style family of forward-looking, stadium-sized letters called Nitro & Turbo, which grew out of a commission from Michael Bierut at Pentagram for an original typeface for the New York Jets. And the company continues to refine its Cloud.typography webfont solution for design professionals that takes the guesswork out of using fonts online. www.typography.com

MONOTYPE IMAGING

Monotype is a leading global provider of typefaces, technology and expertise that enable the best user experience and ensure brand integrity. Based in Woburn MA, Monotype provides customers worldwide with typeface solutions for a broad range of creative applications and consumer devices. The company’s libraries and ecommerce sites are home to many of the most widely used typefaces – including the Helvetica®, Frutiger® and Univers® families – as well as the next generation of type designs. And its Fonts.com store offers tens of thousands of font products for preview, purchase and download.The company recently teamed with Google to offer a free public version of Monotypes Typecast™ application via Google Fonts, with the goal of helping users to create better quality web typography. The Typecast design tool makes it easy to try out and experiment with font pairings from the Google Fonts directory.” www.monotype.com

P22 TYPE FOUNDRY

P22 type foundry creates computer typefaces inspired by Art & History and is renowned for its work with museums and foundations to ensure the development of accurate historical typefaces that are fully relevant for today’s computer user. P22 is comprised of 4 distinct collections, each with a unique typographical focus. In addition, P22 offers custom font design and licensing solutions. The origin of the firm is telling: P22 began creating fonts in 1994 based on the handwriting and imagery of surrealist artists Marcel Duchamp and Joan Miró. These were not typefaces in any traditional sense. The Duchamp font was an attempt to use Duchamp’s own methods of random selection and appropriation in a self-referential homage. The Miró font was an attempt to extract a full alphabet from the forms found throughout Miró’s “Constellation” series of paintings. Both fonts were packaged with a simple flat card and a floppy disk and sold in museum gift shops. This was the beginning of P22; the interest generated by these two font sets inspired the firm to work on revivals of actual type designs that had never before been available in digital form. www.p22.com

VEER

Affordable images and fonts for creatives is Veer’s reason-to-be. The company’s creative elements “help people add style to business, marketing, and personal design projects – from websites and blog posts to business presentations and ad campaigns.” There are currently thousands of fonts to chose from, and dozens of featured releases on displayed prominently on the site at any one time. The font library includes font families and individual fonts from more than 75 foundries. Fonts include display faces, text families, scripts as well as picture and symbol fonts. Collections include: Umbrella™, stylish and contemporary display faces handpicked from around the world; Jukebox™, inspired by sign painting and vintage Americana; Cabinet™, distinctive text families for large projects and logos that features recognized international foundries as TypeTogether; and Red Rooster™, which offers new designs and interpretations of historic fonts. New fonts are added regularly. www.veer.com

PRINTEROCITY

Printerocity is a leading web-to-print solution ideal for graphic designers and advertising agencies. When you think Printerocity, think of easy-to-build, custom web-to-print templates. With your existing skill set, specify all the fixed and variable components of a template using layers in InDesign. Printerocity templates allow remote users to easily order collateral online while you and your client’s marketing department maintain full control over branding and marketing conformity. Integrated with a direct link to print production, print management has never been easier. Printerocity also includes more than 12,000 predesigned, industry-specific templates and access to stock images from Fotolia. Each is at the designer’s disposal through branded client microsites that can be built in as little as one day. Finally, a fully integrated web-to-print solution is right at your fingertips. A free 30 minute demo is available. printerocity.com