2016 Designer Friendly Directory

We spotlight 100 companies and organizations providing first-rate products and services to creative professionals, adding value and finding solutions, communicating and standing behind our community and, more often than not, taking their social responsibility seriously.

Companies who understand the creative mind have always been rare but, in more than a half-century of publishing, it is hard to remember a time when they have been more scarce. Changing technologies and tightening economics are creating dislocations, established brands are dropping faster than oil prices, certain segments of design are growing and others are shrinking, and many companies who once embraced the magnificent — and still robust — graphic design market have lost their focus. That makes the 2016 roster even more selective and deserving of recognition.

In the current listing, you will find treasures: paper mills and distributors, commercial and digital printers, stock agencies and type houses, hardware and software companies, recruiters and consultants, trade shows and industry associations, myriad goods and service providers. These are smart and motivated organizations who “get it” — that your success is their success — and who have the commitment and resources to invest in the creative community.

Included are company and organizational overviews, new developments of note, and contact information for buyers and specifiers. Not included are schools: they receive their own spotlight in the March/April edition.

Why does all this matter? Because in an age of interdependence, collaboration and the blurring of design and production, you are only as good as your tools, your technologies, your services, your vendors, your knowledge and your information.

This is a leading global provider of high quality yet budget-friendly commercial and editorial photos, vector illustrations, video footage and audio clips. 123RF.com provides localized content solutions to over 3 million users across the globe, working closely with many well-known brands, which include local and international top players in the creative industry comprising mainly of advertising agencies, graphic designers, publishers, freelance designers and bloggers. The site is updated with fresh content daily.
www.123RF.com
4over is the industry leader in print order fulfillment for resellers and industry professionals. With state-of-the-art print production facilities and superior color quality, 4over has established itself with a tradition of product consistency and innovation powered by operational excellence. The largest trade-only printer in North America, its facilities offer a broad range of in-demand offset, digital and large-format printed products, with a wide variety of production turnaround and shipping options. Continually investing in top-of-the-line equipment enables 4over to maintain a robust pipeline on new product introductions brought to the market from eight locations across the U.S. and Canada. Customers realize that they can expand the breadth of their product line by trusting 4over with their print while keeping their core competencies in house.
www.4over.com
Launched in 2009, 500px is a global online photography community for sharing, discovering and licensing photos. All of the inspiring and evocative photography is directly sourced from the world-class 500px community. Images represent the work of over 6 million professional and hobbyist photographers. Through its marketplace, 500px works with thousands of agency and brand creatives who use 500px images in their campaigns. 500px is venture backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Visual China Group and ff Venture Capital. It is headquartered in Toronto with offices in San Francisco and New York City.
www.500px.com
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. 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, one of the largest private-label printed business product suppliers in the U.S.
www.admorefolders.com
The Adobe Stock collection includes roughly 45 million high-quality images, videos, illustrations, and graphics. Most unique, designers can launch Adobe Stock directly within Creative Cloud 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. All edits made on a watermarked image are automatically applied to the newly licensed image. Adobe Stock is also available as a standalone service where designers can download, purchase and sell stock images.
www.stock.adobe.com
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. In 2015, Adobe made news with a milestone release of its flagship Adobe Creative Cloud tools and services. This included major updates to Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and InDesign CC; as well as new connected mobile apps for iOS and Android. Among the company’s proud moments in 2015: #3 Greenest Company in America in Newsweek Green Ranking; 15 years on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list; and a Top 100 Best Global Brands on the new Interbrand list.
www.adobe.com
Agfa Graphics has long been a proponent of green printing technologies. Its solutions are designed to maximize renewable resources, eliminate toxic chemicals, reduce waste, lower ink and water consumption and save energy. As part of its corporate strategy, the company is working to support customers who, through their actions, have demonstrated environmental responsibility. GreenWorks™, an Agfa Graphics initiative, accredits customers in the graphic communications industry in North America, who achieve greener outcomes through technology, products, services and practices. To date, Agfa has recognized hundreds of printers for their green printing efforts and communicated that message to thousands of graphic designers and other print buyers; you can learn more about the program on the GDUSA website.
www.gdusa.com/agfa or agfagraphics.us
Founded in 1914, 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.” AIGA today serves more than 25,000 members through 70 chapters and numerous student groups. Su Mathews Hale is currently president of the national board of directors of AIGA and Julie Anixter is the new executive director, following the retirement of long-time head Ric Grefé. A vocal advocate for the power of design for over 20 years, Anixter’s career has spanned business, education, and the public sector. The 2016 AIGA Design Conference is planned for “Vegas, Baby” at the Mirage in October 17-19.
www.aiga.org
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s and revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Apple Watch. Apple’s software platforms provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees “are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.” Despite a symbiotic history between graphic design and Apple’s origins, the company’s focus is now in the consumer market. Fiscal 2015 was Apple’s most successful year ever, with revenue growing 28% to nearly $234 billion. That is Billion with a “B”.
www.apple.com
Aquent is a global staffing company dedicated to creative, marketing and digital roles. It 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 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
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 colleagues in advertising together in 1920 to dignify their profession and judge ad art by the same stringent standards as fine art. For over ninety years, ADC members have taken up the challenge by funding programs for creative professionals, celebrating the winners of the Annual Awards and Young Guns competitions, helping students through the National Student Portfolio Reviews and Saturday Career Workshops, and honoring the achievements of Hall of Fame inductees and GrandMasters recipients.
www.adcglobal.org
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.
www.artres.com
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, and gives artists freedom to price their own work.
www.artarena.com
Artisan Talent is an interactive, digital, marketing and creative staffing agency. The company 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 and award-winning interactive, technical, and creative staffing agency with offices throughout the country.
www.artisantalent.com
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 offering design professionals the quality typefaces comprising the Berthold Exklusiv Collection. Berthold exclusively offers the Akzidenz-Grotesk typeface: the original sans and most influential grotesque. Berthold also exclusively offers other classic typefaces such as AG Book, Barmeno, Block, City, 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. Berthold 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.
www.bertholdtypes.com
Blurb® is a self-publishing platform and creative community that enables individuals to design, publish, share, sell, and distribute photo books, trade books, and magazines in both print and digital formats across the globe using its free, innovative book creation and layout tools. Founded in 2005, Blurb has nearly 2 million independent book authors worldwide, resulting in 3.9 million unique book titles, with more than 14 million units shipped to 80 countries around the world. The company is headquartered in San Francisco.
www.blurb.com
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
Bridgeman Images is a leading archive of fine art, cultural and historical stills and footage available for licensing and reproduction. Founded in 1972, Bridgeman Images works with museums, galleries, collections and artists to provide a central resource of fine art and archive footage for reproduction to creative professionals. Every subject, concept, style and medium is represented, from the masterpieces of national museums to the hidden treasures of private collections. Spanning centuries of visual communication, photographic reproductions of paintings, sculpture, textiles, maps and anthropological artefacts can all be found in the collection as well as newer forms of media including early photography, newsreels and documentaries. High res images and clips are accessible for users all over the world; each one has been meticulously catalogued with metadata and key-word functions for ease of search.
bridgemanimages.com
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, it is one of the most admired and innovative companies in the world. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. An interesting new product for graphic designers and photographers: Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 Professional Inkjet Printer, which complements Canon’s professional line of EOS DSLR cameras and lenses for an ideal pairing to produce high-detail, high-quality prints on a variety of media. This 17-inch, large format solution includes significant technological advancements, including a new print head, new ink and a new image processing engine.
www.usa.canon.com
In January 2011, Printing Industries Association of Southern California (PIASC) 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.
www.chooseprint.org
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
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.
www.colormarketing.org
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. companyfolders.com
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The institution 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. Founded in 1897, the museum has been a branch of the Smithsonian since 1967, and is housed in the recently renovated landmark Andrew Carnegie Mansion on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. A notable initiative: the Design in the Classroom program, which introduces classes K-12 to design thinking and learning, generously supported by Ellen DeGeneres.
www.cooperhewitt.org
Founded in 1989 by Bill Gates, Corbis is a leading digital content and worldwide entertainment rights company. Corbis empowers agencies, brands, publishers, and other media producers to capture the attention of audiences worldwide by integrating premium and timely content into their communications. From exceptional creative, documentary, and breaking entertainment content, to product and media integration services, Corbis helps elevate projects, amplify brands, and captivate any audience. Through its branded websites Corbis Images, Corbis Entertainment, Corbis Motion, and Veer, the company helps the creative community produce distinctive work for websites, magazines, newspapers, books, television and films. Breaking news: Corbis Images and Veer have been sold to Visual China Group.
www.corbisimages.com
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 website, promotional materials and eblasts represent a constant source of ideas and inspiration. Affiliated companies include LBS, book-binding industry for more than 80 years; Archival Products, innovative solutions for preservation and conservation of printed materials; and Naked Binder, which makes what may be the most eco-friendly binder on the planet.
www.Corp-Image.com
Creative Circle is a Los Angeles-based specialized staffing agency that connects advertising, marketing, creative, digital, and interactive professionals with companies seeking talent on a full-time or freelance basis. The agency has more than two dozen offices throughout the U.S., and places professionals in more than 125 job titles in a variety of fields, including advertising, design, web development, copy writing, and marketing.
www.creativecircle.com
The Creative Group is a leader among creative and marketing staffing agencies. The company 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 staffing needs for technology, accounting, finance, administrative and legal. TCG is well-connected to the communities it serves, having built valuable relationships with the top industry organizations, including AIGA, HOW, GDUSA, and AAF. They also have an exclusive relationship with The Wall Street Journal. For this reason, working with The Creative Group gives companies and individual professionals a unique advantage. With creative and design staffing agencies located in major markets across the U.S. and Canada, TCG “is proud to serve as a respected community partner in the cities where we live and work.”
roberthalf.com/creativegroup
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 for annual reports, birth announcements, brochures, business cards, covers, greeting cards and wedding invitations, among other things. This exquisite collection is readily available through nearly 200 local paper merchants, converters and online at The Paper Mill Store, an online resource for papers of all kinds. CTI’s corporate offices are situated on a beautiful 5-acre campus in Sun Prairie WI and its converting and distribution center is in the heart of the “Paper Valley” in Neenah WI.
www.thepapermill.com
papermillstore.com
The Design Management Institute seeks to connect design to business, to culture, to customers — to the changing world. It brings together educators, researchers, designers, and leaders from every design discipline and industry, encouraging 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.org
Domtar is a major manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and globally. The company designs, manufactures, markets and distributes a wide range of business, commercial printing and publishing grades. The Domtar Collection of Fine Papers are well-known to graphic designers and printers, and include the Cougar®, Lynx®, Husky®, and Domtar EarthChoice® brands. There is lots of information about products, samples, sustainability, service and more at Blueline by Domtar, a content-rich site for graphic designers, printers and print buyers.
www.domtarblueline.com
Emerald Expositions is a leading operator of large business-to-business tradeshows in the United States, producing more than 80 tradeshows and conference events per year, connecting hundreds of thousands of buyers and sellers across ten diversified end- markets. The company’s shows are typically the most prominent and important within their various industries. Coming up for graphic designers is SURTEX®, the global B2B marketplace dedicated to the sale and license of original art and design where artists, agents and licensors connect with manufacturers and retailers to create the next best-selling products. Surtex dates: May 15-17 at the Javits Center in New York City. Big news for the creative community: Emerald Expositions has acquired HOW Design Live and the HOW Interactive Design Conference series from F+W Media (see more below).
www.emeraldexpositions.com
www.surtex.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, and in ranges running from small quantities to one million and up. 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. A user-friendly online design tool allows customers to customize just about anything from invitations to personalized notecards.
www.envelopes.com
Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power 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 generated from renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and hydroelectric sources.
www.epa.gov/greenpower
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 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 are continued emphasis on core devices that provide value-added solutions. Epson America is headquartered in Long Beach CA.
www.epson.com
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 and over 75,000 “unique moments” the agency delivers a consistent look and feel which allows designers to quickly build and easily manage successful communications and campaigns. Erickson Stock 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: Business, People & Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure, Landscape & Nature, and Architecture. The company is the exclusive sponsor of GDUSA’s American Health + Wellness Design Awards™ because of its authentic collection of health-related imagery that, like the rest of the collection, so well captures the human spirit.
www.ericksonstock.com
Florida Trade Graphics has been printing and binging exclusively to the trade for nearly three decades. The continued growth of Florida Trade Graphics is a direct result of offering their clients a team they can trust to produce the type of job required by their customers. Clients have long counted on this “silent partner” for their integrity, production times and schedules along with top quality workmanship. www.floridatradegraphics.com
FoldedColor is seeking to redefine the folding carton marketplace. As a web-to-carton solution, the company offers attractive packaging with custom designs at competitive prices. FoldedColor arms customers with a browser-based interface that combines an intuitive design editor and 3D proofing system with an online storefront. Cartons are manufactured on premium solid bleached sulfate (SBS) paperboard that is SFI® certified and fully recyclable. FoldedColor’s proprietary extended color gamut printing technology employs a seven-color offset process that produces brilliant colors and graphics on all folding cartons. The website was built with designers in mind so creativity and innovation are encouraged. Its boxes “are ideal for one-time-use packaging for promotional purposes, companies who frequently change their look or colors by season, and everything else in between. Even if you are looking for small quantities as low as 50 pieces, FoldedColor never wants you to settle for ‘good enough.’” The firm recently introduced a new Reseller Program offering discounts of up to 20 percent for designers, agencies, marketers and others who source packaging for customers.
www.foldedcolor.com
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.
www.fsc.org
FunctionFox is a leading provider of time and project tracking software for creative firms, companies, and departments. The company provides simple, secure, web-based tools to help creative organizations 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. Product options include TimeFox Classic for small creative firm time and project management, TimeFox Premier for more advanced project management needs, and TimeFox Inhouse to help streamline internal processes and keep multiple projects on deadline.
www.functionfox.com
Getty Images is the largest 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 to license imagery online, moving the entire industry online. Getty Images has introduced several apps for desktop, phones and tablets.
www.gettyimages.com
The Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC) is the producer of GRAPH EXPO and PRINT, the largest and most comprehensive graphic communications trade shows and conferences in the Americas. GASC’s continuing mission is to bring industry buyers and sellers together in a highly productive and cost- effective way. GASC is owned by Epicomm; NPES-The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies; and the Printing Industries of America. GASC is managed and directed by NPES from their headquarters in Reston VA. The next major event for GDUSA readers to anticipate is GRAPH EXPO 16, coming September 25-28, to the Orange County Convention Center-North in Orlando FL. Here they will discover the latest graphic communications technologies in live equipment demonstrations across the exhibition floor, plus education on in-demand products and new profit-making opportunities. GRAPH EXPO is recognized as the most innovative and comprehensive exhibition in the Americas of inkjet, digital, offset, flexo, gravure and hybrid technologies, products, and services for the commercial and transactional printing, converting and packaging, publishing, mailing, marketing, and industrial printing industries. Traditionally based in Chicago, the 2016 move to Orlando is expected to expand the show’s already huge U.S. audience and by building its international contingent, particularly from Latin America. The following year’s show, PRINT 17, will return to Chicago.
www.graphexpo.com
www.gasc.org
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 18-20 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. With worldwide attendance, GOA is a unique international event that attracts thousands of printers, designers, and creative professionals from over 80 countries, with concentration on North, South, Central America and the Caribbean.
www.goaexpo.com
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’s website and blog are 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
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; the logo is a simple, nationally recognized symbol that communicates a commitment to renewable energy.
www.green-e.org
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, continuous research, and timely new product development.
www.hlpklearfold.com
For more than 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 including App.typography, a simple font licensing solution for digital publishers. It enables publishers, developers and designers to use popular Hoefler & Co. fonts to publish apps, digital publications, eBooks, and more. An App.typography subscription covers all the fonts you’ve purchased for your computer, and all the fonts that you buy in the future. This extends to the entire library of more than 1,100 styles, including the sixteen families of ScreenSmart fonts specially designed for the screen.
www.typography.com
HOW Design Live, recently acquired by Emerald Expositions, is the largest graphic design conference and expo in the nation, combining five separate conferences into a single event focused on creativity, business and inspiration for designers. The 2016 conference and trade show, scheduled for Atlanta on May 19-23, includes the traditional HOW Design Conference plus programs in In-House Management, Vision & Leadership, Branding & Packaging, Creative Entrepreneur, and Interactive Design. Gary Lynch, former vice president/community leader for the HOW Media Brands, has been named vice president of Emerald Expositions. “I expect Emerald’s acquisition of the HOW Design Events to benefit the graphic design market enormously,” Lynch said.
www.howdesignlive.com
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. As Joe Edwards, Vice President of Sales, explains: “Our goal is to provide a simple method for you to order quality printed products and services, quickly and cost effectively. We realize your time is valuable, and your expectations for quality are high.” 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.
www.imagers.com
Creative Publishing Network is a global community of designers and publishers that hosts a series of events. Perhaps the best known is the InDesign Conference, produced by InDesign experts David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepción, and dedicated to providing a great learning experience. The InDesign Conference brings together leading experts in InDesign, DPS, EPUB, and PDF for three days of inspiration and education. Next up: the 2016 Indesign Conference on November 7–9 in Washington DC. Other 2016 events on the CPN schedule include PePcon on June 5-8 in San Diego CA and the Photoshop Conference July 11-13 in Minneapolis MN.
www.indesignconference.com
www.cpn.co
Ingram Publishing, based in London, is a top-flight provider of European content. Images are available by subscription, DVD/CD or singly online. Working with professional photographers throughout the world, Ingram has created a unique resource with hundreds of thousands of royalty free images. Additionally, it offers royalty free vector art, fonts, clip art, logos and vehicle outlines. Ingram’s Ingimage.com, the firm’s subscription service, reflects this heritage. Ingimage provides nearly 3 million carefully edited professional royalty free images, vector graphics and stock videos. Ingram’s photographers work to high production values and each shoot is professionally curated.
www.ingimage.com
inMotion gives creative teams the tools they need to ease the launch of new projects, solve visibility and accountability issues during project execution, end the chase for approvals, and surface actionable insights. Its inMotion creative work management application is used by teams at Verizon, Staples, Pep Boys, and more. With inMotion, teams can automate administrative tasks that typically distract creatives from doing the work they love.
www.inmotionnow.com
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 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. GDUSA is a Global Partner and Creative Director Ilana Greenberg recently addressed the group about “designing for designers.”
www.in-source.org
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 Super Smooth, an opaque for designers that “that redefines smooth.” 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
www.AccentAGame.com
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 intellectual property rights or violate any right of privacy or publicity.
www.istock.com
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 locations in Manhattan and Northvale NJ. (“JAM” stands for Janet, Andrew and Michael Jacobs, a tight-knit family who heads 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. Named The Village Voice’s “Best Stationery Store (2015)” JAM manufactures a large percentage of the products that they carry in order to ensure the highest quality product.
www.jampaper.com
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
Recently emerged out of bankruptcy, Kodak positions itself as a technology company focused on imaging. It provides – directly and through partnerships with other innovative companies – hardware, software, consumables and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, electronic displays, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer products markets. States the company: “With our world-class R&D capabilities, innovative solutions portfolio and highly trusted brand, Kodak is helping customers around the globe to sustainably grow their own businesses and enjoy their lives.”
www.kodak.com
living4media is a premium image agency specializing in home and living. The fast-growing collection brings together images and features on the themes of homes, gardens, furnishing and lifestyle. The substantial collection includes both single images (rights-managed and royalty-free) and ready-to-use features on a range of related themes: Interiors – home, furnishing, design, style, period décor and colors; Decorating – ideas for interiors and exteriors, crafts, fabrics, flowers and materials; Do-it-Yourself – renovation, restoration and home improvement; Gardens & Outdoor – architecture, furniture, flowers, patios, balconies, borders and plants; and Lifestyle – health and well-being, beauty and mood.
www.living4media.com
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 worldwide. The site highlights new additions, subscription offers, and a free image of the week.
www.masterfile.com
This “designer’s friend” is a full service online printer with 35 years of printing experience. As the company states: “We’re here to help you put what’s in your head on paper. We do things a little differently than most. You see, we’re not an online printer. We’re a printer that is now online. And we’ve taken the same philosophy to the web that we’ve had in our shop for 35 years.” This includes, among other virtues, an emphasis on personal service, no rush service fees, lots of paper choices, both digital and offset capabilities, flexibility on types of files, and “professionalism with a smile.”
www.mingopress.com
Mohawk is North America’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of fine papers and envelopes which are preferred for commercial and digital printing, photo specialties and high-end direct mail. Mohawk fine papers and envelopes include the signature brands Mohawk Superfine® and Strathmore®, as well as proprietary treatments Inxwell® and i-Tone®. (Superfine is celebrating its 70th anniversary!) 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. Mohawk’s portfolio of recycled papers is certified by Green Seal and FSC. Mohawk is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business based in Cohoes NY with global sales and operations worldwide. The award-winning Mohawk Maker Quarterly honors the creative industry and the maker community, and brings the power and pleasures of print and paper to a new generation.
www.mohawkconnects.com
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 and a favorite of art directors and graphic designers worldwide, Monotype provides customers worldwide with typeface solutions for a broad range of creative applications and consumer devices. Their fonts and technologies are designed to enable creative expression and give brands a distinct global voice. The company is “behind the text you read in newspapers and books, in the apps on your phone, in the websites you browse, on the dashboard you scan, on the goods you buy, and in the games you play. We bring the world’s words to the page and the screen.” Monotype has a library of over 20,000 typefaces, the product of celebrated and gifted type designers including famous and widely-used fonts, such as the Helvetica®, Univers® and Fruitger® typeface families, as well as innovative and experimental fonts from the newest type talent. Monotype is a leader in pushing out against the boundaries of type and technology.
www.monotype.com
This online print and design company is passionate about great design and the difference it can make. Founded in 2006, MOO prints millions of cards a month and has hundreds of thousands of customers in over 200 countries. 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 Printfinity technology. MOO offers tools for professionals to upload their designs as well as a reseller program for designers looking to purchase products on behalf of customers.
www.us.moo.com
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 firm crafts GDUSA stationery and the Award Certificates for several GDUSA’s competitions, and has been a winner in the competition as well.
www.mpressllc.com
At My1Stop.com, the goal is 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. 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 solutions and more.
www.My1Stop.com
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
Neenah is a world-class manufacturer of premium writing, text, cover, specialty and private watermark papers. Neenah is 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. 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 colors, finishes and styles. Neenah Packaging provides unique and sustainable packaging papers and custom solutions for premium packaging. Its range of colors and textures — for bags, box wraps, gift cards, gift card carriers, hangtags, labels, folding board and fragrance strips — inspire visually and create a high touch tactile connection. The recent acquisition of FiberMark vastly increase its capabilities in this arena.
www.neenahpaper.com
www.neenahpackaging.com
Offset is a curated collection of engaging imagery from top artists and storytellers around the world. Conceived and developed by the people at Shutterstock, “Offset is authentic, premium licensable imagery, curated from artists all over the world. Born out of conversation with creatives who wanted a boutique source for licensable imagery built just for them, Offset combines a hand-selected and discerning approach with simple pricing and royalty-free licensing. It’s a truly unique collection offering images you want to use, at prices that allow you to do exactly that.” Sourced from a broad range of categories, Offset has 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
OBD is a national professional organization of interior, industrial, architectural, fashion and graphic designers dedicated to promoting the visibility, empowerment, education and interaction of its membership and the understanding and value that diverse design perspectives contribute to world culture and commerce. OBD Founder and Chairman David Rice says: “The mission of the Organization of Black Designers is to enhance and improve the totality of the American design professions by energizing them with creative diversity.” A current initiative: an Indiegogo campaign for scholarships and design school visits.
www.obd.org
Pantone 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. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers. The company recently declared Pantone 15-3919 Serenity and Pantone 13-1520 Rose Quartz as the (combination) Pantone Color of the Year selection for 2016. Pantone LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, a global leader in scient and technology.
www.pantone.com
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 including several levels of annual subscriptions, and low-priced individual image purchases The library is refreshed with up to 50,000 new images per month. Customer retention and loyalty is extremely high.
www.photospin.com
Founded in Denver in 1981, Quark’s vision was to create software that would lay the foundation for modern publishing. For over 30 years, Quark has striven to deliver on that promise, with intermittent success that has both riveted and confused the creative community. This year, the company released QuarkXPress 2015, the newest version of QuarkXPress that features fast 64-bit architecture, industry-verified PDF/X-4 output, fixed layout interactive (app-like) eBook production, the top most user- requested features, and more. Unlike many design suites, QuarkXPress is sold as a perpetual license.
www.quark.com
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 wood products 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.
www.rainforest-alliance.org
Red Paper Plane is a division of Structural Graphics, LLC, a dimensional direct mail company with over 35 years experience working with the Who’s Who of marketers. Structural Graphics has created close to 40,000 designs for clients in almost every industry and holds many U.S. Patents for these mechanisms. A passionate group that loves to create and deliver experiences that surprise and delight, there is no other company in the world that has the depth of creative resources and paper engineers. Red Paper Plane is the result of an extensive development effort that provides clients with an easy and intuitive way to design the high-impact formats online. Designers can customize direct mail formats with the client’s logo, photos and text using this online design tool in a fraction of the time it used to take to place art to offline templates.Among the formats available are the 4.25” Pop Up Cube, 3” Pop Up Cube, Telescoping Slider, The Flapper®, Pop Up House, The Extendo®, The Exploding Page and Polygon.
www.redpaperplane.com
www.structuralgraphics.com
Headquartered in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Rolland is the market leader in the production of specialty uncoated fine papers with the highest standards for environmental sustainability. Founded in 1882, Rolland recently became independent after 22 years as part of Cascades. The company produces fine papers with biogas energy and up to 100% recycled content for many sectors including the commercial, office, government and education markets. Rolland’s facilities include the Rolland Mill and Converting Center in Saint-Jérôme, deinking facilities, Breakeyville Fibers in Breakeyville, Quebec and a sister mill Fox River Fiber in De Pere WI. The Rolland Enviro family is of particular note to the design community and includes Rolland Enviro Print, Rolland Enviro Copy, Rolland Enviro Satin, Rolland Enviro Jet and Rolland Enviro Book. GDUSA’s September/ October 2015 edition, featuring the annual “Sustainable Design” report, was printed on Rolland Enviro Satin, 60 lb. Text, which features a very smooth satin finish and excellent foldability for annual reports, promotions, and all documents requiring color and detail.
www.rollandinc.com
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston and a subsidiary of global pulp and paper group Sappi Limited, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated Printing Papers, Specialised Cellulose, Release Papers and Specialty Packaging – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Of perennial interest to designers: the high quality Coated Printing Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, which serve as a key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. As a preeminent paper maker, Sappi has been proactive in reminding marketers, designers and printers about the power of paper to touch and connect with customers. A fascinating study — “A Communicators Guide to the Neuroscience of Touch” — is available from Sappi.
www.sappi.com/na
www.sappi.com/haptics
This new boutique photo agency has just opened its doors to the professional stock photography market. The collection introduces an exclusive portfolio of European beauty photography. Emerging from assigned productions of a variety of premium European publishers, the collection presents distinctive images with a focus on professional beauty photography. At the start, the offering includes around 100,000 rights-managed images. The collection also showcases the work of selected individual high-end photographers. Managing Director Martin Skultety states that “all our models are distinctive professionals with a strong character and an authentic, recognizable personality.”
www.seasons.agency
Society for Experiential Graphic Design is a global, multidisciplinary community of professionals who plan, design, and build experiences that connect people to place. This includes 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. The membership includes over 1,700 members in more than 20 countries. The organization was formerly known as the Society of Environmental Design but changed its name to reflect the blurring of lines between reality and virtual reality.
www.segd.org
Shutterstock is a leading 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, Shutterstock adds hundreds of thousands of images a month, and currently has roughly 70 million stock photos, vectors, videos and music tracks 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, and Offset, a high-end image collections. 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. And creatives can now search for images anywhere using Shutterstock’s award-winning iPad, iPhone, and Android apps.
www.shutterstock.com
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 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
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 thousands of 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. StockFood belongs to the corporate group CulinArts Holding, which bundles several media companies with the focus on food and lifestyle.
www.stockfood.com
Stocksy is home to a curated collection of royalty-free stock photography that is “beautiful, distinctive and highly usable.” Because every photo is vetted, every shot has earned a place. “So,” say the principals, “no filler, no cheesy poses … and no more hours of searching for the right image.” The company is committed to its photographers: the majority of revenues reach each photographers’ pockets – 50% of standard license, 75% of extended licenses – and every single Stocksy contributor receives a share of the company. Headquarters are in historic Market Square, in the heart of downtown Victoria BC.
www.stocksy.com
StockUnlimited is a subscription-based website that provides subscribers with unlimited downloads of stock graphics, stock images, icons, buttons, backgrounds, textures and much more. The company adds thousands of new and fresh files and states that its “mission is to help you communicate beautifully without breaking your budget.” The simple license model: for one low monthly fee, users can download and use as much content as they wish in virtually any project. www.stockunlimited.com
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 and asking for the SFI label for their paper and packaging projects. Across the United States and Canada, more than 250 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 is also a leader in supporting research to improve forest health, productivity, conservation understanding, and sustainable management of forest resources; more than $1.5 billion has been invested since 1995. The organization is governed by by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally.
www.sfiprogram.org
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.
www.tricorbraun.com
This independent, non-profit organization was created to provide members of the graphic communications supply chain as 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 these products. Companies behind Two Sides represent the forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, prepress, press, finishing, publishing and printing industries. An important role is to 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
The Type Directors Club supports excellence in typography, both in print and on screen. Founded in 1946 by 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. It holds two yearly competitions and its educational efforts have always been an important part of the Club’s mission. The TDC is a physical meeting place and a strong professional affiliation.
tdc.org
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, and its known for its growth and ingenuity. Corporate brands and divisions today include Univenture (world leader in disc packaging), EnvyPak (creative solutions for direct mail), PackZen (America’s #1 clear envelope manufacturer), and PackZen (binders, cases, pouches, pockets and pages).
www.univenture.com
www.packzen.com
www.envypack.com
The University & College Designers Association inspires designers working in academia 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 was founded in 1970 and, over the years, has grown to an organization comprised of more than 1000 members throughout the U.S. and Canada. 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.
ucda.com
The User Experience Professionals Association supports people who research, design, and evaluate the user experience of products and services. The Association, established in 1991, holds yearly international conferences, publishes findings through a journal and a magazine, and has 50 chapters around the world. User experience professionals may do a broad range of work from interviews and observations to creating wireframes for a product or service. Backgrounds and emphasis are varied, but all members focus on the user, while taking into account the needs of the business and the constraints they must work in.
www.uxpa.org
Veritiv Corporation, with corporate offices in Atlanta and Loveland OH is a North American leader in business-to-business distribution solutions. A little over a year ago, xpedx merged with fellow distributor Unisource Worldwide to create one company named Veritiv. The new organization helps businesses across the globe increase productivity and efficiency. Packaging, Paper and Print, Facility Solutions, Publishing, Print Management and Supply Chain solutions span the entire lifecycle of business operations so these goals can be achieved. Shaping success and delivering excellence to each and every customer is what Veritiv strives to do every day. For graphic designers, Veritiv spotlights the flagship Endurance® family of papers which deliver high quality and reliability without compromise. This includes: Endurance Printing Papers, which offer a double-coated, smooth surface, have the exceptional brightness level, and are COC certified by the FSC; and Endurance Digital, papers which perform consistently under the rigorous demands and unique technical challenges of digital printing processes. All Endurance branded products are available nationally and delivered locally from an extensive network of distribution centers.
www.veritivcorp.com
www.enduranceforprint.com
Verso Corporation, headquartered in Memphis TN, is a leading North American producer of Printing Papers, Specialty Papers and Pulp. Verso offer high quality printing papers with a broad selection of certified and recycled options for all types of printing applications, including commercial printing, media and marketing applications. For specialty papers, the company understands that paper performance and shelf appeal go hand-in-hand, and our wide range of specialty products are designed for high performance in demanding flexible packaging, technical and label and converting applications. With paper mills strategically located near top industry printers and converters across North America, products are available when customers need them, an customer support, on-press technical service and innovative product and service solutions ares strong. Distinguished sheetfed, digital and web brands include Sterling®, Productolith® Pts., Anthem Plus®, Futura®, Blazer Digital®, Influence®, Liberty®, Balance™, Focus™, Voyager® and Superior Gloss®. Verso is perennially sponsor of GDUSA’s Annual Print and Paper reader survey and of the American Graphic Design Awards issue.
www.versoco.com
VideoBlocks offers a one-stop shop for stock video. It is the only 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. GraphicStock, launched in 2013, takes the unique subscription model and applies it to the web and graphic design world and “is truly the front end designers best friend.” The site currently offers more than 250,000 graphics, vectors, icons, images, info graphics and more. The newest member of the family is AudioBlocks, with 100,000-plus music tracks, sound effects and loops. VideoBlocks is regular named to “fastest growing media company” lists.
www.videoblocks.com
graphicstock.com
audioblocks.com
Visual Connections organizes the only events of their kind in the U.S. that bring together buyers and suppliers of photography, illustration and footage. These are intimate affairs, offering an opportunity for buyers to discover new sources of visual media, learn about the business of licensing and using visual media, and networking with people who matter. Working closely with Workbook, Visual Connections now attracts artist reps and production companies, becoming the meeting place for all visual creatives from stock users on a budget to high end producers. Entry is free but restricted to professional media buyers and researchers. Visual Connections also offers an online directory of visual media suppliers. The team behind Visual Connections comprises Deborah Free and Edward Leigh, both with over 20 years in the industry. The 2016 expos will be in Chicago at the Ivy Room at Tree Studios on May 5, and in New York at the Metropolitan Pavilion on October 27.
www.visualconnections.com
Founded in 1983, Wacom 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 digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs around the world and provides business and home users with the leading interface technology to express their personality. Wacom, based in Japan, also supports designers and creators by organizing/participating in various activities to nurture new talents.
www.wacom.com
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. Services include graphic and structural design, 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
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. Centralized, managed and transactional print services are included in the list, hearkening back a bit to the company’s roots.
www.xerox.com
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. Today, YUPO Synthetic Paper is 100% recyclable, waterproof and tree-free, with attributes and properties that make it the perfect solution for a variety of marketing, design, packaging and labeling needs. YUPO’s unique characteristics make it especially suitable for a wide range of printed applications including maps, posters, pamphlets, catalogs, manuals, labels, banners, and point-of-sale materials. 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 creatives are the Wally Awards, a unique design competition for work printed on YUPO products that is currently open for entries; among other recognition, winners will be featured in an article in GDUSA during 2016. Check out the creative and innovative uses of YUPO among past winners displayed on the website.
www.yupousa.com
yupousa.com/wally-awards