The Solutions Awards celebrates seven years
Solutions Awards
The first Solutions Awards was held in November 2014, making this year’s awards initiative the seventh. In that time, we have celebrated many companies, of all different sizes, from one man bands to multinationals, and across print, design, and even the brands themselves.
We have seen deliciously beautiful print and design, reflected on great customer service and environmental strategies, and enjoyed welcoming the Brief Cases university students to accept their awards too.
Each year, The Solutions Awards has a theme, which always causes some fun – and a few special outfits. Yet, each theme is carefully chosen as a reflection of the positives within our industry.
2014
It’s big, it’s brilliant, it’s beautiful. It’s dazzling! It’s spectacular! It’s magnificent! It’s full of ideas and inspiration. That was the thinking behind the awards and that is what print is! We wanted to remind everyone that print is brilliant and beautiful and provide a real celebration of an incredible industry.
A spectacular show was promised and London’s number one venue was chosen – the Café de Paris – which has become the much loved home of The Solutions Awards over the years. The Café did not fail to impress and the scene was set for an awards like no other. Guests on the day made comments such as: ‘the best awards I have even been too’, ‘It was spectacular and so innovative’, ‘simply how all awards should be done’, a ‘great event with a hint of quirkiness’, and ‘an incredible, exciting, creative, and rewarding awards event.’
We have built on that success year on year.
2015
For 2014 we went a little retro with a Gatzby theme. It was about glitz and glamour and showing that print is not a commodity, but a truly world leading product, and that through clever innovation you could elevate a day to day product through the packaging,, print, design and finishing. You could make everyone feel like a superstar even when they were buying their toothpaste or presenting a business card.
2016
We went all out in 2016 (or so we thought at the time) with a Wonderland theme – magic, mystical, marvellous adventure…
All about the wonderland of print, this theme highlighted t all the good creatures who come together once a year to celebrate all that is fantastic, incredible, excellent, and marvellous in the world of print.
This magical wonderland of print brought together the green woodland creatures, the delicate paper fairies, the strong offset print giants, the dynamic digital wizards, the clever finishing elves, and the creative design pixies to show how dazzling print on paper could be.
2017
We shot soundly into the future for 2017, with a Star Wars meets Star Trek meets sci-fi theme.
Print. The final frontier.
These were the voyages of the starship Solutions Awards. Its on-going mission: to explore strange new techniques, to seek out innovation and new ideas. To boldly go where no awards has gone before, The Solutions Awards 2017 showcased a galaxy of stars that shined brighter than the sun.
It was an unrivalled chance to promote print inside and outside the industry, and even as far away as Alpha Centauri.
2018
Fantasy provided the 2018 theme – and if we thought we had entertained and amazed before, we topped it once again this year. Winner is coming!
Attributes needed: skill, wisdom, strength, dexterity, charisma, creativity, constitution, intelligence.
Fantasy is about taking first steps on new adventures and being unafraid to be a pioneer – perhaps where others have feared to tread.
It is about completing quests and solving riddles that others cannot. It is about getting the best everyday from everything you do, so that you overcome objections or obstacles and ‘conquer’ the issues that make other fail.
It is about problem solving, coming up with creative solutions, always endeavouring to be valiant and ethical, and about showcasing the highest levels of quality and innovation in the grand wide world of the graphic arts. Wielding the mighty power of design, print, finishing...if you like!
One Awards to rule them all, One Awards to find them, One Awards to bring them all and in good business bind them.
2019
It was dark and dreadful! Not really! Yes, it a mystery, but it was, of course, about ‘solutions’ – deciphering what the customer needs, tracking down ideas and options, unravelling issues, providing cracking results, and ultimately solving a customer problem.
It was film noir crossed with Cluedo, Mystery at the Manor crossed with old time PIs. It featured the story of Hickey Plotter and the Halftone Prints, and lead us all on a journey to unveil not only Hickey, but the best projects in the industry.
2020
What can I say about 2020! A year for many of us, like no other. Extraordinary.
So much has been disrupted and we are living through unprecedented times. The way we work has changed – at least for the short term – and some things will never go back to the way they were before.
So many events have been cancelled, postponed or simply disappeared, but we didn’t want that to happen to The Solutions Awards, as we love it – and we know many of you do too.
Having spoken to a range of people in the industry, this year has thrown up many challenges: companies have changed what they have been designing and printing due to the pandemic and have been producing more commodity type products – even making PPE, others have had to minimise their hours or shut completely, whilst others have been fortunate to continue ‘as usual’, but entering awards is the last thing on their minds at this time.
With so many complications in the business environment already, we felt that to ask for new entries this year would not be appropriate, so we decided to hold a very special awards celebrating ‘the best of the best’.
From our catalogue of incredible entries from over the last seven years the best have been chosen, along with some new projects for 2020. And, we think you will agree, they are great examples of creative print, design and paper use.
