Packaging is one of my favorite places that design lives. When I was little, I would study every inch of my cereal boxes before school. At the bottom of the box I found all those weird symbols and colors… what is that stuff!? When clients asked AntiDesigns to help create custom screen printed packaging I jumped at the opportunity.
Sometime around 2013/4, word had gotten out that we were a reliable studio for non-standard screen printing projects. The majority of commercial screen printers work on volume. They want to keep their presses running as much as possible. Producing a set of custom packaging requires a lot of problem solving, especially when the material is going to be folded together post-production.
In 2013, we moved into a large studio space in South Boston. It was our third move in four years. Our previous studios were both way too small but they were all we could afford. As a result, our studio setup was completely modular and everything could be broken down and tucked away while it wasn’t being used.
Custom screen printed packaging for Labyrinth Audio
When we got to the big studio we kept that mindset, and when clients starting asking for custom screen printed packaging it was just another problem to solve. Our first challenge was creating packaging for Labyrinth Audio and their Thick Witch effect pedal. The design was championed by our friend Adam of iamfrank.co. Adam and I went back and forth on what was doable and what would be problematic, with the main concern being the inconsistencies of the perforations, and we came up with a printable solution that turned out really great.
Screen printed pizza boxes
Our next challenge came from our friends at Blanc Agency. They wanted us to create some custom screen printed packaging for a set of pizza boxes. The blank materials were similar to what we created for Labyrinth Audio but the print was much, much bigger. Finding a spot to dry all those boxes was problematic so we ended up throwing them through the conveyor dryer. Turns out, the smell of pizza has a lot to do with the hot cardboard! Our whole studio smelled like pizza just from cooking the boxes, it was weird. Anyways, here’s the photos from that project and a little video to show the scale of the print.
Screen printing the Trinary System EP
Fast forward to 2016 and we were just about to get kicked out of that big studio space. The landlord presented us with a new lease agreement that would effectively double our rent and when we tried to negotiate we were served an eviction notice. Things were beyond crazy at that time but we still managed to finish up projects and find ourselves a new home. A talented designer named Joanne Kaliontzis reached out about printing on some gatefold ep jackets from spblanks. Anytime we get to use overlapping transparent colors on a client project is a treat! The design she created is probably one of my favorite things we printed that year.
If you are interested in creating some custom screen printed packaging for you or your client, please feel free to reach out.
