Utilising their Xanita brand for both the main structure and podium tables, which is a sustainably engineered fibreboard made from recycled used cardboard boxes, the exhibition design makes bold use of this strong, ultra lightweight board to promote the creative potential of this highly versatile material. To work alongside this and visually punctuate the ‘Discover More’ communication strategy developed by Design Project to reinforce the scope of their packaging materials and services, key statements were digitally printed directly on to Antalis products, including Keaykolour and Eska, to further showcase production quality and suitability.

The theme of the exhibition graphic design is based around the Antalis ‘Paper Marque’ – an historic logo used to humanise their branding and help story-tell their services and materials portfolio. Originally used as a secondary endorsement by only their European operations, Design Project refined and revitalised the marque, creating a dynamic, visual language to support this. Taking the Paper Marque as a central focus for the exhibition, Design Project developed a free-standing geometric structure around it which featured colourful boxes pushed through apertures – and all made entirely from cardboard and paper.

Designing an exhibition located in a space which is accessible on all sides can be problematic, but the paper structure delivers a highly accessible solution. It incorporates apertures that offer clear sight lines through the stand, therefore encouraging investigation by attendees from virtually every angle, highlighting details of design, structure and materiality at every point.

To work alongside the exhibition graphics, Design Project developed promotional items to be given away at the event to highlight creative use of materials from the Antalis portfolio which includes over 10,500 substrates. A business card design produced on a range of Keaykolour shades uses an angular tuck-in tab to accentuate the names of Antalis team members. This format reinvents the standard business card approach to interactively encourage unfolding of the card. The promotional leaflet design also produced on Keaykolour, features a laser-cut paper effect on the cover – to highlight colour and surface interplay – and a folded pop-up page inside, which when opened expands in size to reveal key messages about Antalis products and services.

To carry promotional collateral given away by Antalis on the stand and to creatively showcase flute board (one of their most widely used packaging materials) Design Project developed a unique crash-bottom custom carrier bag that was lined in luxurious black Keaykolour paper and strung with a rope handle. Supplied flat-packed to easily store on the stand, and quickly self-assembled as required, the bags folded up to create a unique 3-dimensional carrier bag prominently featuring the Paper Marque logo.

To promote the Antalis stand at the show, Design Project developed advertising and a content strategy for social media using different interpretations of the the paper marque which were brought to life as graphic animations to highlight key messages about the exhibition.

Design Project worked closely in partnership with the build and production team at Antalis to realise the exhibition design. Highlighting a number of materials from their portfolio and creating visual impact by using them in innovative and creative ways was a key part of the brief. The approach to the exhibition taken by Design Project grabbed attention and inspired industry professionals to explore and discover more about their range of environmental services and packaging materials offered by Antalis at this high-profile showcase event.