Fedrigoni has produced a 2024 calendar that combines the work of over 700 designers with generative design variation tools to produce some two million unique and colourful designs, printed on HP Indigo presses by FE Burman.
Entitled Fedrigoni 366, to mark the 2024 leap year, the calendar was produced in collaboration with design studio TM (TsevdosMcNeil) and a generative design created by creative coder and designer Oswin Tickler using HP Spark software. While previous Fedrigoni calendars have drawn on UK creative talent, for this edition a hand-picked group of international designers was also invited to participate, broadening the project’s reach. In total, 731 designers were involved.
Assigned one of two colour palettes – orange or green – the designers were invited to consider how shuffling a range of colours could influence their design. They could use the full palette of 10 colours, or a subset of it. Used for the first time at this scale, the HP Mosaic tool applied algorithms to randomly shuffle the chosen colours within each design to make different combinations in each book. In addition, a generative code was used to randomly shuffle colours in every other part of the book, from the jacket to the inner divider pages, so that no ‘common page’ colours are the same from one book to another either. These designs were printed on a range of specially treated white papers from Fedrigoni’s Digital for HP Indigo collection. The images were printed on Sirio Ultra Black in white and one special colour, and tipped in by hand to each copy.
Danny McNeil, creative director at TM said, ‘There is something really special about the link between all the designs this year. The restrictions around colour mean that there is a consistent visual thread that runs through all entries.’
Ade Onabanjo, director, FE Burman, commented, ‘FE Burman are delighted to have been involved in this boundary-breaking production. The complexity of handling over two million files speaks for itself, but more broadly it demonstrates the ability of the industry, to harness both design skills and the latest algorithmic software, collaboratively to produce innovative, imaginative products.’
On the printing technology and partnership, Andy Pike, EMEA marketing manager, HP Industrial, said, ‘This project always seeks to push the boundaries of what is possible in print. This year’s calendar has done that and more. Combining HP’s SmartSteam designer software and our HP 4Indigo Digital Printing technology every page of every calendar is completely unique.’
A limited number of editions of Fedrigoni 366 can be purchased from Counter Print. Profits from sales this year will be donated to Save The Children.
