By Erin Judge, managing editor, PostPress
When most people think of an envelope, they picture a standard #10 envelope – white, plain and unremarkable. At Parkland Direct in Forest, Virginia, however, envelopes are anything but ordinary. The company’s portfolio showcases eye-catching designs, specialty finishes and innovative applications that transform simple mail pieces into powerful marketing tools.
Each month, Parkland Direct develops a “Creative Mailer” – a new envelope concept designed to inspire its clients and highlight some of the innovative things that can be done with direct mail. Its Scented Wallet Creative Mailer recently was awarded Gold for “Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Direct Mail” at FSEA’s 33rd annual Gold Leaf Awards.
The custom design was inspired by the look and feel of a traditional leather wallet and combines the appearance and tactile qualities of a wallet with a distinctive scent, transforming a familiar everyday object into an engaging direct mail experience.
“For this piece, we wanted to create an envelope that did more than simply resemble a wallet,” said Stephen White, chief marketing officer for Parkland Direct. “Our goal was to deliver a complete sensory experience that would immediately capture the recipient’s attention and remain memorable long after it was opened.”
Printed offset four-color process on Sappi 100# Opus Matte Text, the envelope incorporates several different embellishment techniques to appropriately capture the appearance and texture of the wallet: UV spot gloss coating, trailing edge diecut (TED-C) and registered multi-level emboss in conjunction with a leather emboss texture, created using dies from H+M. Unlike a conventionally shaped envelope, the TED-C allows the diecut profile to extend beyond the edge of the envelope, making the physical shape an integral part of the final product.
To further elevate the envelope, Parkland Direct partnered with Scentisphere to add a genuine leather scent to the piece with a scented varnish. The envelope then was folded on a W+D envelope converter.
A coated stock was chosen to maximize the effects of the various embellishment elements. When using scented varnishes, coated stocks allow the varnish to sit on the surface of the sheet rather than being absorbed into the paper, which helps the scent remain stronger and more effective.
“Our goal was to create a memorable, multi-sensory experience,” said White. “We wanted to demonstrate how thoughtful structural design, tactile embellishments and scent could work together to create something that felt like more than just another mail piece.”
To create the look and feel of an authentic leather wallet, careful attention was paid to file preparation so the artwork, coating effects, scented varnish and embossed details aligned precisely. Equal attention was given to the embossing die files, which were carefully engineered to reproduce every detail with exceptional accuracy.
“Taking the time to work through those details during the design and prepress stages helped everything run smoothly once the piece reached production,” commented White.
Designing a piece to impress Parkland Direct’s customers – many of whom are creative professionals themselves – is no easy task. Yet, according to White, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“Embellishments open up tremendous creative possibilities,” said White. “By bringing different techniques together in a cohesive way, we are able to elevate the overall design and create something distinctive and memorable.”
For more information, visit www.parklanddirect.com.