Study Visit

Today me and becky went to two different companies that produced their own wallpapers, firstly we visited The Surface Print Company which was very similar to Anstey. They produced wallpapers in a number of different ways like Anstey for clients such as Romo, Nina Campbell, Cole and Sons and many more. It was another great experience to see how they worked and compare their factory and way of working to Anstey because it was very similar, The Surface Print Company did not produce digital wallpaper prints however they produced different wallpapers with techniques on which Anstey never, for example, flocking and grit. After our tour of the factory and learning bait about the history of the company and how it is a family business we then were given samples of each wallpaper techniques and also samples of the plain wallpapers before they are printed on which was good to see the different textures, surfaces and weights of papers. Then we were shown a number of different pattern books from companies such as Romo, Swarovski, Pip studios and loads more which we had a good browse through to look at pattern placement and also techniques and colours used.

After visiting The Surface Print Company we then visited Graham and Brown which is another wallpaper company. However is was very different from any of the other companies as it had an in house design team which produced all their own collections for Graham and Brown which i thought was excellent as well as having designers and customers wanting their own designs and working with them to provide that service they also have their own collections. Firstly we got taken into a huge design room, it had loads of colourful mood boards, trends, wallpaper examples, lighting products and many more spin off products on show to give inspiration to the designers. We then met a lady called Paula who told us a bit about the company and what she did. She also asked us questions about what we wanted out of the day and what we was looking to find out, and where we came from and what we were studying, she then introduced us to the team in the design studio, some who just work on the computer and some who just work drawing and painting - i thought it was great that they wasn't restricted in what they wanted to do and that they were allowed to design in the way they felt they were best at. It was great to speak to different people and what roles they had or see what they was working on, it helped us gain an understanding of how a design studio works and how you are part of a team but also have individual roles to work on.

We then met Julian who then showed us around the proofing area, this was where they then taken designs and made it achievable to print as wallpaper, they had individuals who would specifically work on separating the art work ready for manufacture. Julian showed us around where they separate the design and create acetate sheets for each individual part of the design or each individual colour. He explained about creating the screens which was good to know and also about different mesh's i didn't know that you could get different size mesh to create a different texture or look to a design. They have from 15 to 180 holes per square cm to allow different amounts of ink through the screen - which was good to learn! We then also got shown where they create their samples on flat bed, Julian did an example of a design being printed to help us understand the process. Each sample they produce is recorded in every detail. The screen is attached securely into place and locked into position so it doesn't move. Then the squeegee was locked into a certain angle and applied with certain pressure which is all measured and recorded so that if the sample is successful they then have all the correct measurements and information to produce it again. He also showed us a flood coater which is a guard for the ink which goes into place just in front of the squeegee, this allows to spread the ink evenly by a 2mm film so it is equal throughout the sample. Then the paper is held down by a vacuum so it doesnt move as the machine prints the design on to it.

He then showed us how it is dried through the oven and mentioned that every machine they had in the proofing room were set to exactly the same in the factory so they get exactly the same outcome when it is produced. Then we got shown the light box where all the wallpaper was tested under different lights, Daylight, Household lights, Retail lighting and also UV lighting, he showed us examples of wallpapers that hadn't been colour mixed correctly and how they both looked different in certain lights because there where non adatives in the inks! All these things you wouldnt even consider knowing in my position to create wallpaper for my degree never mind considering them to develop so it was great to learn and understand this.

Throughout our tour i started to learn and notice that Graham and Brown were very big on quality and producing only the best in the best way which i thought was great! The amount of recording and colour mixing and measurements in place so everything runs smoothly really showed in every stage of the tour. The things that where recorded where, paper and weight of paper, weight of ink, screen mesh size, pressure of squeegee and angle, machine processes and temperatures, design structure, colours mixed for the inks, and I'm sure probably a few more that i missed! They even measure the time that the light bulbs have been switched on for in the light box so when they reach a certain amount of hours they are both changed in the proofing room and in the factory in order to achieve the best quality - to me that is great dedication and proof to show how much they put into their wallpapers.

We then got shown the colour mixing room, where there were a great talented team on board in order to achieve the best colours and inks, they used water based dyes and solvent based dyes. Julian told us that Graham and Brown invest a lot of money into colour management and know that it is a vital part of the design process to achieve the right colour. In all factories i have visited i haven't seem this much enthusiasm and work put into or talked about with as much importance as Graham and Brown did. 

We then were taken round a tour of the factory where all the high tech machines produced the designs onto wallpaper in different ways. The machines they use were those very similar to the others which there bound to be, only Graham and brown seem to produce much more wallpaper more quickly than the others, Julian explained and showed us that they had things waiting in line to be used for example one machine had two rollers in, one which was in the process of printing and the other was waiting to print the next design which was going to be printed after. Also rolls of paper at the end waiting to be loaded straight after the paper runs out so it can just carry on with the next design. This enables them not to turn of the machine and wash inks and screens etc before they produce the next batch which i hadnt seen in any other factory.

We then got shown to where the wallpaper is packaged and boxed and loaded into the lorry, it was great to see the start of a design and then the final design and how it goes through sampling and then the whole process of manufacturing to being loaded ready for shipping. As this helped us gain a better understanding of the whole process it goes through. Julian also showed us a room in which a further training took place, he told us that they work in conjunction with UCLAN to run extra courses weather it be at night, on your dinner, or in the day so you can take your career further which i thought was an excellent opportunity for staff in order to develop their knowledge and education.

Julian also showed us to their Gallery, where they also produce wall art, in the area they also have rooms in which they show clients round to see what they like or to feed ideas. Julian also showed us how Graham and Brown help with the marketing side of the business which i though it was great! its one thing if you have a great design or collection but it you don't know how to advertise and market yourself or company it will get you no where. I thought it was great that they also incorporate this in their company as it is a very important part of the process.

It was a great day and i learnt a lot about the company and even more about producing wallpaper - its important to visit different companies and see how different they all are and compare how they work! I really enjoyed this visit and as we also met a student who was on work experience we asked weather it would be possible to do some work experience after we graduate, so hopefully if all goes well we could spend a week or two in the design studio to get to see and understand fully how they work as a team and individuals, it would be really interesting to work to set briefs and trends for different clients in a professional environment which i would love to experience :)