Ahead of FESPA 2015, English fashion and interior designer Wayne Hemingway MBE talks to FESPA about the relationship between print and design, and the opportunities that digital technology in the interior environment presents

What’s special about print and its role in bringing design to life?
I’ve always loved print, its vibrancy and eye-catching power. It is a visual art, which is almost impossible to resist as we are visual creatures. Print has made significant advances over the last decade, and the variety of interior applications it is possible to create with digital technology today is just amazing. Digital print allows designers to easily transfer their creativity directly onto surfaces such as furniture, floors, walls, etc. Its on-demand capability enables these designers to effectively deliver bespoke or regularly renovated interiors.

What can printers do to help designers unleash their creativity and embrace the power of print?
Technical expertise and creativity should go hand in hand, as they are both integral to a design project. Printers, engineers, architects and designers need to take advantage of their respective competences and focus on bringing them together. Structural engineers help architects and designers to understand if their creative ideas can be turned into reality; equally, printers should highlight the technical aspects of a job and the print requirements for it to successfully reflect the designer’s idea. Printers can widen designers’ horizons by educating them on new and innovative applications that can be created with print. This plays a key role in the creative and project development process.

Sustainability is a topical point in both interior decoration and print. How can the print and design industries join forces to create more sustainable projects?
Print buyers are increasingly asking for ‘green’ applications to comply with specific regulations. Modern and forward-looking designers are therefore fully aware of the importance to develop sustainable projects, and they also know that printers can guide them in the selection of the most appropriate inks and substrates to create environmentally friendly applications, which will ultimately help them win new business.

Wayne Andrew Hemingway will be speaking at the Printeriors Conference, taking place at FESPA 2015, on Thursday 21 May about the inspiring effects of print and its capability to support creativity.

For more information on FESPA 2015, the full conference programme and to pre-register to attend, visit: www.fespa2015.com