Chicago, Ill. – GPA announces it was named a winner in the 2017 HP Inkspiration Awards for the Americas, which recognizes the most innovative work produced with HP Indigo digital printing technology. GPA received a Rod Key Excellence award for their retail vertical marketing kit entered in the Labels and Packaging category; this award is presented to distinguished companies that exhibit the most creative marketing campaigns that promote their own businesses.

The winning entry is a pair of clothing tags for the Alex Joseph menswear brand, and is part of GPA’s series of marketing tools designed to educate and empower their customers to expand into new markets. These vertical marketing kits demonstrate how different substrates can work together to create more impactful print in a variety of lucrative areas. They also illustrate the powerful possibilities of combining GPA’s substrates with HP Indigo digital press technology, making them perfect for customers to use when promoting their own capabilities with clients. 

The clothing tags share a similar design that unites them in their brand identity while including intentional variations to make each one distinct. The first tag includes an overlay printed on GPA’s Ultra Digital^® 4 Mil Transparency Film using white ink to make select image areas opaque while adding dimension and interest. The tag gets its shimmering appearance and opulent feel from the base sheet, Ultra Digital^® 110# Gold Pearl Cover. The second version was produced on Ultra Digital^® 17 pt. Uncoated Cohesive Cover, a substrate that mounts to itself using a cohesive glue to create luxuriously thick pieces. Both tags were created using an HP Indigo 5500 press by Top Graphics in Maryland Heights, Mo. and finished in house.

The winning submission is part of a comprehensive kit that includes a poster-size tailoring guide and wrap-around packaging for ties. Working together, these pieces reinforce the brand at the retail level: the tags enhance the elegance of the suit jackets they are attached to and the tailoring guide educates customers while the tie wrap reinforces the brand identity. Working together, they enhance the shopping experience, 

“At GPA, we strive for innovation that makes a deeper impact, in both our company culture and in the way we market ourselves,” said Trina May, GPA’s Director of Marketing. “Being recognized for our forward-thinking marketing by HP, a highly regarded technology pioneer, is a tremendous honor for us. Rod Key was a good partner and friend to GPA, which makes this distinction even more significant. We have a tremendous amount of respect for his creativity and the enduring influence that he has on our industry.”