Case Study Formes de Luxe 2024

Subtle Cover Finishing: Formes de Luxe for LUXE PACK Monaco 2024

Case Study on Exquisite Magazine Design with KURZ Hot Stamping

The English and French-language print magazine for luxury packaging, Formes de Luxe, is published four times a year as a sister publication to the digital medium Formes de Luxe.com. LUXE PACK Monaco, the leading international trade fair for creative packaging of luxury goods, is an annual meeting place for international premium packaging manufacturers who present innovative designs, high-quality digital products, and sustainable packaging solutions.

In recent years, LEONHARD KURZ has had the honor of helping to design the cover of the Formes de Luxe issue published in the run-up to the trade fair. For the current Autumn/Automne 2024 issue, an exquisite cover with a high-quality and surprisingly subtle 3D-look finish was developed in cooperation with KURZ subsidiary Hinderer + Mühlich (H+M) and Italian paper manufacturer Fedrigoni. This year, the motif was also designed by KURZ's own design management for packaging and print for the first time.

Company premises of the injection molding toolmaker H+M

H+M

The KURZ subsidiary is a specialist in hot stamping tools for applications in the graphics and plastics industries.

Company premises of the fine paper manufacturer

Fedrigoni

Italy's largest fine paper manufacturer has stood for exclusive quality papers since its founding in 1888 and is represented in over 100 countries worldwide.

Logo of trade show partner Formes de Luxe

Formes de Luxe.com

The online publication provides comprehensive reporting on developments in key global luxury markets through its international network of journalists.


The Goal

Like an exclusive bottle of champagne, Formes de Luxe stands for outstanding designs and packaging that exude pure luxury and convey an exquisite attitude towards life. Therefore, this year's cover should play with the theme of champagne, but treat it abstractly without showing a bottle or a specific motif. For the design of the finishing, the fluidity and lightness of the noble sparkling wine should be translated into haptic and optical effects with surprising nuances.

LEONHARD KURZ designer with hot-stamped sheet patterns

Julia König, Senior Design Manager at KURZ, was guided by the idea of constant motion:

“Only constant motion can contain change, growth, and new possibilities. Abstraction makes it possible not to copy, but to let your own thoughts run free, to see new things and to move in a field of tension between the motif and the unknown.”


The Solution

The theme was brought to the cover in a play of different types of abstraction: distorted and merged colors flow across the cover. Stylized water droplets hot-stamped with SILVER LINE® Rain on the front subtly hint at the leitmotif and make the idea of freshness tangible. On the back, the drops and lines merge into a large abstract pattern in blind embossing with delicate, tactile effects.

In addition to the KURZ finishing line SILVER LINE®, the matte COLORIT® was also used to implement the fascinating cover design. First, the flat embossing was applied one after the other with the SILVER LINE® Rain decor and the trend color ORANGE MATTER COLORIT® 307027. In a further production step, blind embossing was then applied to various parts of the cover, as well as special embossing on the left-hand side in a glass look. The particular challenge here was to combine both embossing processes on two different machines with pinpoint accuracy.

Printer tests stamp for magazine finishing

Alexander Müske, Technical Expert & Innovation Consultant at H+M, emphasizes:

“A special feature of this project was to create the effect of frosted glass in the blind embossing on the basis of an image instead of vector data as usual. But as always, our team found a way to successfully translate this effect into an embossing die.”

Frank Denninghoff, Managing Director of Gräfe Druckveredelung GmbH, adds:

“What I find particularly appealing is the delicate combination of the look and feel of the raised SILVER LINE® texture and the semi-transparent COLORIT® embossing. Together with the additional structural embossing, there is always something new to discover, even on closer inspection!”

Detail of a hot-stamped sheet print with relief effect
Magazine cover finished with silver hot stamping foil

As a specialist in the enhancement of print products, Gräfe has been putting the finishing touches on printed products for over 90 years. The extra-white fine paper ARENA High Definition Arena 300 g from Fedrigoni was used as the material. This is characterized by a matte surface, a good feel, and a particularly sharp and defined print quality.


Why KURZ?

The realization of the Formes de Luxe cover required a holistic approach and finishing solutions that offer a wide range of tactile and visual design options. KURZ's high-quality finishing products, combined with the precise stamps of KURZ subsidiary H+M and the years of expertise of Gräfe Druckveredelung, were the ideal combination for implementing such a demanding project in great detail. The high-precision stamping tools from H+M achieved perfect deformation of the substrate.

Experts in print finishing from LEONHARD KURZ

Stéphane Royère, Head of Business Area Packaging and Print and International Sales and Marketing at KURZ, explains:

“It fills us with great pride to once again embellish the cover of this extraordinary magazine. The combination of a passion for design coupled with our versatile and high-quality finishing products, expressed with sophistication, makes this cover an enriching experience to hold in your hands.”


(Image: Julia König, Alissa Demorest and Stéphane Royère (f.l.t.r.))

Alissa Demorest, editorial director of Formes de Luxe, explains:

"This cover exemplifies the power of collaboration. From the very first images KURZ shared with the Formes de Luxe team, we knew we were aligned as to the imagery, the embellishment and the overall aesthetic impact. This project was a creative adventure with a result that speaks for itself!"

Add exclusivity to your sheet-fed prints with LEONHARD KURZ
We bring hot stamping technology to your magazine cover
Luxe Pack magazine with fine gold hot foil stamping

Marta Franceschi, Senior Product Manager of Fedrigoni, adds:

“Perfection that becomes easy to use, that's what Arena HD means to us. This paper is the ideal substrate to bring the most creative ideas to life on paper, without having to give up any detail and, thanks to its matt surface and natural touch, it guarantees high-definition printing performance.“

 

Let the finishing solutions from KURZ convince you!


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Mood board with various gold embossed foils from KURZ

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