Fostering a Design Community Focused on Inkjet
To help those who specify print jobs — namely, designers — understand the value of production inkjet, we set out to create a community where inkjet design can be both studied and celebrated.
DESIGN TO INSPIRE
thINK, an independent community of Canon Solutions America production inkjet customers, was looking for a way to educate and inspire the design community and to encourage designers to choose Canon inkjet printing for their print projects. While Canon’s marketing is targeted at an audience of printers, thINK wanted to strategically build and nurture a community of designers as a method of supporting thINK members and generating new inkjet business.
To support this goal, we created Dots + Pixels, a website where designers can learn best practices for designing for inkjet, browse inkjet projects to get inspiration, and showcase their own digital print work. The site is regularly updated with valuable educational content authored by inkjet experts, including video content that designers can use to hone their inkjet skills.
Visually, the site content is laid out as cards and designed to flow in a Pinterest-like way, with filters that make it easy to browse by application or media type. As new content is added, the quilted pattern of the cards shifts.
A MULTI-CHANNEL LAUNCH
We launched Dots + Pixels to the design community in early 2023. The multi-channel launch campaign included email marketing, a design-forward Instagram presence, direct mail, and print collateral shared with industry partners in order to reach an audience of freelance designers, designers who work in print shops, and agency designers.
“As a designer, I love that Dots + Pixels attributes each project to the person who designed it, not just the agency or client they work for. When I see work I like out in the wild, I always look up the designer’s portfolio or social accounts, and now Dots + Pixels makes it even easier to find and follow people.”
— Alyssa Watkins, Senior Graphic Designer, Trekk
