Digital printing and industrial design come together in Graphispag’s ‘Hacking the Icons’

Six renowned Spanish industrial design agencies have accepted Graphispag’s challenge to rethink some of their most iconic works by applying digital printing to them. The result is the exhibition ‘Hacking the Icons’, which can be visited from 1 to 3 October as part of the trade fair and which demonstrates the added value of printing in the design and manufacture of all types of products in sectors such as furniture, consumer electronics and home accessories, among others.

‘Hacking the Icons’ includes objects such as the Vigar stool, the Ossby folding bicycle, the Cross aluminium-table, the Ulartech electric vehicle charger, the FlipMirror by Normann Copenhagen and the Suiff sports technology elastic band kits, which measure strength training physical activity in real time.

The industrial design agencies behind these products are Lúcid, ANIMA, Lagranja, BigD, Bambú Studio and Stimulo. All of them have lent themselves to restyle these objects and personalise them using digital printing equipment from some of the leading graphic technology suppliers exhibiting at Graphispag, such as Roland DG, Epson, Fujifilm and Digidelta.

This process demonstrates that, through printing, these products become unique in their category. ‘Personalisation brings significant added value, not only improving the external appearance of any object or surface, but also achieving a greater visual impact that seeks to surprise, arouse emotions in users and enhance brands,’ explains the president of the Graphispag Organising Committee, Xavier Armengou.

With this project, Graphispag wants to connect with designers, companies and professionals from industrial sectors that can incorporate printing into their production processes to mass customise and increase the value of their products.

Debate, awards and experiences

As complementary activities to this exhibition, a round table will be held in the fair’s ‘Impulse-Dialogues’ space on digital printing applications in the manufacturing industry, with the participation of representatives from the Design Institute of Spain (D!OS), graphic technology suppliers, industrial designers and companies from different sectors of activity that use printing in their production processes.

The ‘Hacking the Icons’ Awards will also be presented to the best design of the exhibition, chosen by a vote of the visitors, and visitors will be able to attend a guided tour of the fair, led by the president of Graphispag. This itinerary will provide first-hand knowledge of the operation and applications of the printing equipment and technologies of the exhibiting companies that have collaborated on the designs included in the show.

Barcelona, September 2024