Small Capital Team Makes Big Awards Mark

Pride In Print media release (May 2009)

Small Capital Team Makes Big Awards Mark

Three-person Wellington company, Martini Design, has made an impressive debut at this year’s Pride In Print Awards -- scooping a Highly Commended citation, two Gold Medals and a prestigious Supreme Award Finalist nomination.

The work -- which entailed a Legal Department Benchmarking Report, The Gas Company label and the double-achieving Tranz Scenic water label -- were all printed by the GEON Group, which itself earned five Highly Commendeds, seven Gold Medals and was a Supreme Award Finalist.

Describing Martini as a “great little business”, GEON Group Wellington sales manager Angelique Sparnaay-Martin says its achievement this year fully demonstrates the Awards are not solely the domain of the biggest industry players.

“They have some great clients and they are innovative,” says Mrs Sparnaay-Martin.

“In today’s economic climate people tend to opt for the smaller design companies rather than the larger. GEON has printed a number of jobs for Martini and they have clients in Tauranga, Europe and even New York.”

Interviewed at her home base in Ngaio, Martini proprietor Jacqui Wilde says she was “absolutely stoked” with the Awards debut.

“When we design for our clients we always focus on the audience, the budget and ways we can create uniquely printed items within that budget -- we are always seeking to push the boundaries in this area,” says Ms Wilde.

“Print and production management for us is integral for our design and the finished product is what it is all about.

“We have clients that have unique and interesting businesses and we also have a strong connections in the art world with some Wellington art galleries. Their clients are artists who are extremely finicky about how their artwork is portrayed, therefore requiring an excellent eye for detail in every facet of the job, including the printing.

“Working with GEON, it is like ‘we would like to have this -- how can we make this work?’ Over the years our relationship has strengthened and the quality of work that GEON has been producing for us has been excellent.”

A recent testimony from a New York-based artist client sums up the strength of the Martini-GEON relationship: “This is the finest mailer of my 40-year showing career. It crosses over into reality and becomes a work.”

Ms Wilde says it has been an exciting journey since she and her partner commenced their business in the Year 2000.

“We had two young children and Greg had a full-time job, but we were ‘moonlighting’ after hours and slowly building up our own client base and the Martini portfolio.

“In 2004 we had enough clients to throw in the towel and go full-time with Martini design work and since then we have not looked back. It was awfully scary taking that leap into working full-time for yourself. But the rewards and benefits, as any business owner knows, are outstanding and also enable us to spend quality time with our children.”

That growth, which has been achieved through word-of-mouth advertising only, saw the business recruit its third full-time employee in 2006.

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