Best Applied Decorative/Packaging Product
2021 – Winner
Hazen Paper Company’s 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Yearbook
Who is the creative and production team?
Hazen Paper Company created and executed the custom holography for this project. The limited-edition yearbook cover was designed by agency GO of Hartford, CT, and printed and individually numbered for authenticity on an HP Indigo 5500 digital press by Starburst Printing of Holliston, MA. The interior of the yearbook was printed by Cummings Printing in Hooksett, NH, who also handled binding.
Founded in 1925, Hazen Paper Company is an innovative paper converter specializing in holographic origination, film coating, foil and paper lamination, metallizing, gravure printing, specialty coating and rotary embossing to create specialty materials for worldwide use in retail display and POP, luxury, beauty, entertainment and media packaging, bookbinding, scratch-off lottery and other security-related tickets, tags and cards, and fine art applications. Hazen is committed to sustainability, using hydropower produced by the Connecticut River, with certification to supply converted paper and paperboards that are FSC, SFI and PEFC certified.
What was it for and how did it work?
The 2020 cover showcases dynamic holography as the primary visual focus, featuring dominant three-dimensional imagery of the Hall of Fame’s iconic dome and spire and its panoramic interior juxtaposed with a collage of the year’s inductees in action. According to Hazen President John Hazen, “the treatment, with restrained use of printing on top of the holographic images, really unleashed the potential of holography to command attention and engage.” The back cover is a holographic treatment of Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, where the enshrinement ceremony was held.
What is significant about this hologram project?
Hazen produced the unique cover holography through an exacting, high-tech, multi-step process within its vertically integrated facility, which expedites exceptional quality, reliable performance and efficiency. Originated in Hazen’s holographic laser lab, the custom hologram was micro-embossed and ultimately transfer-metallized onto 12-point WestRock Tango C2S using Hazen’s environmentally friendly Envirofoil® process. Envirofoil® is manufactured with less than 1% of the aluminum of traditional foil laminate, reuses the film carrier multiple times, and is recyclable as paper. This is the eighth yearbook cover produced by Hazen and commemorates a legendary event at which Michael Jordan inducted Kobe Bryant into the Hall of Fame.
