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FIVE MINUTES WITH
Jennifer Wolanik
Marketing Expert at Quality Logo Products
|
APRIL2017
|
59
THINK
A NewDimension
Looking for a way to kick its supplier awards up a notch, distributor Quality Logo Products in
Chicago, Illinois, broke the mold with custom 3D-printed trophies. Jennifer Wolanik, QLP’s
resident marketing expert, explains the process of bringing the company’s mascot to life as an
award trophy.
PPB
What prompted the idea to produce
your company’s supplier awards as
3D-printed statues?
Wolanik
Our company culture is one of
always pushing internal projects to the next
level in terms of creativity, method and
uniqueness. Our president, Bret Bonnet,
and I had discussed the initial possibility
of 3D printing with our trophies as the next
step in the evolution of our annual Supplier
Awards trophies.
We started with our in-house design
team, producing several sketches based on
a group brainstorm. This option allowed for
our sketches to be almost limitless with our
creative team unleashing all possibilities for
a new trophy design—not that we’ve ever
made anything “standard” in the past.
PPB
How many did you commission, and
what was the time frame for production, from
illustration to delivery?
Wolanik
We commissioned a local printer
to produce a total of 10 trophies, first
through 10th place versions. The sizes
ranged from six inches tall to more than
10 inches tall, which did restrict us a bit in
finding a printer that could accommodate
the largest size.
The time frame for having the final
products delivered was about two weeks,
from the initial sketch to receiving the
3D-rendered files to the final pick-up from
the printer. The trophies were printed with
white PLA (polylactic acid) plastic, which we
then painted in-house in the final colors for
each trophy placement.
PPB
What has been your company’s
experience with 3D-printed promotional
items, if any? How did you come to connect
with your local printer?
Wolanik
Prior to this experience, we had
never commissioned or had direct experience
with 3D-printed items. We do have some
resident hobbyists who have experimented
with this technology on different scales, but
never to this level or size.
We connected to a local printer through
3DHubs.com,a website that helps connect
over one billion people worldwide with
3D printer technology. This allowed us a
personal experience and the opportunity
to ask questions versus ordering through a
standard, detached website.
PPB
What did you learn about the process
that you found fascinating and/or surprising?
Wolanik
The most intriguing part, to us, was
seeing our 2D design transform into a molded
3D shape in preparation for the printing. The
printer did notify us after receiving the files
that some of the elements extended past a
30-degree angle and would therefore need
some support scaffolding, which would be
removed after the print was finished.
The scaffolding is extra meshed structure
extending from the base to the bottom of
these angled parts. As the plastic cools
down, the support scaffolding helps to hold
the printed shape and stop any sag that may
occur with larger shapes. It was such an
unfamiliar process to us at the beginning but
we honestly felt like pros learning about the
lingo and process along the way.
PPB
Do you have plans to offer 3D
merchandise to clients in the future, or have
you already begun offering any items?
Wolanik
Though we do not currently offer
3D-branded merchandise to our customers,
The trophies
for the Supplier
Awards ranged
from six inches
to more than
10 inches tall.