August 31, 2006
Domtar and Weyerhaeuser Fine Paper to merge
MONTREAL—Domtar Inc. and Weyerhaeuser Co.’s fine paper business have agreed to merge. The new company, to be called Domtar, will have its head office located here, while its operational headquarters will be in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
The US$3.3 billion transaction will more than double Domtar’s current paper production capacity. Raymond Royer, Domtar’s current president and CEO, will lead the new company in the same capacity. Marvin Cooper, a senior VP at Weyerhaeuser, will become chief operating officer for the new company.
Under the terms of the deal, Weyerhaeuser’s fine paper business, consisting of 10 primary pulp and paper mills (seven in the U.S. and three in Canada), converting, forming and warehousing facilities and two sawmills will be transferred to the Domtar. Weyerhaeuser shareholders will hold a 55% ownership stake in the company, while Domtar’s current shareholders will own about 45%. The deal should be finalized in the first quarter of 2007. Domtar and Weyerhaeuser will continue to operate separately until the transaction in complete. Contact: www.domtar.com; www.weyerhaeuser.com
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| Rare Method raises $10,000 for MS Calgary |
Rare Method reaches out
CALGARY—Employees at interactive marketing agency Rare Method were busy this summer, participating in a walk and organizing a poker tournament to raise money for MS Society in Calgary. The 85-member staff raised $10,000 for the local charity, which helped boost MS Calgary’s fundraising efforts to a record high of $750,000. Contact: www.raremethod.com
August 24, 2006
FSC wants designers to improve their moral fibres
CANADA—You may have seen the FSC stamp on various products and services, you may have even used FSC-certified paper. But do you know exactly what FSC means? The Forest Stewardship Council of Canada is holding workshops across Canada to educate graphic designers, printers and end users about FSC certification.
FSC approval guarantees that the paper has been harvested responsibly, with not cutting on stream banks and no cutting in sensitive areas. FSC is the only paper endorsed by WWF Canada, National Aboriginal Forestry Association, ForestEthics, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club of Canada.
FSC’s Moral Fibre Series will be held in Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and Edmonton on October 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Contact: www.fsccanada.org/moralfibre.htm
August 22, 2006
Designing for a moving target
COLUMBUS, Ohio—When designing your client’s next ad campaign, consider how it will look with food all over it. Black conveyor belts are the latest platforms for ad creep, according to AdAge.com. Now consumers will be able to check out ads while they check out their food.
“Conveyor belts have never been on anybody’s radar screen for marketing,” Frank Cox, president and CEO of EnVision Marketing Group, told AdAge.com. His Little Rock, Ark., firm has a patented system to print digital, photo-quality ads directly on conveyor belts. “But a store with eight to 10 checkout lanes, well, you’re talking about 100 sq ft of wasted ad real estate.”
Cincinnati-based national retailer Kroger Stores is currently testing conveyor ads in a few dozen of its stores. Harps Food Stores of Springdale, Ark., is also testing the system in 13 of its locations. Contact: www.adage.com
August 17, 2006
Advergaming provides boon for interactive entertainment agency
OTTAWA—According to online branding entertainment developers Fuel Industries, the growing popularity of advergaming has helped to triple revenues at Fuel over the past twelve months. Since Fuel is a privately traded company, actual revenue numbers remain confidential.
“About five years ago, we took a risk that advergaming would be the next big thing and started developing that side of our business,” said Mike Burns, CEO and chief creative officer of Fuel, in a statement. “This year, more brands and agencies started to understand the value of branded entertainment and because we were so far ahead of the development curve, we were one of the only agencies that could deliver the kind of product they wanted.”
According to U.S.-based PQ Media’s Alternative Advertising & Marketing Outlook 2006, U.S. branded entertainment marketing spend has increased 15.5% in 2006 over 2005 to US$51.6 billion.
Staff at Fuel has also multiplied, doubling from 40 in 2005 to 80 in 2006. Fuel employs approximately 45 designers. Due to this expansion, Fuel has outgrown its current headquarters and will be moving to a 20,000 sq ft studio in October.
Fuel completed 200 projects in its last fiscal year, which ended July 31, compared to 124 projects the year previous. New accounts for the seven-year-old company include 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, HBO, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, and Nickelodeon as well as a number of strategic partnerships with numerous advertising agencies such as Arc Worldwide, Tribal DDB, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Arnold Worldwide and Ogilvy. Contact: www.fuelindustries.com
Photo exhibits during international AIDS conference
TORONTO—Two separate photo exhibits, on now during the XVI International AIDS Conference, document the AIDS struggle worldwide.
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Part of Dorit Thies' photo exhibit AfricAlive – Portraits of Success |
On display at A Space Gallery is international photographer Doris Thies’s travelling photo exhibit that celebrates life. AfricAlive – Portraits of Success includes 35 life-size images of men, women and children thriving on HIV/AIDS medicines from free treatment clinics in South Africa and Uganda. The exhibition, which was previously showing in New York City and Los Angeles, is on display until Aug. 21.
At the Design Exchange is the world premiere of a photographic study by British photojournalist Nick Danzinger. Danzinger recently travelled to Mozambique, India and Russia to chronicle the daily lives of children caught in the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Contact: www.aidshealth.org; www.doritthies.com; www.worldvision.ca
August 15, 2006
Monotype buys German font foundry
WOBURN, Mass.—Font foundry Monotype Imaging, home to Monotype and ITC typeface libraries, has acquired Linotype GmbH, with its collection of more than 6,000 typefaces including Helvetica, Frutiger and Optima. Based in Bad Homburg, Germany, where it will remain, Linotype is a subsidiary of printing press manufacturer Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. Linotype’s corporate identity will also remain the same.
With the combination of Linotype’s extensive typeface library and Monotype’s font technology, the two companies aim to meet the increasingly sophisticated font requirements of the consumer electronics markets, such as the mobile phone, digital camera, and computer sectors.
Monotype’s new iType font engine and WorldType Layout Engine enable the display of scalable, multilingual text for small devices, such as cell phones. It also recently released a font suite for mobile phones.
“It’s our vision to improve global communications through type,” said Monotype president and CEO Robert M. Givens in a released statement. “We’ve worked with Linotype for years, and we have developed an appreciation and respect for the esteemed reputation of the Linotype company, a valuable asset we intend to protect and enhance.”
Allan Haley, director of words and letters at Monotype said: “Monotype Imaging and Linotype have forged solid partnerships with typeface designers to create what we believe to be a dynamic marketing and distribution channel. Together we want to further strengthen this channel and encourage users to respect the hard work that goes into creating typefaces. We’re seeing vibrant new designs every day – a sign that this community is thriving. We intend to do all we can to help it stay that way.”
Contact: www.monotypeimaging.com
August 9, 2006
Quark releases native software for Intel-based Macs
DENVER—On Monday, Quark Inc. released a Universal version of QuarkXPress 7 for Mac OS X Tiger. It is the first page-layout and design software available to run specifically on Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs, promising to capitalize on the speed of Apple’s new Intel chips.
“Using QuarkXPress 7 on the new computers is just incredible in terms of speed,” said Marc Konik, Quark’s vice president of technology, in a released statement. “We’re very excited to have the latest hardware and the latest version of QuarkXPress. QuarkXPress takes full advantage of the speed of the Intel-based Macs, and now we do more work in less time while maintaining tight deadlines and staying in step with the industry.”
The upgrade is available at no cost to customers of Quark 7. Contact: www.quark.com/universalmac
August 1, 2006
Stock photo agency to offer low-cost video
CALGARY—With the onslaught of new gadgetry equipped to broadcast live action and motion graphics, it’s little wonder there’s a growing demand for stylish, high-quality video. The demand is so great, in fact, that digital imagery house iStockphoto has decided to expand its image collection to include royalty-free stock video, film, and animation clips starting at $5.
According to iStockphoto, it “democratized” access to stock photography by offering images for as low as $1. Now with the current availability of affordable, high-definition video cameras, iStockphoto can acquire and sell user-generated stock video at extremely low price points.
iStockphoto is currently seeking video and animation submissions and will begin selling its new video stock collection in September.
“There is a huge demand for video. People want up-to-the-minute, top-quality footage, but current prices are keeping most potential clients out,” said iStockphoto founder and CEO Bruce Livingstone, in an announcement released yesterday. Recently profiled in Calgary Inc magazine, Livingstone described his enterprise as a perfectly executed accident. It all started back in 2000 when he uploaded 1,600 of his personal photos for free download. A year later he began posting other photographers’ work. Now iStockphoto has a database of 600,000 images. He sold to Getty Images in February for $50 million. Contact: www.istockvideo.com
