Each year, KURZ creates a unique Christmas card that blends artistic vision with advanced finishing techniques, and Synchron Markings is proud to bring this special tradition to our clients. The annual Christmas card is more than just a seasonal greeting; it embodies KURZ’s commitment to excellence, craftsmanship and creativity.
Inspiration and concept
The concept behind the 2024 KURZ Christmas card stemmed from a partnership with artist Ortwin Michl, whose work explores the theme of clouds. Michl’s inspiration shines through in a design that combines organic cloud-like forms with strict geometric shapes. This interplay of form and structure represents the harmony between art and technology – two principles that KURZ integrates into every product and project.
From idea to reality
Michl’s vision required translating his delicate and organic cloud motif into a durable, tactile Christmas card. He crafted a folded, geometrically structured piece, blending sharp lines with organic, cloud-inspired forms through subtle perforations and textures. This design served as the foundation for KURZ’s technical team, who transformed it into a tangible card with advanced embossing and finishing techniques.
Crafting the perfect die
To bring Michl’s concept to life, KURZ’s subsidiary, Hinderer + Mühlich, developed a custom die that mimicked the handcrafted elements in Michl’s design. The die enabled the exact creation of indents, folds and deliberate cracks, capturing the artisanal aesthetic at an industrial scale. This approach allowed KURZ to produce a card that preserved the essence of the artist’s original creation.
The materials used for printing and finishing
The 2024 card combines high-end materials and state-of-the-art techniques to achieve its unique look and feel. Printed on Gmund Colors Matt Shade 55 natural cardboard (300g/m²), the card’s silver surfaces were created using KURZ’s DIGITAL METAL® DT-H Cold Silver technique, which incorporates a frequency-modulated cloud pattern.
Additional metallic finishes were applied with LUXOR® 420 for flat embossing, enhancing the interplay of organic cloud-like patterns and structured geometric elements. This selection of materials and techniques underscores KURZ’s commitment to sustainability and aesthetic excellence.
The greeting: A personal touch
The card includes a seasonal message crafted with LUXOR® 385, a fine hot stamping foil that allows precise, two-sided stamping on the card’s premium paper. This adds a personal, refined touch to the card, showing appreciation for the partnerships and trust shared throughout the year.
A symbol of excellence
The annual Christmas card represents more than just a seasonal gesture; it’s a symbol of the innovation, dedication and care that define our partnership. By distributing this card, Synchron Markings and KURZ celebrate not only the festive season but also our ongoing commitment to delivering quality and creativity in every project.
© Synchron Fabrics & Foils, December 2024
Related Posts
For Mandela Day, the Synchron team turned familiar fabrics into thoughtfully designed sensory blankets, combining creativity, expert guidance and community care. Together with donations of food and clothing, the handmade blankets supported three local organisations and showed how everyday resources can make a meaningful difference.
Mpact laboratory testing provides encouraging evidence for brands considering decorative transfer foil on fibre-based packaging. Three KURZ hot- and cold-transfer foil samples achieved exceptionally high fibre yields and were assessed as suitable for standard-mill recycling, supporting more informed and responsible packaging design.
Once upon a time, a truck curtain was mainly expected to keep cargo covered, protected from the weather and easy to access during loading and unloading. That has changed…
