Sydney Airport 700m2 wrap project

Digital Image Magazine recently sat down with Damian Corney, founder and Creative Director of Grafico, to discuss their impressive Sydney Airport wrap project.

The Sydney Airport wrap project was massive. Could you let our readers know how this operation came about?

Damian: We were approached by the project’s head architect and Louis Vuitton Paris to create what would become quite an amazing bespoke project. Their brief was to ‘wrap’ an enormous freestanding structure!

And what about the materials?

Damian: We initially investigated a sail track banner option - however, the client wasn’t a fan of the finish. The actual structure wasn’t all the same height, so it would have required joins and angles that wouldn’t have looked as seamless as self-adhesive wallpaper. We proposed our matte finish self-adhesive wall graphic film, which has an excellent matte finish and is thick enough to be easily installed. It also required no lamination to assist with production time.

There must have been some logistical and technical challenges; what were they and how did you overcome them?

Damian: Well, there were a few! As I mentioned, we looked at a sail track option, which most people would look for in this type of project, and recommend the method. However, the client was adamant they were after a more seamless edge-less ‘look,’ with the highest possible print quality. So that is why we opted for the more ‘traditional’ self-adhesive wallpaper method. By doing that, it enabled a superior print quality and final finish.

We had just upgraded to 2 x new HP800 series Latex printers from our friends at Spandex, so everything printed effortlessly, and of course, being latex inks, it was ready to trim and pack soon after it came off the printers. Perfect for this type of large-scale project.

The new technology was beneficial, as were our powerful Mac computers to deal with the enormous artwork files. Fortunately, we had fast internet to send files to and from the client.

The client was, understandably, highly quality conscious. However, Grafico has a wealth of experience working with high-end brands such as LV; therefore, we are proud to say the project was a resounding success.

We had to ensure we produced various full-size / scale samples of the prints, which had to be express couriered overseas for the client to approve in person. So that was an added interesting element.

The artwork file was supplied at a different scale to what was required and not ‘repeating’, so our team had to adjust the artwork to ensure it married up around the entire ‘oval’ and it also had to finish seamlessly so there wasn’t a ‘hard join’ at any location. It sounds simple, but working on an oval shape rather than a standard ‘rectangle’ certainly added to the complexity of the overall job. I’m a pretty visual person, so we printed a few mini-scale ‘models’ out of paper to ensure everything worked as we had planned.

On-site sample testing was also required to ensure that the materials adhered to the melamine structure and ensured the client was happy with the overall look. Unfortunately, while I would have loved to have been up in Sydney managing the project, I had to stay put in Melbourne and manage the project via Facetime due to lock-down rules. Of course, Stephen and his team were great to deal with; Stephen has been our recommended installer for various NSW projects for some time now, so we trusted each other to work together to complete this exciting project.

I was ‘taped’ to a ladder for the various on-site meetings and tuned in via Facetime to manage the project and liaise with the client. A classic 2021 job indeed. While it was a challenge at times and frustrating managing such an important project from my office rather than on-site, it all ran seamlessly. A real testament to the efforts of the entire Grafico team.

The sheer amount of wallpaper printed was, of course, another challenge. There were rolls and rolls of material required, and everything had to be checked and well labelled to ensure nothing was missing. Otherwise, as you can imagine the install would have been extra challenging.

The entire ‘oval’ was wrapped in 4 days in an empty Sydney international airport.

Were there other site issues?

Damian: Quite honestly, it all ran smoothly. However, it took a great deal of time before the project started to ensure everything ran smoothly, ensuring everyone on site was COVID tested and vaccinated, which is nothing out of the ordinary, just a regular install for 2021.

How did the Sydney Airport project compare to some of your other installations?

Damian: I think the scale, coupled with the COVID related challenges, certainly made this one for the record books. It was indeed a project I’m personally very proud of, and it’s a testament to the Grafico team that it all ran seamlessly and was installed in record time.

Has there been much feedback?

Damian: The feedback from our client has been excellent and everyone is just amazed by the sheer enormity. I certainly look forward to seeing it in person once border restrictions lift.

No doubt you are itching to travel. Can you tell us how the past 18 months have been for you during these COVID times?

Damian: Like all businesses, we had a challenging start to 2020 with literally all our work being turned off, like someone pulling a plug out of the power socket.

It was quite a shock to the system. Having to stand down staff was truly emotionally challenging and not something I ever thought I would have to deal with. (Who did really).

However, 2020 was a roller-coaster of the year. We have ‘pivoted’ and adjusted to the new COVID world. We put in the hard yards working many late nights and weekends to adjust. But, I refused to give up, and it took all our creativity to ensure we adjusted to keep busy with the work that we were ‘permitted’ to do.

We’ve put a large amount of that effort into our online store, which has become an integral part of our business selling custom print wallpapers, art prints, and our custom print tiles. Coupled with our involvement with The Block TV show has been a great distraction to the rest of the sad world that we live in (especially in Melbourne!) I’m thankful that I have a happy, healthy family and a business that has sustained itself well despite all the challenges over this period. I’m also grateful our federal government decided early on to support small businesses and their staff, unlike other governments worldwide.

While 2021 hasn’t been without its challenges, especially in Melbourne, we have a strong team. I’m looking forward to the next chapter and growing new opportunities that have presented themselves over the COVID period.

Here are some interesting facts:

• Almost 700m2 of self-adhesive wallpaper.
• Each ‘drop’ of wallpaper was 8m high.
• The circumference of the oval structure was 86m.
• The structure itself was quite an engineering feat by the builder (Built) as it was entirely freestanding and had to be removable so it was not fixed to the ground like a normal structure. That in itself was quite a feat of engineering by the builder.
• The structure was made from white melamine board which was fixed to the frame structure. The edges were sanded smooth for a more rounded finish of the entire ‘oval.’
• Being at an international airport, and beyond customs, threw up some challenges with all on-site members requiring high-level security clearance plus COVID tests and vaccination certificates to complete the job.