Package, vehicle sticker earn holographic honors

Published: March 01, 1995

Several holographic products were honored in the Awards for Excellence in Holography competition presented by the International Hologram Manufacturers Association and sponsored by Reconnaissance Holographics Ltd., publisher of the Holography News newsletter.

The winners were:

* Hologram in Print, Packaging and Promotion - Applied Holographics PLC of the UK and Gelot SA of France for the gift presentation on Piper Heidseck champagne.

* Hologram for Security or Authentication - Holographic Dimensions Inc., Transfer Print Foils, FLEXcon, Holographic Label Converting and Standard Register for the Mexico State Vehicle Emission Control Sticker.

For the Piper Heidseck package hologram, the judges were impressed by the simplicity yet effectiveness of using one of Applied Holographics standard wide-web films as a substrate to overprint a bubbly four-color design. Most of the material is covered in opaque ink, but the reversed out and repeated design of a champagne glass is rendered appropriately in the holographic effect. The design has been so successful that Piper has introduced a second design.

The total-security concept behind the Mexico State Vehicle Emission Control Sticker impressed the judges. In Mexico, every vehicle has to meet emission standards and is inspected every six months. At the inspection station, the inspector has a three-part form on which there is a small patch of silicon release coat to which a hologram is attached by a release adhesive on the underside.

Each part of the form and the hologram are sequentially numbered. On certifying a vehicle, the inspector peels off the hologram from the form and sticks it face outward on the windshield. The face of the hologram is coated with a transparent contact adhesive that doesn't allow the hologram to be removed from the windshield without disintegrating.

In the Hologram in Print, Packaging and Promotion category, two projects were highly commended by the judges. Applied Holographics, Webb Scarlett and Stuart Adams Associates were honored for a series of labels for Pepsi Cola family-size bottles. Light Impressions Italia, Light Impressions Europe, BDS Design SRL, Arca Etichette S.p.A. and Agip Petroli S.p.A. were commended for the halographic label on the packaging for Agip's Tecsint motor oil.

There was no award this year in the New Hologram Product category, but the judges highly commended Hologram Industries of France for its heat-transferred transparent hologram security overlay designed to be applied by a hand press in low-volume applications.

The awards were presented during a ceremony at the 1994 Holo-pack/Holo-print Conference in London, England.