Ollywood used Drytac Polar Street FX to create a new floor graphic in Birmingham’s busy Brindleyplace, a project that required durability and safety on wet surfaces.

Brindleyplace, a busy area in central Birmingham, has been transformed with a giant floor graphic created by Ollywood using Drytac’s durable outdoor floor media Polar Street FX.

A popular meeting point in an area of the city packed with offices and corporate spaces, Brindleyplace is undergoing a campaign to encourage people to ‘#RediscoverBrindley’ following COVID-19 restrictions. Avison Young, a global real estate advisor managing the project, commissioned Newport-based Ollywood to print and install the floor display. As well as grabbing attention, the 35m-long floor graphic serves to direct pedestrians to nearby restaurants and attractions including the Ikon Gallery and SEA LIFE aquarium.

In addition to requiring the durability to withstand heavy foot traffic including high heels, the floor graphic had to be securely installed between two water features. Ollywood, who has worked with Avison Young on several other projects across the UK, sought advice from its media supplier Soyang to find a material that could do the job.

“Soyang recommended Drytac Polar Street FX for its slip rating and for its durability on surfaces that get wet,” comments Oliver Williams, Managing Director, Ollywood. “Floor graphics are quite common at the moment to promote social distancing but I’ve noticed many that are peeling, they’re not made for long-term outdoor use.

“Polar Street FX is priced slightly higher than other floor media but it is better – it does the job it’s meant to. Because it’s aluminium-based it’s more durable than vinyl and Drytac is stricter than other brands about slip ratings. I’d rather use a slightly more expensive product than end up with a bad result.”

Drytac Polar Street FX is a 250µ (10 mil) textured printable white matte aluminium film, coated on one side with a high-tack adhesive for safety and security in public environments. It has been designed to be non-slip and scuff-resistant without the need for lamination, making it perfect for fast-turnaround outdoor floor graphics jobs.

The installation in Birmingham took place on an autumn day in October – just eight weeks after the initial site visit and concept discussions – but the Ollywood team overcame the difficult conditions.

“The application of floor graphics is always tricky on cold, wet days,” says Oliver, “but the Polar Street FX went down perfectly, even alongside the water features. We take care over our preparation but it’s worth taking the time.”

Oliver’s management skills and attention to detail stems from a previous role as a chef in the RAF. After leaving the military he worked with Waitrose on a festival food truck project, where he became interested in the design and build side of event production. Finding that few businesses bring together all of these services under one roof, he established Ollywood to meet this market demand 18 months ago.

“We’re looking forward to more projects like the Brindleyplace floor graphic,” says Oliver. “Polar Street FX is a great product we can use for jobs like this as it really showcases what’s possible. We’re also keen to try different Drytac products as new projects come up.”

We offer the correct ratings and insurance backed warranties to make your life easier. With hundreds of certifications on our print media and laminates we’d be happy to help you plan your next project.

Download the Drytac Floor Graphic Guides to help you select the proper floor material and navigate various environments.

Cardiff University’s in-house print department printed more than 40,000 signs to prepare the campus for students and staff – the majority on Drytac SpotOn wall media.

Cardiff University’s Print Services worked around the clock to prepare the campus for the new academic year, including printing thousands of social distancing graphics on Drytac professional self-adhesive media.

The university has benefited from an in-house print service for over 30 years, originally called Graphic Services and recently renamed Print Services. It fulfils all manner of printing needs, from business cards, flyers, booklets, stickers and posters – both academic and advertising – to pop-up banners, mounted poster boards, wall displays and floor graphics. It also provides laminating and thesis-binding services.

During the summer of 2020, Print Services was presented with a new challenge: to help prepare the entire Cardiff University campus for the new academic year in line with COVID-19 guidance on social distancing.

“From July onwards we were printing pretty much non-stop in order to help the Estates division get the 200-plus buildings on campus ready for re-occupation and re-opening in time for the autumn semester,” says Gareth Middleton, Senior Print Services Assistant, Bute Print Unit, Cardiff University.

“By our rough estimations, in that time we printed somewhere in the region of 2.5 to 3sq km of signage – more than 40,000 items. The majority of these were A4 wall signs which were printed on Drytac SpotOn and then guillotined or cut by hand from the roll.”

As well as the unprecedented amount of work that needed to be completed by the end of September, the print team had other hurdles to overcome.

Gareth explains: “Due to the campus being locked down and restrictions on building occupancy, only two of us were granted access to our unit in the Bute Building where the wide-format machines live. Added to this, that building was undergoing a massive refit and renovation project so rather than our usual peaceful (especially in the summer!) leafy campus setting in Cathays Park we had to work out of the middle of a building site!”

Cardiff University Print Services chose Drytac SpotOn White Matte, a 100μ (4 mil) vinyl film designed for short-term applications such as wall displays. Also available in White Gloss, Clear Gloss and Clear Matte finishes, SpotOn features Drytac’s innovative ‘dot pattern’ adhesive that enables easy bubble-free application without tools, and clean and simple removal.

“All the wall signage is being used internally and – hopefully! – for the short to medium term,” says Gareth. “Drytac SpotOn gives a great solid, vibrant finish using our Roland TrueVIS VG-540 and is quick and easy for the Estates team to handle and apply in large quantities.”

Gareth adds that the print team also uses the Clear Matte version of Drytac SpotOn.

“It’s great for all the same reasons as the SpotOn White, plus the added advantage of being able to mount it on the inside of windows or on glass screens without blocking out all the light.”

With social distancing expected to continue for the foreseeable future, Drytac has ensured its factories in the UK and North America have been working to meet unprecedented demand for graphics media for wall displays, floor graphics and other applications.

We offer the correct ratings and insurance backed warranties to make your life easier. With hundreds of certifications on our print media and laminates we’d be happy to help you plan your next project.

Download the Drytac Floor Graphic Guides to help you select the proper floor material and navigate various environments.