This article first appeared in the September issue of Australian Printer
Founded in 2006, 1800 Projects was initially created to produce branding solutions for action
sports events. It has since grown to become a multiple award-winning company that produces premium branding solutions for brands large and small.
1800 Projects managing director Ben Browning tells us more about the business and what keeps it going.
Q: How did you end up in this industry?
Ben Browning (BB): My corporate background started while I was working in action sports events. I gravitated to the branding side of events and found myself communicating with brands and ensuring they got great coverage at the event or on TV. I came up with the idea to create 1800 For Promo (what 1800 Projects was formerly known as) when I was in action sports events. I would watch companies give away stubby coolers and t-shirts to promote their brands, and thought that if they are giving it away, then they must want to buy more. 1800 For Promo introduced me to many corporate companies over the years.
1800 Projects came to life when I partnered with Brent Nassibian. Brent and I have known each other for well over 20 years through Red Bull – at that time, Brent worked at Red Bull and I was working with the brand through action sports events. Brent has brought his extensive corporate knowledge to 1800 Projects through his work with corporate organisations such as Red Bull, Australian Turf Club, Wonder Creative Agency, Red Rooster and Oporto.
Q: How has 1800 Projects grown since its inception?
BB: 1800 Projects started in a rented apartment in Cronulla. The name 1800 Projects is an evolution of the business, and is an opportunity for us to let our customers know that we are more than just a promo company. 1800 Projects still offers branded merchandise and uniforms, which was the foundation of the business, but we have found ourselves producing large scale printing and signage related projects more and more in the recent years.
Today, the business produces premium branded merchandise and signage material for the likes of Channel Nine and Stan. We can produce just about anything to brand or promote a business – vehicle graphics to giant sardine cans and keyrings. If it’s branded, 1800 Projects is the place to get it done. 1800 Projects now also employs over 15 people and services clients Australia-wide.
Q: What machines does the company own?
BB: 1800 Projects has an arsenal of printing and sign making equipment that we use to create our work. When I tarted the business 18 years ago, I bought a Roland Versa Studio cutter to make transfers and then quickly progressed to a Roland wide format print cut machine so that I could move into the print/cut world.
I never expected to do signage, but with so many clients wanting us to build bespoke-style brand activation pieces, it became apparent that signage printing and fabrication was the direction that our business needed to follow.
Since then, we have purchased many printers and cutting machines. Printing solvent is done on our Roland TrueVIS VG3-640 and Roland SOLJET Pro4 XR-640. UV printing roll-to-roll is carried out on the Canon Colorado M-series and direct printing is done on our Océ Arizona GT.
Cutting shapes happen on the Summa F1832 Series cutter and Multicam CNC machine. Finishing is done on the trusty RollOver table. We also have DTF printing in-house for our uniforms side of the business – this allows us to produce textile transfers without limitation.
Q: What are some of the biggest growth areas for the business?
BB: In recent times, our wide format printing and profile cutting segment has taken centre stage. We have printing power on the Colorado and the cutting speed on the Summa. Beyond the machines, we have a dedicated and skilled team of printing professionals that help Brent and I steer the business in the right direction.
Hard work is the catalyst to the upward momentum of 1800 Projects, and that is delivered by our team – from client interactions to the print room and onto the installation or delivery. Our team genuinely cares about the finished product, and delivering on a premium result is ingrained into the working culture of the business. It is something that we are all proud of.
Q: What are some of the most unique projects the company has worked on?
BB: We’ve produced so many great projects over the years, but one that comes to mind is the Camilla projects that we recently worked on. We are blessed to work with her impressive designs and bring them to life in a retail setting. One standout Camilla project was a can of sardines that we made – it stands proud at the entrance of her head office. A project like this uses just about all of our sign making equipment and the end result makes your head turn!
Stan and Nine Paris Olympics branding and merchandise was also memorable as it was a milestone for the business, allowing us to use all segments of 1800 Projects. We delivered metres of print along with branded uniforms and merchandise, down to the Olympic pins worn during the Olympic broadcast from Paris.
Other projects would include the Giant Dragon Egg for BINGE’s launch of Game of Thrones, and the Super Bowl Field floating down Sydney Harbour that gained a minute of airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast.
Those interested can see more of our work, including custom printed tiles, printed and profile cut plywood, wallpaper and window displays, on our website.
Q: What are some of your future plans for 1800 Projects?
BB: For 1800 projects, the next six to 12 months will be focussed on servicing our regular clients and showcasing the new look business to the wider community. We have so much to offer as a company and we are not afraid of expanding to service the needs of our growing clientele.
Long-term, we’d like to see 1800 Projects continue to deliver on high-end branding solutions and marketing tools to our customers. We want to move with the times and welcome new technology, like AI, and the exciting prospects they bring to our team, so that we can deliver on better branding experiences that are memorable and effective for all of those who use our services.
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