Pixartprinting launches LooktheBook
Italian web-to-print specialist Pixartprinting has launched a book to accompany its blog, Pixarthinking.
LooktheBook comprises the best articles from the first year of the Pixarthinking blog
The book, titled LooktheBook is made up of a collection of the best articles from the first year of the Pixarthinking blog. It was edited by the blog’s former editor Cristina Cortelezzi.
Sales and marketing director Andrea Pizzola said: “We said to ourselves ‘can we prepare an ordinary book or an interesting graphic by involving a graphic design team?’ So we found a very good agency in Milan.”
“The book is not your average book; it’s not a magazine, it’s not a narrative, it’s just a collection of the best articles. We inserted some very good graphics, positioned the images in a good way and allowed the articles to fit on a physical piece of the book,” he added.
LooktheBook was printed in-house, but it was the combination of Pixartprinting’s printing team and the Milanese graphics agency, Effige, that Pizzola believes made it such an aesthetic success. It has a ‘Bodonian’ cover and etched packaging to make it “feel like a jewel”. It also has raised type inside, with one page fully written in Braille.
The first print run was 750, of which 200 were handed out at an event to promote the book to customers in Milan in March. LooktheBook’s editor Cristina Cortelezzi signed copies of the book at the event and feedback was positive. “People at the event were saying ‘where can I buy? Where can I sell?’ Unfortunately we do not have the power of distribution, it’s just a very good gift,” said Pizzola.
Pixartprinting’s blog Pixarthinking has been running since September 2014, and produces content on a range of topics, including design, art, technology and food. It has a growing network of contributors.
Pizzola said: “The main reason for the blog is for the purposes of search engine optimisation. It’s given people a lot of content and arguments that we can’t insert into our product pages. Our page activity is improving because of the blog as the blog is inside Pixartprinting’s website.”
Cortelezzi was initially hired to be Pixarthinking’s editor but Pizzola wanted a change in direction so he had her edit LooktheBook and brought in an in-house editor, Mattia Coletti, to take over the blog. Coletti has been editor of the blog since January.
Under Coletti, the blog now takes a new “borderline” approach, leading with the new slogan ‘Ideas? Can we trust them’.
“Since January Mattia has been working on something different. We call ourselves a ‘borderline’ blog now. He comes from the art world and he decided to put a lot of art and cinema in there,” said Pizzola. Coletti has changed the blog’s structure, bringing in a new layout and publishing an article a day, instead of four on a Thursday.
The blog is now getting an average of 150 more readers per day than it was in 2015 but Pizolla is aiming to double its readership by the end of 2016.
Pixartprinting was formed in 1994 by Matteo Rigamonti. It specialises in online printing services, printing both small-format and large-format items, along with packaging and fabric prints.
It employes 420 staff and production takes place at its headquarters in Quarto d’Altino, Venice. It has offices throughout Europe, including in London.