Offering a well-rounded service to their clients is a vital part of the business; they tailor make fulfilment packages that help to take some of the logistical pressure away from the client.

This is winning them work which may otherwise have to be split up into being handled elsewhere, between print and final despatch. They are now managing several projects for clients right through from design, print and holding, to picking, packing and despatch.

A perfect illustration of this is their work with The Adventurists, who are responsible for organizing wildly eccentric rallies to a variety of far-flung corners of the world (The Mongol Rally, The Africa Rally, The Rickshaw Run etc). In a successful effort to make life a little less boring they launched their first rally in 2004.

White Duck Screen Print started working with them in early 2007, initially only producing T shirts for The Mongol Rally but since this time the popularity of the rallies has grown enormously and it became apparent that a merchandising range was being called for.

The Adventurists have built up quite a following over the years with their target market being ideal for a range of T shirts and hoodies. 

When The Adventurists first presented their outline plan for the new range their only real concern was how to store the stock and how to manage the despatch side of things.

White Duck had recently taken on a new unit to facilitate this kind of management for a couple of other clients and offered this as an option for The Adventurists. This made their new venture seem all the more viable, so they hastily went to work on finalising designs and choosing garments.

Designs vary from two to five colour prints complete with nape prints by way of labelling. They use Continental Clothing garments in stylishly muted colours.

The designs are both generic and specific to each rally and all with a quirky feel, which incorporates the truly eccentric essence of the brand.

The clothing is referred to as "attire" and described in a way that makes you want to seek adventure.

There is a good range of T shirts and hoodies for men ("chaps") and women ("not for chaps") and it is recommended that all items be "worn with tweed breeches and a bowler head piece".

Also on sale is an eye boggling DVD and a stylish hip flask. White Duck doesn't have the facility to produce these but they proudly handle the holding and despatch.

The Adventurists run an online shop through their website where all merchandise is available.

When orders come through the site they are collated into batches, which White Duck then picks from stock and despatches.

The Adventurists have done well to create a mood with their brand which truly represents them and makes you want to abandon your more sensible side, purchase an old banger and head off to Mongolia for some reckless escapade. They have grand plans for the future and like the idea of developing a more bespoke range.

Joshua Roberton, partner of White Duck Screen Print, feels that offering more than just print and despatch is working in their favour, and says: "If we limited ourselves to offering a traditional service we probably would not be working on the level that we are with some of our clients, as illustrated with The Adventurists, among others. There are clients out there wishing to move their business/brand in a new direction but who don't have the time or the resources to do so and so by tailor making a package specific to a client's needs we are facilitating growth not just for them but for us too."

The company started offering fulfilment just over two years ago, which really got off the ground with a client, Push Merchandising Ltd, for whom they have also worked closely on the development of kidstees.com. Looking back they are really glad that Push Merchandising Ltd came to them with the needs they did, as it has made them approach areas of their business in a different way.

Push Merchandising Ltd operate an online shop offering an ever-changing range of T shirts, and specialize in slogan Ts and reactionary designs relating to celebrity and popular TV. Due to the nature of this work, White Duck and the client work closely together on the development of new designs as well as on production and despatch.

This is another case of the tailor made service working in everyone's favour and is definitely the way forward.

The people at White Duck Screen Print very much believe in thinking outside of the box and are prepared to listen to their clients needs while offering solutions that other printers may not be prepared to make.

Flights of fancy

White Duck Screen Print is a creative partnership between screen printer Joshua Roberton and graphic designer Rebecca Cleal.

After a few years of creative unrest Josh left school in 1993 and went to work for a screen printer. He served several years of hard learning and printing and produced a string of award winning print during this time. In 2002 Josh took time out of the UK to travel and work abroad. Rebecca grew up in West Wales in the heart of a creative family of painters, sculptors and craftsmen and women. In 1998 she started a degree course in Graphic Design at Bath Spa University. Bex graduated in 2002 and shortly after joined Josh in the snow of South Island, New Zealand.

Although Josh had left his previous job vowing "I will never print another T shirt again" he found himself, among other things, printing in NZ.

Bex started designing and before long they had put their creative talents together for the first time and created a mini-brand of T shirts aimed at snow boarders. This is the point where they realised that their combined skills were a good foundation for a creative screen print business.

Soon after this they starting hearing the pitter-patter of little webbed feet and so White Duck Screen Print emerged out of the white stuff. Once back in the UK White Duck was a constantly evolving, and all consuming, idea that finally became a reality. In September 2005 a nesting location was secured in Bath.

Josh and Bex now have one good-sized White Duck, two small boys, a cat and a collection of interesting bikes.

www.whiteduckscreenprint.co.uk

www.theadventurists.com

www.pushentertainment.com

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