July 17, 2020

Zapp Laser Studio is expanding its coverage and has just opened a Tattoo Removal and Skin Rejuvenation Studio in Bristol. Putting it on the map is a job that came to The Voodoo DesignWorks…

The popularity of tattoos has soared in recent years and the industry has reimagined itself and taken its art to new highs. Some artists have achieved celebrity status and the work they deliver is far removed from the over-inked scratches of yesteryear.

Though alternatives exist, tattoos are generally considered to be a permanent adornment and so are typically very carefully planned and considered. Despite that, some works are regretted and others are tired of - it’s then that the permanent markings need to be undone and the skin returned to health.

In the past, some truly medieval methods of removal were deployed often leaving permanent scarring where there was once a tattoo. Lasers eventually came to the table and did a better job but the treatment was painful, limited in the colours it could cope with and it took a very long time. That changed with the arrival of the PicoSure Laser.

The PicoSure Laser represents the state-of-the-art in such systems. It’s a much gentler experience and it copes with the widest gamut of colour. Its applications include the management of acne scarring, stretch marks and other such skin conditions in addition to its star role of removing or fading tattoos. There are just sixteen PicoSure Lasers in the UK and two of them are owned and operated by Zapp Laser Studios. One can be found in Hove where Zapp first put down its roots, and the other is at its newly opened studio in Bristol.

The Voodoo DesignWorks was contacted by Zapp’s management to consider the provision of a fascia sign and some internal branding continuations. The initial brief made it clear that the company wasn’t looking for anything that could be considered ‘run off the mill.’ It needed to stand out from the formed pan and push-throughs that surround it and reflect the clinical quality of the business.

Zapp’s logo is an arrangement of geometry forming a capital ‘Z.’ It’s elements are rendered in detail that’s swept in both colour and in density. That requirement mandated that print would form a part of the sign and that it had to be of the highest quality. All the print elements needed to be part of and integrated with dimensional fabrications forming the company’s logo and strapline. Zapp’s owners wanted the weathered stone fascia to be visible too.

Voodoo approached the job from a quality first perspective and reached for a roll of Metamark MD5’s MetaGuard Laminate for the job’s wall mounted internal logo. This was printed and then laminated to a Metamark MD5 backing layer. The printed assembly was then applied to a contour-cut Zapp logo in 10mm thick clear Perspex which really makes the colours ‘pop.’ An interlayer of a double sided adhesive was then used to bond a further contour-cut logo in substantially exact registration with the first and locators were then bonded to the rear. With its flame polished edges and vibrant MD-Class print, the finished assembly looks superb.

Moving to the shop’s outside, a smaller rimless face and return logo was fabricated from Perspex, fitted with LEDs internally and and decorated with printed Metamark MDT. Rubbing shoulders with it is fabricated lettering announcing Zapp underlined by a strip of Perspex with the company’s strapline. The strip is made from 3mm thick clear Perspex which has been laminated with Metamark Etch Effect film. The lettering applied to the strip is made from printed Metamark MD5 in Zapp’s colour which was then contour cut. Locators situate the strip on the stone fascia.

Zapp’s business is clinical in its founding. It needs to radiate the right message and, while kerb-appeal is important, it’s seconded to the need to promote a caring and capable environment within. It’s logo is a work of art and Voodoo’s interpretation of it contrasts wonderfully with the shop’s stone fascia. The impact is considerable. And it’s permanent.