What’s Old Is Nu Again

Posted by Canadian Gift Guide on November 19, 2014 · 103 Comments

Times change, people change – a quote my husband likes to throw at me all the time. The fact is, change is usually for the better, as is the case with today’s featured brand, Nuvango. I’ve actually featured Nuvango before – but if you don’t recognize their name, that’s only because the brand has undergone a pretty big change in the past year from Gelaskins, to Nuvango. The reason? Their product line is so extensive – well past the thin skins they initially sold to trick out your phone – that it was time to look beyond that first product. To learn more about their totally expanded and totally awesome range these days, read on.

Greeting Cards – $5 each
It’s interesting that for a brand that started out focused on mobile devices, they’ve now expanded their line to include quite a few paper products too, like these new greeting cards. But that’s the thing about Nuvango – they’re essentially an extensive print shop that puts a focus on usable products and dazzling artwork. If you’ve never read any of my posts about them in the past, their model involves working with emerging and established artists to reproduce their work across a range of products. The greeting cards are just one in a long line of ways you can repurpose your favourite works. Printed on high quality FSC stock, these blank cards come with a simple envelope and are individually packaged. I particularly like them because they can be rejigged into mini art prints, with the addition of a simple, stylish frame.

Sony Headphone Skins – $20 each
Nuvango has also started applying their decals to a range of unique items, including everything from an insulin monitor to Flip cameras to your Apple trackpad. One particularly nifty innovation is their application to these Sony headphones. If you’re buying a new pair of cans for your nephew, sibling or husband, consider tacking on a pair of skins to give their headphones their very own personal flair. It’s especially useful if multiple people in one household have the same set of something – from your iPhone to your tablet to yes, your headphones. No more mixing things up!

Laptop Skins – $30
Another neat thing to have witnessed in the evolution of the Nuvango brand is the gallery they now curate. With over 3,000 artists signed up, they offer a massive range of designs and styles that span everything from abstract shapes to anime-inspired graphics to beautiful paintings to even classic icons, like Norman Rockwell paintings or photographs from National Geographic’s awe-inspiring library. If you have a loved one that’s particularly creative, you can even custom design your own piece – consider nabbing your spouse’s latest graphic design project or sketch and applying it to a cool laptop skin, like the ones above (which for the record, come in just about every laptop brand size and shape you can imagine.

Phone Cases – $35 & Skins – $15
Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention that Nuvango is very much still in the cases and skins business. Virtually every piece of artwork they license can be applied to your favourite mobile device, including the latest and greatest iPhone 6, as well as a whole range of phones from Google, Nokia, Blackberry, Samsung, LG, and Motorola. The great thing about Nuvango handling their own production (unlike say, a brand like Kate Spade that has to outsource their designs) is they’re usually one of the first companies out there to have a new template ready for printing. That means that pretty much as soon as a new phone is released, you’ll barely have to wait at all to grab a new skin or case to go with it – making Nuvango a must-visit for tech junkies that are always upgrading their devices.

And if you really love a particular print, you can go all matchy matchy and apply it to the full range of Nuvango‘s products – from their newly introduced (last year) stretched canvas and framed art prints, all the way down to your gaming system, cell phone, ereader and more. Whenever you click on an item you like, it’ll automatically show you what else that image is available on, as well as related images that have a similar vibe or colour scheme. It’s a super intuitive system that makes navigating their 3,000+ artists that much simpler. You can also browse by artist, to check out the full works and create a unified picture collage on your wall.

I should also mention that there is much, much more on the horizon for Nuvango. In fact, one of their new product line launches is happening very soon, so be sure to keep your eyes on their site…as well as this post, for details on what this fabulous new innovation is!

As a final slice of good news, I’m giving away a $150 Nuvango gift code so one lucky winner can go on a fun shopping spree for themselves, and their loved ones, this holiday season. Interested in winning? Here’s how to enter:

1) Visit the Nuvango website and check out their incredible gallery of products and images. Leave a link back to your favourite image and tell me what you’d apply it to by midnight on December 1, 2014 to enter the draw.

2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around December 2, 2014 to select the winner(s), who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.

3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible for this promotion.

4) Bonus Entries: There’s two ways to earn extra entries into this draw:

– Follow Nuvango on Instagram and stay on top of their latest & greatest product releases. Like or comment on one of their photos and leave a link back to that photo in a separate comment below, along with your Instagram username.

– Join the 425,000+ people that have already Liked Nuvango on Facebook. Leave a comment on their wall about your favourite artwork. Then link back to that wall post in a separate comment below.