Book of the Dead Invitations

These are the private view invitations for the British Museum Ancient Egyptian Exhibition, Book of The Dead. This was a blockbusting exhibition which ran from last November up until March. The 4pp invitations are A5 size and are printed on Omnia 280gsm which was chosen specifically because the gold metallic type reproduces as metallic (- often on uncoated materials metallics can just look a yellow colour) and of course because the solid black is also very solid.

Inside the outer cover is an 8pp insert which is "singer sewn" in a gold colour thread. The 8pp insert is printed on a translucent parchment type paper (pergamenata 90gsm) which gives it an ancient papyrus like feel.

Design is by Constanza Gaggero. Print is by Fulmar Colour and I know (because of all the samples we were doing!) that Martin Stacey at Fulmar Colour worked hard on getting it all working right - singer sewing along the spine especially!

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

www.fulmarcolour.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 29.07.2011

Unpaid-for advertising!

Just when you think you've seen and heard it all before, something comes along that shakes it all up!

Most people will know that although I write this blog, I'm hardly obsessed by social media, not particularly worried about what people think of me or the company (unless it's negative) and certainly not concerned about "driving traffic" to websites or our products etc. I'm flattered that well over a thousand people check out this blog every week but I write it out of a desire to show genuinely good work which is mainly (but not exclusively) using papers from Fenner Paper ...and I can share it with many more people than I can actually go and physically visit.

So I was more than a little surpised when I received an e-mail from the PR company (lexispr.com) that works for the global paper conglomerate, ArjoWiggins, asking if I might be interested in putting their new EBS tools (whatever the heck, they are!!!) and their new video on my blog!

So, I was now clearly faced with a dilema. Do I simply say that it's a conflict of interest and politely tell them to go away?
...or should I allow the company which turns over £1.5 billion (...yes, you read that right 1.5 BILLION pounds!) and over 6000 employees, the oxygen of publicity on my blog!

Just so you're sure you know who I'm banging on about, this is the company that makes brands such as Conqueror, Chromomat, Curious etc. which I'm sure you're all familiar with. Technically they are a competitor but in the shark infested waters of the papery ocean, they are the size of a whale and we are not much bigger than plankton!

So I thought long and hard about it and thought, why not! I feel quite chuffed that they're asking little old Fenner Paper who has 15 employees and a turnover of less than 1% of their £1.5 billion for our help! ...and the video is about the use of recycled paper, so I figured it might work just as well for us as our Colorset is the only 100% recycled coloured text and cover paper on the market.

So here are the EBS tools (!) and the video:
http://smr.lexispr.com/arjowiggins/ebs-video  [not many of you readers place comments on the blog, but do lets get some reader reaction]

After this major publicity coup, maybe they'll make me an offer - a corner office, an executive chair, a shiny suit and place on the board - problem is I don't speak French - oh salaud!

http://www.arjowiggins.com/

http://www.lexispr.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 28.07.2011

A Curious Project

Here's a particularly lovely finished piece by Joanna Hughes who just graduated from the BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Illustration at the University of Hertfordshire. The brief was a redesign of the original novel 'Alice in Wonderland' written by Lewis Carroll.

The book size is 150mm x 195mm. It is casebound, covered in a grey buckram bookcloth and hot foil blocked in matt white (title) and silver (footnote) foils. It has 154pp (or 77x4pp french folded pieces) printed 1 colour on Offenbach Bible 60gsm, the text is printed inside the french fold to symbolize the fact that Alice has fallen within 'Wonderland'. 

...and it was showcased this month at the New Designers Exhibition at the Business Design Centre.
http://www.newdesigners.com/page.cfm/Action=Exhib/ExhibID=221

A really beautiful book, simple idea and well put together.  

In March I did a talk at the University of Hertfordshire for tutors Jess Harris and Martin Schooley ( I used to do some work with Jess when she was a designer at The Partners back in the 90's - she's now a tutor and she got in touch with me) Anyway, it was at that talk that Jo saw the Offenbach Bible, she remembered it, used it on an appropriate project and wrote me a lovely thank you note as well.
http://cargocollective.com/joannahughes#1666525/Book-Design

...so if anyone is impressed with the above and hiring, here are Joanna's contact details:

 JoannaHughes0@gmail.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 27.07.2011

Print Innovation

These days,they're often not very much good news to be had in the printing industry, but here's a good news story from West London based printers BOSS.

This printer has always been innovative  - they had one of the very first Indigo digital presses - ten years ago!  They specialise in producing high quality Litho & digital print across a wide range of sectors and markets and they have now launched a seperate online business producing online greetings cards on their new site:  www.bosscards.com

Using their Indigo press with a range of selected artists they produce all the cards individually. As you would expect,  you can personalise the designs to include your own messages and names but there is also a degree of typographic freedom which other online card suppliers don't offer. 

Each week they have a featured artist and the image below is from the current featured artist, Joseph Shepherd  http://www.becomingsustainable.net/josephshepherd/gallery.html

Now there are obviously the other card companies (...you know, the spacepigs which advertise on the telly!) but for those that are a bit more design savvy, I think it's well worth having a look at Boss cards...

www.bosscards.com

www.bossprint.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 25.07.2011

Morse

Here's a very nice self promo piece for London based Morse Studio.

The format is 170x240mm, portrait. There is a 20pp text with a cover that is cut short by 35mm on the front and back. It is saddle stitched and has a deliberately floppy feel to it. The text is on our lovely matt feeling Marazion Ultra in 90gsm which as you will see from the images below has really brought life to the printed piece. The cover sadly is not on our paper - it's "Le French" coloured offset paper from Arjo called Popset in 120gsm and it is printed in one colour - litho white - which is very effective. 

This piece shows a diverse range of work from animation, packaging and print for McDonald's and identity work. Creative Director is Hugh Morse.

Printing is by Identity, based in Paddock Wood, Kent.

www.morsestudio.com
http://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 21.07.2011 

It's Nice That #6 - out now!

 

Yes, the eponymous It's Nice That #6 has hit the streets. Under the editorship of Alex Moshakis, it is packed with the usual superbly selected content featuring George Lois, Lawrence Weiner and Asger Carlsen, essays by BAFTA-award-winning animator Mikey Please and publisher David Bennewith. There's also an excellent profile on artist Keith Haring by Lucia Davies.

Issue #6 remains the same size as previous (210x275mm portrait) but has modified the materials again utilising a recycled offset for the Work section (Cyclus offest, I think) and our Marazion Ultra 90gsm for the Features/Interviews section. The cover is provided by that other paper company ( ...you know, the one based near Grimsby) with a Brocade emboss. The whole publication has a great feel about it.

The pre-order copies come with a fantastic print (pictured here) designed by artist, Andy Rementer. Size is (735x525mm) printed on our lovely Offenbach Bible 60gsm. http://andyrementer.com/

It is now available to buy online for £10 and you have the chance to sign up for a 12-month subscription, which means you also get the exclusive prints. Print is by Push.

 

BUY NOW! http://www.itsnicethat.com/

http://andyrementer.com/

www.itsnicethat.com

www.push-print.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 19.07.2011

Whistles HS 2011

This is another superbly produced lookbook for Whistles - High Summer 2011

The size is 235x290mm Portrait, saddle stitched. It has a 4pp cover (which is deliberately lightweight) on our Colorset Solar 120gsm (100% Recycled) which is printed in just one colour litho (black) with a 28pp text on Marazion Ultra 90gsm, so the whole job has a deliberately 'floppy' feel.

As with some of the previous lookbooks, many of the spreads alternate between CMYK in colour and four colour black and white images, and on some spreads there's even a completely blank page which creates a luxurious feeling of space.

Art Direction and design is by Simmonds Ltd. Photography is by Kacper Kasprzyk and styling is by Francesca Burns. Print is by Push (superb fleshtone and mono reproduction, by the way)

http://www.whistles.co.uk/

http://www.simmondsltd.com/
http://www.push-print.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 15.07.2011

Australia comes to Town

Have you been to the British Museum recently?  If not, you're in for a bit of a surprise as the picture below shows what it currently looks like!

Over the summer there is a series of exhibitions and events focusing on Australia, including an Australian landscape created in the heart of London on the Museum’s forecourt created in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

...and what's this got to do with paper I hear you ask? Well using some of the stunning artworks and imagery from Australia, the British Museum has created some fantastic invitations for events and private views.

The private view invitations for Australia Landscape (4pp)  and Baskets and Belonging (6pp) are A5 size and are printed on Omnia 280gsm which was chosen so the vibrant colours (especially the blue) looks even and bright (...and it does!) whilst also retaining the detail in the images (baskets) 

Design is by Helen Adrados who is one of the designers in the British Museum design team (marketing), headed up by Ann Lumley. They always seem to put out excellent printed literature.

Print is by Fulmar Colour.

...and time to hurry along to see the lovely garden and exhibition. The garden is there until 16th October and the exhibition on 11th September.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

www.fulmarcolour.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 13.07.2011

Hat-Trick is 10

When you get an invitation as good as this to a party, you know it's going to be a good one!

Hat-Trick celebrated their 10th Birthday by throwing a party at their lovely studio last Thursday evening and very kindly invited me. It was a great evening, fun was had by all as I think the (rather poor) pics will show!

...and I even managed to get a picture of the lesser spotted Harriet Devoy standing under the "COMMIT NO NUISANCE" poster! - pure gold.

Thanks to Jim Sutherland and Gareth Howat for inviting me and involving me in some of their projects over the last ten years - and to all the staff at Hat-Trick, past and present.

PS all guests were given a lovely little book as a keepsake called "in brief" showing ten years of work - it's 40mm thick - and very nice, thank you. 

www.hat-trickdesign.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 12.07.2011

One Hundred and Forty Characters

One Hundred and Forty Characters is the title of this poster by photographer Chris Floyd.

In July 2010 he began photographing people that he followed on Twitter. The idea came as he realised that many of the people on Twitter that he communicated with several times a week (in bursts of 140 characters or less) were people that he had never met.

After a year, Chris had photographed 140 of them and this is the ensuing piece of work. (click to enlarge)

The poster is a limited print run of 500. Design is by Wayne Ford

Size is A1 (841mm x 594mm) and were printed offset litho in Tritone (warm grey 4 and 2 blacks). Omnia 120gsm was chosen so that it had a tactile feel and the photographic images reproduced really well. Print is by Gavin Martin.

You can read more about the project on Chris Floyd's blog:
http://chrisfloyduk.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/one-hundred-forty-characters/
http://wayneford.posterous.com/
www.gavinmartin.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 11.07.2011

Typography Workshop

Letterpress aficionado, Alan Kitching, has announced two dates in September for his popular and renowned workshops. First established in 1989, Alan has run these popular workshops for over two decades, in recent years with his partner, the late Celia Stothard.

Once again there is now the opportunity join with a wide ranging group of design practitioners and be immersed in a world of hands on setting and inky type. The images below are from previous courses and give you a flavour of what goes on...

Alan will be assisted by Jon Kielty and Ross Shaw, both experienced letterpress practitioners in their own right.

To read more about it and see the dates, follow the link:

http://www.thetypographyworkshop.com

Ditch the plans for the summer holiday, rob the piggy bank and book yourself a couple of most rewarding days in Kennington!

Posted by Justin Hobson 11.07.2011