LCBA at 83% of its goal - 7 days to go!

The London Centre for Book Arts is an artist-run open-access studio and education centre dedicated to all thing books. Simon and Ira founded LCBA in 2012 with the goal of creating a space where artists, designers and the wider community could share resources and expertise to create and edition books and publications – becoming the first and only centre of its kind in the UK. A space open to everyone, regardless of background, education, or experience.

It is a wonderful resource and over the last eight years, it has gone from strength to strength. At Fenner Paper, we collaborated with the LCBA For our 2018 diary. 

However, like many arts organisations and venues, the majority of their funding stream was wiped out overnight due to the pandemic. All workshops were cancelled and the open-access studio remained closed for most of 2020. Luckily, through a combination of support from the community, SPACE Studios, and London Borough of Tower Hamlets, they were able to keep the studio running - to re-open in the future!

They have launched a Kickstarter campaign to reopen LCBA to the public and to create a new exhibition space dedicated to book arts and publishing ...and it's 83% there with just 7 days to go!

They are asking for your help to repair, rebuild and reopen the studio to the public after Covid-19.

Why don't you get a real "feel good" factor and help get the LCBA Over the line with whatever you can afford...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/londonbookarts/london-centre-for-book-arts-is-reopening?ref=project_link

Posted by Justin Hobson 30.10.2021

Cabin Fever (3rd Wave)

Cross-disciplinary designer and printmaker, Paul Wolterink works across a range of media, believing "Anything can function as a carrier for information". From his roots as graphic designer, Wolterink's design vision is based on rapid instinctive 'design intuition' resulting in strong communication and simple visual language, that quickly burns on the retina - which is certainly true with this bright fluorescent print!

In Paul's own words...'CABIN FEVER' is created during the 3rd U.K. C19-wave/lockdown (Jan - March 2021) and is printed July 2021, and (despite our noble endless patience) reflects the lockdown-fatigue that struck me during this period. It's a short and vibrant visual scream in response to the challenging times we live(d) in. A real, and perhaps also slightly ironic, cry. After which we focusedly continue our paths again...

The size is 500x271mm and is hand silkscreen in 2 colours printed on our Matrisse 250gsm. An edition of 35 prints only, signed and numbered but produced in three colourways.

Paul goes on to say... Its typeface is 'Shatter' designed by Vic Carless in 1973. A expressive iconic letter that I not used in my work before, simply because there was no reason yet to work with it. But during this l3rd lockdown there was no doubt about it: Shatter HAD TO BE THE typeface to express this fatigue feeling with. Dutch people may know the typeface very well because of an famous album sleeve saying 'SKUNK', from a very popular mid 80s reggae band in the Netherlands named 'Doe Maar'. The print itself is claustophobically tight printed on its paper size. When framed it deliberately boxes the print just about. Sync to its expression 'CABIN FEVER'.

CABIN FEVER prémièred at Houghton Hall in Norfolk in the 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' show, which ended last week.

You can read more about the project and see the other colourways and buy the prints here...

http://portfolio.paulwolterink.com/filter/design/CABIN-FEVER-3rd-Wave

Posted by Justin Hobson 29.09.2021

Paper shortages?

...not quite, but there are some supply issues in the market!

At this time of year, there is usually a seasonal spike in demand, however this year millions of tonnes of commercial and publication papermaking capacity is being taken out of the market. Pulp prices have also increased sharply this year. Earlier this year I wrote about the closure of two StoraEnso mills in Kvarnsveden and Veitsiluoto mills which will actually cease production in the next couple of months, which takes more than a million tonnes of paper production out of the market.

The result is that papers which would normally be available from a mill in 4 weeks may now take 8 or 10 weeks, so planning ahead is a very smart idea!

You can read the Printweek article here...

https://www.printweek.com/news/article/paper-supply-crunch-buyers-urged-to-plan-well-ahead

Posted by Justin Hobson 27.09.2021

New Flora Recycled Swatch

If you aren't familiar with Flora, it is a part recycled text and cover paper with a deliberately recycled look and feel with specks and inclusions, so it looks deliberately flecky and specky. Flora is produced by Cordenons in Italy with 30% post consumer de-inked waste, together with 60% of virgin FSC pulp and with the "secret" ingredient of 10% of cotton fibres, which gives the paper a wonderful tactile feel.

All the shades have the specks and inclusions with the exception of the Gardenia shade which is a "clean" neutral white shade.

The range consists of nine shades in total including Anice, Giglio, Avorio, Tabacco, Noce, Gardenia and three new deeper shades Crusca, Canella and Ginepro.

Below shows the detail of the natural, deliberately visible, inclusions and fibres - this paper has a character all of it's own!

To demonstrate the printability, there is a printed sample produced on the Flora Gardenia 130gsm - which is the shade without the inclusions.

It really is a lovely range. Muted natural colours and excellent printability. Here are some previous projects which have used Flora to great effect: 

http://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/lower-mill-estate.html

https://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.com/2018/02/honest-burgers.html

If you would like one of our swatches, just email me: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.09.2021

Graphic Design History Resources

We Made This is the design practice of Alistair Hall who's work has appeared on this blog many times before. He is also an author and an Associate Lecturer on the Graphic Design BA course at the School of Art at London Metropolitan University.

...and this is what he wrote on his blog:

"One of the things I’ve noticed each year though is that students often struggle when it comes to finding useful places to look for inspiration when they search online.* If you’re new to design, it can be hard to filter, to work out what you should really be looking at. The problem seems to be the massive gravity of Google Image Search and Pinterest, which exerts a pull that students find hard to escape."

The result is Alistair has created a list of some really great graphic design archives and resources, which you can find here:

https://www.wemadethis.co.uk/blog/2021/09/graphic-design-history-resources/

Alistair is not claiming this is an entirely comprehensive list, just a useful resource ..and indeed it is. 

As he goes on to say:

We’re at an exciting time in our industry’s history, when the established canon of graphic design is being questioned, examined, and reformed, so that it’s no longer the preserve of middle-aged straight white men. That said, the following list still leans heavily in that direction, partly because the industry leant heavily in that direction for many, many years. But great strides are being made, and as we look forwards, the industry is beginning to reflect the true diversity of society.

Thanks Alistair!

https://www.wemadethis.co.uk/blog/2021/09/graphic-design-history-resources/

Posted by Justin Hobson 23.09.2021

Thank you...

IST Printing are Hot Foil Blocking and Embossing specialists. Based in Glasgow, IST is run by Ian Stopford and he has a real passion for foiling and the finest print finishes. His work for clients based all over the country has appeared many times on this blog before.

Ian has just printed these 'Thank You' cards to send out with completed orders...

The cards are A6, Landscape (105x148mm) and are printed on our Shiro Echo 100% Recycled in Raw Grey and Raw Sand 350gsm.

Click on images to enlarge

The front of the card is hot foil blocked and embossed. On the reverse of the card, the details of the reorder number and the stock and foil type used...

You can see the detail of the superb embossing here...

Click on images to enlarge

Below you can see the wonderful hot foil blocking, which is using Foilco Black 7067NAB, which is a smudge resist foil. 

Dies are made by Metallic Elephant.

My thanks to Ian for sending me file copies and I know he is working on other items which he says he will send me...

https://www.istprinting.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 21.09.2021

De La Warr Pavilion - Join Us

This is the membership leaflet for the De La Warr Pavilion. The De La Warr pavilion is on the seafront in Bexhill in Sussex and is an iconic modernist building by the architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff which opened in 1936. Following a major renovation in 2005, the pavilion hosts many shows, exhibitions and cultural events.

It is an A5 (210x148mm) portrait 6pp gatefold, folding out to 210x444mm. First spread below...

Folding out to...

Click on images to enlarge

Ostensibly, this is a just leaflet but this has been printed on Omnia 150gsm which means that rather than feeling like the vast majority of mass produced leaflets printed on a cheap bit of coated paper, this has real character and value. Equally the design and the wonderful flat colours sit nice and flat, really work to make this feel anything but a leaflet!

Above shows birds eye image. Below shows the solid cover around the fold which hasn't cracked at all.

The De La Warr identity and design (including the website) is by Playne Design who have studios in London and Hastings. Creative Director is Clare Playne. You can read more about the creation of the identity here: https://playnedesign.co.uk/our-work/de-la-warr-pavilion/#branding-modernist-cultural-icon

...and of course, like many cultural institutions, the De La Warr Pavilion has been closed for periods of time over the last 18 months during the Covid crisis, so what better time to support them and become a member! It is very reasonable and there are many benefits, which you can see online here...

https://www.dlwp.com/support/membership/

Posted by Justin Hobson 17.09.2021

TIC CC

TIC CC is a UK brand of performance cycling clothing. Created for road athletes looking to achieve extraordinary things, their products are defined by the finest technical fabrics, hours of development and testing time, and a unique ‘peloton style’ aesthetic. The brand is also passionate in their commitment to sustainability...

Make responsibly — protect the irreplaceable! As riders we see it as our duty to do all we can to reduce the harm, protect the irreplaceable and make a positive difference. We are as passionate about ‘how we make’ as we are ‘what we make’

This is the printed promotional literature for their SS21 collection, used both as a mailer and sent out together with orders. The format is a 16pp, folded concertina, as you can see here...

The finished size is 240 x 170mm, folding out to 480 x 680mm.

Click on images to enlarge

Centre spread...

The concept for their SS21 photo shoot was based around the notion of ‘where we have been and where we are heading’. "We are more aware of the fragility of the world we live in based on our recent experiences of the pandemic. But tough challenges can lead to reflection, empowerment and renewed optimism. It’s the human spirit in action. The photography captures the optimism and sense of progression for the TICCC brand. This is a positive year for us as 95% of the SS21 collection uses performance fabrics made from recycled fibres. No mean feat considering less than 10% of the worlds fibre production is made with recycled materials."

Fully extended spread...

folding out to...

Click on images to enlarge

Be the Change - main spread

Released this April, this promo focuses on their spring/summer collection which reflects the change we all need to be. It represents their commitment to setting new industry standards for sustainability.

...and what about the paper? Well it has to be 100% recycled and our Shiro Echo, White in 100gsm was chosen, not just because it is recycled but it would handle the high density black CMYK coverage and the fluoro orange would "pop" out!

...and it works beautifully.

Printing is by Identity Print in Paddock Wood and as I hope you can tell from the images, they have made a fantastic job. The solid black is amazing but still letting the images and the detail within them work.

Creative direction and design is by TIC CC and Hugh Miller.

Interestingly, having spoken to the company founder, Andrew Monk, about the project, I learnt that this is their first piece of promotional print. As an online retailer, all their information is available online, but he increasingly regards print as an important way of getting their messaging and brand across, which is great news. After all, in this virtual world, there's nothing as immediate as something physical you can just pick up and read.

https://tic-cc.com/

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.09.2021

K is for...

This is a beautiful little book, which is a personal project for printer and bookbinder Katherine Anteney sent to my colleague Sarah Glennie. Produced in an edition of 200 of which 140 copies went to the Oxford Guild of printers. 

Size is 156x124mm, portrait with a 4pp cover and 8pp text which is cut short on the width at 156x124mm and is printed Letterpress throughout using this fantastic letter K in woodblock type.

The cover is printed on our Colorset (100% Recycled) Solar 270gsm and the text is on StarFine Natural 100gsm. Below image shows the front and back cover spread out...

A particularly nice touch is the use of a pink staple on the binding - one steel and one pink 

A really lovely little job and thanks to Katherine for sending it to Sarah!

https://katherineanteney.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.09.2021

Has Covid killed off business cards for good?

This is the title of an interesting article from the BBC News website focusing on new technology and the alternatives to a printed business card...

...and definitely worth a read HERE

I've written about business cards and the size of business cards before HERE

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58419842

Posted by Justin Hobson 07.09.2021