Spitfire Audio - The Annual

In the spring of 2018, British music technology company Spitfire Audio began compiling stories, photos, conversations and interviews with a whole host of musicians and friends of the company, collected together in a very special print publication called The Spitfire Audio Annual.

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At a whopping 246 pages, it is 18mm thick and is shown in the image above with the black covered, debossed slipcase. The Annual boasts behind-the-scenes photography of the extraordinary Schimmel Piano factory and the hallowed Harbeth Speakers workshop, featured in the publication alongside and illustrations by Jan Buchczik.

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Taking cues from the production of music scores, the in-house team has balanced exclusive, beautifully-commissioned stories and images with a specially-designed typeface to sit within its functional, minimal approach to design.

Said co-founder Christian Henson: “There have been many surprises on this odyssey that is Spitfire Audio, an idea born in a pub in Soho with my business partner Paul over a decade ago. All enabled by our extended family, comprised of thousands of like-minded talented people around the world who have given us trust, belief and vital feedback. So, as with any proud family, we thought it only appropriate to create a family album — an Annual — as a memento of an incredible year that we have all shared together.”

The publication size is 270x200mm, portrait and is 'spiral bound', which means it is individual 'leaves' held together with the binding loop. There are 93leaves (186pp) on Shiro Echo, Bright White 120gsm and 26 leaves (52pp) on Harvest, Straw 130gsm. The image spreads are mainly produced on the Shiro Echo and the reproduction is superb.

There are also the lovely surprise 'tip ins' which happen infrequently but work beautifully.

...and a spread showing a Spitfire, printed on Harvest, Straw

Below is a detail image showing the spiral binding (cover is on Cairn board 500 mics from Paperback)

Harvest 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. Harvest is produced with 30% post consumer de-inked waste, together with 60% of virgin FSC pulp 10% cotton fibres, which gives the paper a wonderful tactile feel. See the image below to see the detail...

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Interestingly, the spread below is printed on Shiro Echo on the left hand side and on Harvest Straw on the right hand page. The printer has worked very hard to compensate for the differences in shade and printability to get a seemingly seamless end result.

The designers of the Annual are Aspa Founti and Tom Howe at Spitfire Audio.

The publication is printed offset litho, CMYK throughout. The excellent print is by Park Communications, who are based in East London, with Steve Ilott managing the project. The below image shows the full extent of the 246 page publication with a thickness of 18mm

This publication is a great piece of print, it also demonstrates a real commitment by the owners of this business that they want to celebrate 10 years, by producing something tangible. A piece of print, an object, a creation that will last (if stored correctly) for hundreds of years. It is a celebration in print and is something that these days is being produced less and less.

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/theannual
https://www.spitfireaudio.com/
https://www.parkcom.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.01.2019