Jobs from the past - Number 167

Regular followers of this blog will know that my first post of every month is a "job from the past" so that I can show some of the really good work from years gone by and this one is from 2013

AMC² Issue4

Archive of Modern Conflict is an independent publisher based in London and this is issue 4 of  their series of journals. (their books on photography and art have won or been shortlisted for many prizes). This is a truly beautiful book, which is just a delight to hold and leaf through.

 

AMC² issue4 comprises photographs from Collected Shadows, an exhibition curated by the AMC for Paris Photo 2012. The works span a period from the early 1850s to the present day and are by photographers both known and unknown, amongst them Bertha Jaques, Gustave Le Gray, Robert Frank, Willi Ruge, Paul-Émile Miot, Johann Böhm, Ferdinand Quénisset, Mario Giacomelli, Eugene Atget, Josef Sudek and many others, while subjects include earth, fire, air, water and ether as well as divinity, astronomy, meteorology, flight and dance (these words from AMC books)

The size is 230x200mm, portrait and is perfect bound. The publication has an 8pp cover on StarFine White 200gsm. The text is made up using "French-folded" sections on Marazion Ultra 90gsm which gives it a sensational light feel and flows beautifully in the hand. The book has a 14mm spine.

The book has 140pp or printed pages (which I would normally describe as 70 x 4pp French-folded sections) - this actually makes 280pp but because the other side is unprinted and the ends are bound, each 4pp = 2pp. It's a bit tricky but if you think about it, it makes sense. French folding with a material like Marazion Ultra 90gsm feels fantastic because the weight of the material lets the pages flop and flow beautifully. The 8pp cover (pictured below) on Starfine 200gsm contributes to the soft feel. 

The picture below shows the foredge with the "french-folded" text

The book is printed by a Belgian printer, Die Keure, who are based in Bruges. They are one of the most renowned European book printers and they print for many of the high end publishers in Europe. The print and binding is superb on this book. It is printed CMYK throughout but most of the images have a mono/sepia reproductions and it's hard to get the consistency of look and feel in one publication from multiple image sources but this is an admirable result.

 

The designer is Melanie Mues, who I have worked with for many years. It was great to have the opportunity to work on a book project together, especially one as exquisite as this. 

https://archiveofmodernconflict.com/amc2-journal-issue-4/
https://www.muesdesign.com/
https://www.diekeure.be/printing/en/

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.10.2023

Jobs from the past - Number 142

Regular followers of this blog will know that my first post of every month is a "job from the past" so that I can show some of the really good projects from years gone by and this is from 2009.

Misfits - Channel 4 November 2009

This is a promotional Zine produced by Channel 4 to promote their series called Misfits, which is about five young outsiders on Community Service who get caught in a strange storm and discover that they have developed superpowers. This Zine was published as a promotional item before the premier which was aired on Thursday 12th November 2009.

I got a call from Alice Tonge at Channel 4 Creative who briefed me along with Keeley Pratt about the project wanted to produce a publication as close to a Zine as possible. The design and illustration can create the look but the materials are thing that clinch it!

Size is 260 x 165mm and it has a 4pp cover and a 24pp text.

Above you can see the high gloss cover - and this is where the Zine magic happens, because Astralux being a 'Cast Coated' paper it has a high gloss surface one side and is uncoated on the reverse, so you get the juxtaposition of the high gloss coated with the toothy uncoated reverse (printed purple) as I hope you will be able to see in the image below...

The cover is printed on a lightweight 170gsm Astralux 1 sided. Inside front spread...

The text is printed in CMYK, offset litho on our Marazion Ultra 90gsm. This is a lightweight paper with a matt coating but which has an amazing bulk, tactile feel and excellent opacity for 90gsm. It feels just right for this project, reprocing the illustrations and flat cover with the zine look and feel...

Centre spread...

The 24pp text just rolls and flops like a Zine would do on a lightweight paper 

This is the perfect facsimile of a Zine. It's one of those projects I look back on and feel that the end result hit the brief perfectly. Art direction and design is in house by 4 Creative with Alice Tonge as creative director and Keeley Pratt as producer. Print production is by Tag Worldwide and the print and finishing is by Principal Colour based in Paddock Wood, Kent.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/misfits

http://www.principalcolour.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson .02.09.2021

Cath Kidston - 25 years

This year Cath Kidston celebrates their 25th anniversary. The brand was established in London’s Holland Park, with Cath selling car boot finds and vintage fabric. When the business became more established, she began to create her own Modern Vintage designs, her first being floral ironing boards and statement wallpaper.

Almost 25 years later, the brand now has over 200 stores worldwide and has become synonymous with classic British design, internationally famous for unique floral prints and bright, playful patterns.

Cath Kidston have produced this lovely little pocketbook sized booklet to celebrate in 25 chapters. The size is A6 (148x105mm) portrait and is saddle stitched. The 4pp cover is on our Omnia 150gsm and 52pp text is on Marazion Ultra 90gsm, which means that it sits nice and flat.

The job is printed offset litho throughout and the cover is printed CMYK plus a silver. On most traditional uncoated papers, metallic inks can look flat and silver can just look a bit grey, but as I hope the above image demonstrates, the metallic silver really does look metallic on Omnia.

Click on images to enlarge

The text is printed in colour, also digitally printed on our Marazion Ultra 90gsm. This is a lightweight paper with a matt coating but which has an amazing bulk, tactile feel and excellent opacity for 90gsm. It feels just right for this project, because it just flops over wonderfully and sits nice and flat.

Click on images to enlarge

The reproduction on the Marazion Ultra is exceptionally good, remembering this is a 90gsm paper, as you can see from the detail image below...

The 52pp sits nice and flat:

The saddle stitches are perfectly executed - spine in beautifully creased, no cracking.

Design is by Sarah Mulligan. The job was produced by the Inspired Thinking Group (ITG). Printing is by Pureprint.

https://www.cathkidston.com/
http://www.itg.co.uk/
https://www.pureprint.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.09.2018

Paul's pocketbook portfolio

This is an interesting concept - rather than a big flashy studio brochure , Paul Grogan has deliberately produced a "pocketbook portfolio". The size is A6 105x148mm) landscape and is saddle stitched. The 4pp cover is on our Colorset 120gsm and 36pp text is on 90gsm, which means that it sits nice and flat.

The cover is printed on Colorset Flint 120gsm, printed digitally in white ink - very effective.

Click on images to enlarge

The text is printed in colour, also digitally printed on our Marazion Ultra 90gsm. This is a lightweight paper with a matt coating but which has an amazing bulk, tactile feel and excellent opacity for 90gsm. It feels just right for this project, because it just flops over wonderfully and sits nice and flat.

Click on images to enlarge

As you can see from the image below, it really does sit nice and flat, the overall thickness is under 2mm thick, so it really can fit in a pocket.

An excellent example of a cost effective, simple piece of promotional collateral.

 

Paul Grogan lives and works in the Manchester area. Digital printing and finishing is by Galloways Printers based in Poynton using their Heidelberg Linoprint press, which is toner based digital.

 

www.thinkdesignagency.co.uk

http://www.galloways.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 30.05.2017

Jobs from the past - Number 59

Regular followers of this blog will know that my first post of every month is a "job from the past" so that I can show some of the really good work from years gone by...

Studio8 Brochure

 

This is a particularly unusual piece of literature combining different print processes and binding. Studio8 was established by Zoë Bather and Matt Willey and by 2008 the studio had been established for few years. They had produced a wide and varied portfolio of work and were regularly asked to presentations and required a credentials "leave behind". In the interests of economy, they decided to produce a 100 copies of a digitally printed brochure.

 

Size is 308x220mm (which was the largest size that could economically be printed using the B3 size HPIndigo press) and is portrait. The 8pp dustjacket (see left) is printed letterpress with the help of Bill Bragg at Le Gun and is printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 80gsm. This 'jacket' wraps around the cover which is unprinted on Colorset Nero 120gsm. The job is constructed using individual cut leaves which is then bound using a binding method called 'cheque book binding' ...simply named as this is the way that cheque books are bound,. basically individual sheets are collated and 'stab-stitched' (that is through all the sheets) with a wire stitch and then binding tape is applied around the spine which covers up the staples - as you can see in the picture below

Close up showing the 'cheque book binding'

The 24pp text is printed on our Marazion Ultra 90gsm. This is a lightweight paper with a matt coating but which has an amazing bulk, tactile feel and excellent opacity for 90gsm. It feels just right for this project, because it just flops over wonderfully which is one of the things with the binding - if the paper choice isn't right, it just won't work and will be virtually unreadable - because you'll be fighting to keep it open!

The beautifully designed spreads work perfectly on this paper. Print reproduction is fantastic and in no way has a 'digital' feel.

Spread showing Studio8's awesome D&AD 2008 awards gala installation

As I hope you'll be able to appreciate from these pictures this is a superb piece of design and print.

The digital print and finishing is by Mark Carey at Impressions, who are based in Essex. mark.carey@impressionscom.com. Combining the digitally printed brochure with the letterpress printed dustjacket is a masterstroke!

Needless to say, design is by Studio8 where the Creative Directors were Zoë Bather and Matt Willey. Sadly, Studio8 closed in May 2012 and Matt and Zoë now work on their own projects, many of which have also appeared on this blog.

 

www.zoebather.co.uk
www.mattwilley.co.uk
http://www.billbragg.co.uk/LE-GUN
www.impressionscom.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 02.09.2014