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

Gareth Lockrane Septet Poster

This is an interesting poster produced for a one-off jazz evening at the Horseshow by the Gareth Lockrane Septet in March 2012. 



The poster is hand printed on a Letterpress proofing press and is created using a lino-blocks (x3) - in three passes. The poster measures 369mm x 593mm in a limited edition of 150 which are hand numbered. Printed on Colorset Natural 120gsm (100% Recycled). It is a beautiful poster.

 

Designed by Matt Willey and printed with Bill Bragg, as you can see below - a very "hands on" process! 

 

The posters are on sale (£20 plus p&p) with all proceeds going to Dorothy House Hospice Care. You can order them from this link:

http://www.mattwilley.co.uk/The-Gareth-Lockrane-Septet-Poster-1

http://www.dorothyhouse.co.uk/
www.mattwilley.co.uk
http://www.billbragg.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 09.08.2013

Jobs from the past - Number 46



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 here's one from 2007.

Franklyn Rodgers invitation

Black British photographer Franklyn Rodgers has amassed a body of work both personal and commercial, which is breath-taking in its volume and level of accomplishment. The invitation featured here is both a private view invitation and a promotional piece of literature for his first monograph ‘The Philosophy of Strangers’ published by Autograph ABP.

These incredible images simply draw you into the detail of each person and make no mistake, these are beautifully reproduced prints (there is another one in the series but unfortunately I don't have an image for it. although it is equally stunning).

 

The unfolded size of the invitation is A2 (594x420mm), folding down to A6 (148x105mm). As the invitation is unfolded, the information is revealed.  The photographic print is printed on our lovely Offenbach Bible 60gsm, printed offset litho in four colour process. The reproduction is simply stunning.

Design is by Studio8. Creative Directors were Zoë Bather and Matt Willey. Print production is by Principal Colour and they really are an amazing example of what can be achieved on this paper. 

 

http://autograph-abp.co.uk/

http://www.franklynrodgers.com/

www.zoebather.co.uk
www.mattwilley.co.uk
www.principalcolour.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 01.08.2013

JAZZ FM

Hold onto your hats! ...this is simply my favourite job from last year - I've been keeping it up my sleeve, so I can write about it at length, so here goes...

This piece of printed literature is an LP sized brochure in a record sleeve, produced for UK based radio station Jazz FM and is a promotional piece of print, aimed at potential advertisers and clients. The mono photography, many from the 1950's by Bob Willoughby and Wiliam Ellis, is beautifully combined with printed metallics (gold & silver) with dense black and surprisingly vivid flat colours.

Brochure (r/h) sliding into sleeve (l/h)



Front cover of brochure


Feast your eyes on the spreads below and then you can read all about it....

The brochure is 305mm square, saddle stitched with a 4pp cover on Omnia 200gsm and a 36pp text on Marazion Ultra 90gsm. The 313mm square sleeve is printed on our Mandricote Cream Back [1 sided] 300gsm. All these materials just work together beautifully. The Mandricote has exactly the right feel for the sleeve (and is a similar material to what would have been used for sleeves, back in the day!) and prints the metallic gold superbly. The whole brochure relies on a lightweight feel to be saddle stitched, maintain the right flow and to slip easily into the sleeve and this is where the Omnia 200gsm cover and lightweight text on 90gsm just works. Printed in CMYK, offset litho, plus special gold and silver.

Design and art direction is by Matt Willey. Described as "sumptuous" by John L. Waters, editor of Eye magazine, who also explains that the two main display typefaces are Engravers and Timmons, a display font drawn by Willey himself (and named after jazz pianist Bobby Timmons).
http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/jazz-in-print

The superb print, production and finishing was handled by John McCormick at printers DG3 Europe, who are a global company with offices in most corners of the world, although this project was handled by the London office.

So why's it my favorite piece from 2012? Few designers (these days) get the opportunity to work with the record sleeve format which was once a pre-eminent format in "popular design" Design for vinyl singles and LP's was a large part of the graphics industry from the 1940's up to 1990's providing a visual narrative of the time but has sadly all but disappeared. By selecting this format, combined with superb art direction and typography, Matt has created a truly stunning piece of literature.

...and if an accolade from me wasn't enough (just kidding) it's been selected by the judges to receive the  “Certificate of Typographic Excellence” by the Type Directors Club, and will also be shown at the 59th Awards Exhibition in New York. Recognition, well deserved.

www.jazzfm.com

www.mattwilley.co.uk
www.jazzbodyandsoul.co.uk
http://tdc.org/
http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/jazz-in-print
www.dg3.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 28.01.2013

Jobs from the past - Number 36

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 here's one from 2004.

National Portrait Gallery - Off the Beaten Track 2004

This is the invitation to the Press View for the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery called Off the Beaten Track, celebrating three centuries of women travellers in portraits. Journeying to distant parts of the world from the 1660s to the 1960s, before the age of mass travel, these women had experiences and encounters almost unthinkable today. The exhibition brought together 60 portraits from the National Portrait Gallery's collections, alongside souvenirs, photographs and paintings made by the women on their travels.

This 'passport style' invitation is 90x125mm, portrait and is saddle stitched with black staples (very nice) and also features round corners. It has a 4pp cover on Colorset Nero 270gsm with a 4pp text on Redeem 100% Recycled 130gsm. The cover is hot foil blocked with a matt white foil & blind embossing and the text is printed in four colour process.

Above: centre spread

Detail showing the printed 'intaglio' pattern. Redeem was chosen as it has a neutral white shade with an aged look and feel.

The reply card printed on Redeem 100% Recycled 240gsm and then rubber stamped by hand.



This beautifully conceived and produced invitation was by Frost Design, London. Creative directors on the project were Matt Willey and Zoë Bather. Designer was Laura Hains. The excellent foiling, print and finishing was by Matthew Glover at Orchid.

www.npg.org.uk
www.frostdesign.com.au
www.orchidprint.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 02.10.2012