Jobs from the past - Number 174

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 - this project is from eleven years ago.

Gardens by the Bay 2013

This publication is to showcase the result of a major landscape project in Singapore which started in November 2005 and was completed in June 2012. Gardens by the Bay include the amazing vertical 'supertrees', were commissioned by the National Parks Board of Singapore and was the result of a winning entry by a British team put together by Grant Associates, Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Atelier Ten and Atelier One.

This brochure is 340x240mm, portrait and has a 36pp text which is sewn along the spine with white thread. It has a 6pp cover with a full flap on the inside front. An absolutely sensational 'blind embossing' appears over the whole area of the cover - which looks and feels amazing. The cover is printed in the dark purple of the Mangosteen fruit, an intrinsic part of the brand identity of the gardens. 

 

It may not surprise regular readers of this blog to learn that the material used is our lovely Omnia, the cover is 280gsm and the text 150gsm. Image reproduction was paramount but it was also important that the feel of the publication conveyed the tactility of plants and landscape, so a silk or gloss coated paper wasn't an option. The images with CMYK dark areas - with loads of ink going down, looks great on the Omnia, reproducing bright vibrant colours as well and the darker colour saturated images as well, whilst retaining all the detail and feel. ...and it looks brilliant.

The images below, speak for the job...  

There is a seperate 32pp inserted in the middle, printed on uncoated 80gsm offset, which has all the details, relating to the project (below) 

 

a staggeringly blue spread...

The below pictures show the binding which is worthy of note. This type of binding is generally known as 'three hole sewn' - because there are three holes, the thread comes out of the middle up and into the top hole, down the inside of the book out of the middle hole again and now down to the lower hole and in again up the inside of the book to the middle hole, where it is knotted. In this case, there are two banks of three hole sewing and this is to take account of the extra bulk and position of the extra 32pp text section, inserted in the middle. 

Here's a close up showing the sewing and the beautiful embossing:

Thomas.Matthews are the branding and communication designers who formed part of the winning bid, to design the identity for the gardens. The intricate, shape based illustration forms the basis of the identity (embossed on the cover), together with the brand typography. Creative Director on the project is Sophie Thomas.

Gardens by the bay branding pattern

'Gardens' typeface

Thomas.Matthews also art directed and designed this brochure. To have the opportunity to produce a piece of literature about a project with which they had been so intimately involved, must have been a total delight and something that I think shows, in this beautifully considered piece of design for print. Art director on this project is David Grbac.

The exceptional printing, repro, debossing and binding was by London based Jigsaw Colour, who sadly don't exist anymore, however Paul Martin who was responsible for the job is now at Identity Print.

https://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/
https://thomasmatthews.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.05.2024

Book of I

The Book of I is a notebook style publication produced for Accenture. It is an internal publication for employees to note their personal development. Size is 210x137mm portrait with a 4pp cover and 128pp text and is section sewn, the spine is 10mm thick. On the outside cover it is simply printed and blind embossed on an embossed cover from that well known "Hull-based" paper merchant!

Being an internal publication, it isn't appropriate to show you the inside text pages, suffice it to say the job is printed offset litho in just one colour with the majority of pages are just printed as lines...

...or squares

...or dots

 [Please excuse my fingers appearing]

The below image shows the very neatly sewn sections.

The 128pp text is printed on Shiro Echo, Bright White 120gsm, which is our 100% recycled paper with FSC accreditation.

Print and hot foiling is by Identity Print, based in Paddock Wood with Paul Martin handling the project.

https://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.10.2023

Happy Valentines Day!

What better day than to look at this superbly produced book, titled 'Arrows of Love'...  This superb book was originally published to accompany the Quentin Blake exhibition titled Arrows of Love which took place in 2018 at the House of Illustration. This was an exhibition of Quentin Blake’s rarely-seen nudes consisting of 18 exuberant pencil drawings depicting women avoiding or embracing Cupid’s arrow. The original works are pencil on paper and were drawn circa 1974.

Having opened on Valentine’s Day, this exhibition reveals Quentin Blake's personal reflections on the joy, folly and sorrow of love with his characteristic humour. You can read about the exhibition here.

The size of the book is 265x220mm, portrait and comprises of 64pp plus endpapers. The text pages are printed on our Omnia, Natural 120gsm which gives the book a 'toned' look but which sympathetically reproduces the pencil illustrations.

The books starts with arrows...

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Birds eye view showing the sewn sections and the 'quarter bound' binding. Spine is 7mm

Detail showing reproduction of the pencil illustration....

This is a beautifully produced publication, which you can buy here. Printing is by Jigsaw Colour, who sadly are no longer trading but Paul Martin handled the project, who is now at Identity Printers.

https://www.quentinblake.com/
http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/home

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.02.2022

Rathfinny Map

Husband and wife, Mark and Sarah Driver, established the Rathfinny Wine Estate in 2010 on a working arable farm with the express intention of producing some of the world’s finest quality sparkling wines. Today, the vines cover 600-acres of the Sussex South Downs and is set to become one of the largest single vineyards in Europe. Pentagram devised the brand strategy and visual identity.

Visitors to the estate are supplied with this map, which gives directions and points of interest about the vineyard and countryside. This publication is designed by London based studio UTILE.

Click on images to enlarge

The finished size is A6 (148x105mm) folding out to A3 (297x420mm) and is printed offset litho in four colour process.

Above and below images show the map-fold...

The choice of paper for this project is an interesting one! The original choice was to use a synthetic paper as typically, with the British weather, paper maps get wet and the paper falls apart. However, synthetic papers are basically plastic and it does not fit with the vineyard's environmental policy. The solution is a clever one! It is produced on a 100% recycled (post consumer waste) label paper called Trevi manufactured by the Reflex Paper Mill in Germany. So, I hear you ask, why is that so clever? Well, this label paper is manufactured with what is described as 'Wet Strength' (WS) and is manufactured with the addition of chemicals which improve the tensile properties of the paper both in wet and dry state by crosslinking the cellulose fibres with covalent bonds that do not break upon wetting. It basically mens that it doesn't fall apart when it gets wet. These papers are generally used for label papers where the label is required to come off in one piece in the recycling process. It is also the same technique that is used in facial tissues, which stops them falling apart when you blow your nose, unlike toilet paper, which falls apart. This looks and feels like a totally normal sheet of paper but when it gets wet it will hold together, much better than a normal sheet of paper - it's the perfect choice! 

Click on images to enlarge

Above and below images show both sides 

The design incorporates these superb woodcuts, which look perfect on the neutral white shade of the paper.

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The paper is called Trevi Recycled 80gsm which is manufactured by the Reflex paper mill in Germany and we are pleased to be their UK stockist and distributor.

Below image showing front and back covers.

Design is by UTILE. Creative Director on the project is Nicholas Duggins and the designer is Sammy Taylor. Printing is by Identity Printers with Paul Martin handling the project.

...and just in case, I gave the map a total soaking in the sink and it holds together perfectly, just as promised!

https://rathfinnyestate.com/

https://utile.studio/

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

Zollanvari Catalogue

Zollanvari carpets embody the spirit of carpet design and weaving – an extraordinary art form that has been treasured across the world for more than 2,000 years. The story of Zollanvari began in 1947, when Gholamreza Zollanvari joined his father’s carpet business, a legacy that had been handed down from his great grandfather. In 1985 Gholamreza’s son Reza established the company in Zurich to directly access the European market and established the Zollanvari name as a global trail-blazer in creating carpet art.

This wonderful catalogue tells the story, explains the types of carpet showing the range and possibilities.

Size of the catalogue is 274x173mm, portrait and is 'singer sewn'. There is a 4pp cover and a 36pp text. It is printed throughout on Omnia 280gsm and 150gsm which gives the publication a tactile uncoated feel but with a great print result.

The publication is digitally printed by Identity Print. It was printed on their Ricoh digital press (dry toner) and the result is exceptional. The great thing is the job just doesn't look and feel like a digital job, which is mainly down to the choice of substrate.

Click on images to enlarge

The images have reproduced superbly and are totally lush and even the flat solid grey/brown looks flat and even, which can sometimes be a problem printing digitally.

The colour is so vibrant and works brilliantly on the Omnia as you can see in the detail image below...

Click on images to enlarge

Above is the centre spread. This catalogue is singer sewn, so you can see the way the thread runs along the inside of the spine - see detail image below...

...and on the outside of the spine below.

Printing is by Identity Print with Paul Martin handling the project. Finishing and singer sewing is by Wayte Binding in Tunbridge Wells who are part of the Identity Print group, so they are are one of the few print companies with their own bindery.  

https://zollanvari.com/

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 30.09.2020

The Medium's Medium

The Gallery of Everything is London's first and only commercial space dedicated to non-academic and private art-making. The gallery's roster includes major historical master artists and newly discovered authors and creators. A British non-profit organisation, committed to the advancement, integration and celebration of artists and makers beyond the cultural mainstream.

Last year they presented an exhibition titled 'The Medium's Medium' a two part exploration into spiritualist and mediumistic art practices from the 19th century to the present day.

This is the catalogue which accompanied the exhibition and features drawings and paintings by a diverse range of authors, from established names to newer (re)discoveries. The catalogue is produced in the style of a 19th century pamphlet or chapbook as they are sometimes called.

Size is 210x165mm, portrait and is a 60pp 'self cover' which is saddle stitched. It is printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 60gsm, which is a neutral white shade, which has the perfect tone for a 19th century publication and the 60gsm weight means it flows and flops perfectly...

It is printed offset litho throughout and the majority of pages are just printed in black only.

However, towards the middle of the publication, the drawings and paintings are reproduced with amazing clarity...

Click on images to enlarge

Centre spread, below

A lovely feature is the use of copper wire for the saddle stitches:

The 60gsm weight is just perfect for the publication.

...and even though this is a 60pp, the thickness is only 2mm! and it doesn't 'gape' in the spine as a heavier paper would, as you can see in the below image.

Print is by Identity Print, based in Paddock Wood with Paul Martin handling the project. You can read more about the exhibition here.

https://www.gallevery.com/
http://www.identityprint.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.07.2020