Wedding Invitation with a 14 carat flower

This is an exceptionally special invitation produced by Adorn, a wedding invitation specialists based in London. The ceremony was to be held in California and the invitations were entirely bespoke, created for Vanessa and Jim. Vanessa Williams is an American actress and Adorn went through an 'inspiration' process to discover what was important to the couple, to establish ideas which Adorn could then turn into reality.

The stationery set included a wedding invitation card, RSVP cards, security information card, accommodation information, custom envelopes for invitations and reply cards and place cards. The centrepiece of the set is the metallic gold lasercut 'gate' that surrounds the main printed invitation card, which was produced using Stardream Gold, 285gsm.

The above image shows the intricate details being lasercut.

During the inspiration process at Adorn, they discovered that the lotus flower had a really special meaning in the couple's relationship. The flower has a strong presence in new age spirituality and signifies new beginnings and luck. Jim had engraved the lotus flower on their engagement bands so Adorn decided that this detailing needed to be on the invitation. They designed and laser cut a 14k gold plated lotus flower that was hand applied to every invitation as you can see in the image below.

Clearly the happy couple were very pleased with the finished result and the wedding went well in the California sunshine. The feedback has been so favourable, that Adorn have agreed with Vanessa Williams to put her design into production which will make it affordable to everyday couples

...but without the 14 carat gold plated décor!

You can read more about the project here:

https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/blog/vanessa-williams-wedding-invitations-design/

http://vanessawilliams.com/

http://www.cordenons.co.uk/

https://www.adorninvitations.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 23.05.2016

Caramel Baby & Child - Home

This is the look-book for the Home collection of Caramel Baby & Child. Originally founded as a business designing and selling children's clothes, the Caramel range has since expanded to a range of homewares including blankets, cushions, quilts etc.

The format is A4 (297x210mm) portrait and is saddle stitched. It is a 12pp self cover format and is printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 80gsm.

The introduction is written by Eva Karayiannis, who founded Caramel Baby & Child in 1999. Originally from Greece, she came to London to study the history of Art at Sotheby's, eventually establishing a business selling and ultimately designing children's clothes. The introduction is written in her own quirky handwriting, elements of which are used throughout the publication.



Click on images to enlarge

Like many of the projects I feature, it is virtually impossible to do justice to the finished piece on this blog. Redeem 100% recycled is at best, off white and 100% recycled and 80gsm, so the feel that the paper exudes is one of simplicity and a 'newsy freshness'. The reproduction on this paper is superb, with even the intricate detail in the silhouettes and distinctive colours looking brilliant.

It is printed on Redeem 100% Recycled 80gsm, offset litho in four colour process (CMYK). Print is by Blackwing Press.

Art direction and design is by the in house studio at Caramel Baby & Child. Designer on the project is Kelsey Hutchinson.
http://www.caramel-shop.co.uk/
http://www.blackwingpress.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 19.05.2016

The annual St Bride Foundation Wayzgoose

On Sunday I had a table at the St Bride Foundation WAYZGOOSE. This is a term (unfamiliar to most people) that used to refer to an annual holiday in a printworks and was often an awayday to the coast or some other sort of day out, more often than not, paid for by the firm. In this instance the St Bride's Wayzgoose was a kind of letterpress 'bring a buy' sale.

There were over twenty different tables displaying and selling everything from lead type to tabletop presses, books and printed examples of work.

Here is the table that I was allocated, where, as last year, I adopted a "throw it all on the table" approach! I took lots of offcuts and discontinued paper and board items. All paper, cards sold by weight - 20 pence per 100 grams.

I served at my 'paper stall' from 11am to 4pm  ...and by the end of the day I had raised £140, all donated to the St Bride Foundation

My neighbours on the table opposite was Caslon. Many readers will be familiar with the typeface, Caslon, first cast by William Caslon in the 16th century. The firm is still run by the Caslon family and there were three generations represented at St Brides on Sunday, pictured below. Today, they supply machinery, inks, powders and the ever popular Adana printing press.

One of the amazing presses on their display is this 'business card' size printing press which is absolutely delightful

My thanks to Mick Clayton for inviting me and to all the staff and friends of St Brides.

http://www.sbf.org.uk/

http://www.caslon.co.uk/html/_adana_letterpress___.html

Posted by Justin Hobson 17.05.2016

Hardcover - a step by step guide

This is a delightful publication called Hardcover. It is a step by step guide about the techniques and tools required for flat-back case binding. It is written and produced by Veronica Rafa and Rahel Zoller,

The design is by Veronica, an MA student at the LCC and the content is by Rahel, who is a book arts and design technician in the Book Arts Department at the LCC.  

The publication is a 16pp self cover. Size is 215x150mm (interesting that it's not a standard A5 size) portrait and is saddle stitched. It is printed offset litho in two special colours (red and blue).

Click on images to enlarge

It is printed on our Flora Noce 100gsm. 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 overtly recycled. You can see just how flecky and specky it is in the image below:

However, just because it has flecks and specks in it doesn't mean you can't print all over it! as the spread below ably demonstrates....

Click on images to enlarge

A superb solid blue - which for those not 'in the know' is by far the hardest colour to print successfully.

Click on images to enlarge

This piece of literature is just superbly written, illustrated and printed. All detailing is just superlative, as you can see from the red wire stitching in the image below:

...and if all this wasn't remarkable enough, I can tell you it was printed 'in house' at the LCC at the Elephant and Castle by Litho technician Tony Yard. Below is an image taken of the press sheets in the viewing booth, when the job was on press

...and I also received a thoughtful thank you note:

...you can't beat a handwritten thank you.

You can read more about the project here:
http://veronicarafa.com/subpages/bookbinding/bookbinding.html
https://www.instagram.com/book.arts.workshop/

Thanks to Rahel and Veronica for sharing with me. I should also point out that the credit in the publication says the following:
"This publication was made possible through the support of the Student Experience & Engagement Fund at London College of Communication and with the help of Tony Yard for printing it". Credit, where credit is due.

Posted by Justin Hobson 13.05.2016

New SHIRO swatch

Most readers will know of our lovely range of ecological papers from Favini called SHIRO. Favini is a paper manufacturer based in Italy with mills in Vicenza near the city of Venice and at Crusinallo. They have taken a lead in the utlisation of non wood pulps since the early 1990’s and they are the manufacturers of the SHIRO range.

Favini - Crusinallo Paper Mill

The complex issues of ecology and the environment have assumed an overwhelming importance for Favini over the last few years influencing manufacturing, quality and product development policies.

The mill is pictured above and the paper machine is pictured below.

One of the paper machines at Favini

Favini is the mill that has also developed Crush which you'll have read about on this blog previously. We now have some spanky new Shiro swatches (pictured below) - SHIRO is a range of environmentally friendly papers that is produced using carbon neutral electrical energy. It’s a total eco solution containing three different ranges each unique within their own environmental values.   

The range is ideal for businesses with strong environmental policies and combines the very best paper-making innovation using renewable non-tree biomass, recycled waste and carbon neutral electrical energy. There are three papers in the SHIRO range:
Alga Carta – Tree Free – Echo Recycled

SHIRO - Alga Carta

Alga Carta is a paper manufactured using polluting alga harvested from the Venice lagoon, combined with FSC certified fibres. Algae blooms at the end of Summer in the Venice lagoon as the warm water combines with pollution. The algae must be harvested to maintain the lagoon's eco-balance (circa 5,000 tonnes of wet algae is removed annually). The algae (seaweed) is used partly as pulp replacement but mainly as a filler and this accounts for its unusual smooth feel and the random specks.

SHIRO - Tree Free

Tree Free is a naturally different paper that uses fibres from annual plants such as bamboo, cotton or bagasse – it is made with 100% non-tree fibres – it is a naturally different paper – no trees!

SHIRO – Echo ...100% Recycled

Echo is the highest quality bright white and natural recycled paper. It’s made from 100% Post Consumer Waste (PCW) and carries FSC accreditation. There are two shades, a bright White and a Natural and the weight range is from 80gsm up to 300gsm. I have recently posted a beautiful job for Primark and the Guardian News & Media Sustainability Reports on this blog.

 

If you would like one of the current swatches, please drop me an e-mail: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

http://www.favini.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 11.05.2016

Daiwa Foundation - Art Prize

The Daiwa Foundation is based in Japan House in London and was opened in 1994 as a centre for academic and cultural activities relating to Japan. This Anglo-Japanese Foundation holds an events programme which plays an important role in increasing the understanding of Japan in Britain, providing a forum for discussion and exchange and creates opportunities to foster new networks and collaborations.

The foundation also runs an Anglo-Japanese arts competition every three years, for which there is a prize awarded. Entries are open to British artists resident in the UK who have not previously had a solo exhibition in Japan. Last year the winner was Oliver Beer, who was shortlisted alongside Mikhail Karikis and Julie Brook.

This is the literature that accompanied the awarding of the prize at the private view last year. Size is 170x240mm. The 8pp cover is hot foil blocked in a metallic gold foil and uses ZETA Linen, Brilliant White 260gsm. 

The 16pp text is printed on our Omnia 150gsm, which works perfectly. The reason this paper was chosen is because the different artists are working in a wide range of different media and this paper works brilliantly, feeling tactile, whether reproducing illustration, photographic work or colour saturated solid colours.

Interspersed in the text pages are another 8pp of translucent pages - printed on T2000 110gsm, which is one of our 'tracing' type papers from Reflex Paper in Germany (the same mill that manufactures ZETA)

The image above and below show the T2000 overlaying the text pages...

The use of ZETA Linen on the cover is faultless, resulting in a consummate cover - the perfect solution for a publication featuring the work of three artists, The subtle Linen embossing works with the matchless hot foiling giving an immaculate result, which I hope you can see in the image below.

Design is by Matthew Stroud.
Print production is by Jigsaw Colour based in Bermondsey, London.
http://oliverbeer.wix.com/oliverbeer
http://www.dajf.org.uk/grants-awards-prizes/daiwa-foundation-art-prize
http://www.jigsawcolour.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 09.05.2016