Birdwatching

I've just come across this new network ...

BirdWatching is a socially driven, international organisation and the only one of its kind in the design industry. It's core team consists of young and practicing graphic designers that are passionate about design and live and work around the world. The founders include Maaike van Neck and Joana Niemeyer, both of whom I know. Their aim is to connect, support and promote female graphic designers everywhere. They organise talks and events, highlight role models and reveal mentors, scout for new talent worldwide and create opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-transfers and recognition.

Looks pretty good to me...  http://www.graphicbirdwatching.com/

Although membership is free it is only for female graphic designers, so sadly, I don't qualify on either count!

Posted by Justin Hobson 06.08.2010

My old bag...

Over the years, many people have admired the large leather bag that I carry my printed samples around in. Yesterday I was in the reception at Draft FCB in London and I was accosted by two people who came over and asked where I got my bag. For those of you not familar with it, here it is:

I suppose the best way of describing it is like a saddle bag. It is very simply constructed using thick leather, strong binding material and a piece of wooden doweling which runs underneath the handle to stop it sagging. Anyway, it's a great bag which I bought in the Italian town of Stresa which is on Lake Maggiore back in 1997 when I went to Italy with my wife driving around the lakes (I did also drag her around a couple of paper mills!). I spotted the bag hanging up outside a cobblers shop. After I showed some interest in the bag, the cobbler explained that he used his left over leather to make these simple bags which he mainly sold to architects (he couldn't speak English but luckily Laura can speak Italian!) The closed size is around 570mm x 390mm and it's perfect for paper samples and wearing pretty well!

Anyway I bought it and the rest is history but I'm afraid I don't have any details of the shop, but do go to the Italian Lakes as they are stunning - Isola Bella is a beautiful island on Lake Maggiore and Stresa is a lovely town.

http://www.draftfcb.com/

http://www.visitstresa.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 05.08.2010

Jobs from the past - Number 11

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 1995.

Launch of the Albert Memorial Trust - March 22nd 1995
This was a job comissioned by English Heritage for the launch by Prince Charles of the Albert Memorial Trust to raise funds for the restoration of the Albert Memorial which is opposite the Royal Albert Hall in Hyde Park in London. Believe me, back in the early 1990's the memorial was in a shocking state and in dire need of serious repair.

This piece is a large "broadsheet" type format which is a sheet 840x590mm folding to make a 4pp of 420x590 which is then concertina folded down with three folds into four sections of 420x195mm and held together with a belly band.

...and this is the centre spread:

Now this job was produced on a sheet that we had only just introduced in 1994 called Redeem 100% Recycled, which I hope you'll have heard of by now! Back then it was new but had exactly the right look and feel to simulate an "aged" newsprint and slightly "blueprinty" type feel to work with the line illustrations. Printed in offset litho in two colours on 100gsm.

It's a large format job which has a huge impact, yet it folds down to a manageable size and was economical to produce - a really great use of material, print and format.

It was designed by Atelier Works. Lead Designer was John Powner working with senior designer Annabel Clements.

The job was printed by a company called Penshurst Press based in Tunbridge Wells. Sadly the company is no longer around. Alan Flack who was the "minder" that actually physically printed this job left Penshurst Press with Martin Darby to form their own printing company called Principal Colour and they are still based in Paddock Wood in Kent.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

http://www.atelierworks.co.uk/
http://www.annabelclementsdesign.com/

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.08.2010

Just the cover makes the difference

Here's a job that is worth a look at because it uses paper to increase the quality and feel of the whole project. This is a piece of literature produced for care home, Headingley Hall in Leeds. The size of the job is 200x250mm portrait. What makes it a worth writing about is that it wasn't produced with a massive budget but the designer used our Omnia for the cover to give it a more tactile engaging feel. The gold hot foil blocking, also gives it a quality feel and keeps it miles away from the naff "glossy" brochure which is often produced for this type of publication. Having said that, the text paper is on a gloss art (which works well and fitted the budget) but the cover has already set the tone and feel.

Omnia on inside front cover working with the gloss coated on page 1:

Inside back cover spread with pocket

This is a good example of using a material for a part of a project which can just lift the whole look and feel and make a piece of literature special as opposed to being ordinary.
The job is designed by Bradford based designer Mark Starbuck and thank you for the note...

http://www.westwardcare.co.uk/

http://www.markstarbuck.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 30.07.2010

Pixels at Dawn

Here's a great poster printed on our Colorset which was given to me the other day by David Azurdia at Magpie Studio...

This is for an event described as a "Pub Debate" and organised between D&AD and Ravensbourne.

Designed by Magpie Studio. Silkscreened in two colours (black and white) by K2 Screen. Printed on Colorset Solar 120gsm. Size is 800mm x 570mm.

http://www.putyourbusinessforward.com/

http://www.magpie-studio.com/

http://www.ksscreen.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 28.07.2010

V&A Illustration Award Winner

The V&A Illustration Awards are held annually to highlight the best book and editorial illustration published in the UK in the previous year. Their aim is to encourage, recognise and celebrate high standards of creativity in the industry. The awards are free to enter and offer some of the most substantial financial prizes for illustration in the UK. The awards are sponsored by the Enid Linder Foundation.

This years winner, announced at the awards ceremony held at the V&A is Sarah Carr, a designer at Here Design based in London. Not only is she the 2010 Illustrated Book Award Winner but also the 2010 Overall Winner!

Now sadly this particular project isn't actually printed on our paper (so that isn't why I'm writing this post!) but I've known Sarah and have worked with her over the years. Firstly at Pearlfisher shortly after she graduated from Kingston, then at Antidote (on the 'we are what we do' project) and most recently at Here Design which is where she is now a Senior Designer.

...and here's the write up from the awards publication:
"Sarah Carr's innovative and complete use of letterpress printing to form the illustrations of How to Drink immediately caught the judges' attention. The fact that only two colours are used throughout, and the stylised look of the illustrations in addition to the quality of the paper, kept bringing them back to touch and engage with the book. It was described as a 'friendly book'.

Carr took inspiration from the work of the Dutch artist and typographer H.N. Werkman: 'I tried to create images by abstracting theletterforms. The textured quality achieved in woodblock printing gives character and warmth to the print, which helps the illustrations feel lively and animated.'

'How To Drink' is published by Granta Books, London. The author is Victoria Moore. Text design and illustration by Here Design. Printed and bound in Italy by Legoprint.

Congratulations to Sarah for winning this prestigious award and to all at Here Design.

http://www.heredesign.co.uk/
http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/events/illustration_awards/index.html
http://www.granta.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 26.07.2010

The Bury St Edmunds Eco-Fair

Fenner Paper took the new SHIRO range from FAVINI to the Eco- Fair held at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk last weekend. We were invited to be involved by Green Party Councillor Mark Ereira-Guyer and organiser Paul Turner who is Fire Brigade Union Environmental representative who hosted the fair. Suffolk is aiming at creating the Greenest County (http://www.greensuffolk.org)/

Rather than just having a stand at a show with samples and swatches, my colleague Marcus, wanted to add another dimension! ...so he decided to get the ingredients from the mill and using a hand-made paper frame made his very own version of "TREE FREE" paper! 

Sheets of Cotton, bagasse and Bamboo pulp were sent from FAVINI in Italy and after a few trial goes in the company kitchinette, Marcus eventually became an expert at making handmade paper. So he packed up his papermaking kit, bucket, whisk and sheets of pulp and set off for deepest Suffolk. Below is pictured the "stock chest"

...and below is the finished "Tree Free" paper drying on tea towels.

Although this was all jolly good fun, there are a couple of serious points: paper can be made from anything fibrous and it takes a huge amount of water to make paper in the first place (see size of bucket) although it should be pointed out that at a paper mill, after cleaning, it is returned to the environment. 

SHIRO
Alga Carta - made using seaweed and FSC virgin fibres
Tree Free - made from annual plants such as bamboo, cotton or bagasse (100% non-tree fibres)

Echo - made from 50% Post Consumer Waste (PCW) combined with 50% FSC virgin fibres.

(http://www.greensuffolk.org)/

http://www.favini.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.07.2010