Snow nearly stops play!

Well I can't say that snow has exactly been welcomed here at Fenner Paper! One of the problems with paper is that it's very heavy and needs moving around and I guess many people reading this blog may think about samples, dummies and the nice examples of finished work but the paper still has to be moved around in a fairly industrial way, or not, as you can see from some of our snowbound vehicles...

As well as delivering paper, we have to take in deliveries, which can also be problematical in the snow:  

Here's Tom clearing the snow, so we can unload the truck with a forklift. The weather shouldn't be too much of a surprise to these pallets of paper as this truckload has come from Sweden where it's currently -11°C and snowing every day!

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.12.2010

Jobs from the past - Number 14

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, so here's the last one for 2010...

NatWest Media Centre - media launch book - Future Systems

This job dates back to 1999. The design company was Cartlidge Levene. Art direction was by Ian Cartlidge and Adam Levene. This publication was produced for the media launch of the fantastically futuristic NatWest media centre at the MCC's Lords Cricket Ground in St John's Wood.

This is a remarkable job because it is perfectly deconstructed in the same way that the building itself was conceived and built. It was not built as a building but constructed at a boatyard, out of aluminium!

This was the 'book' that I spoke about at the ISTD stammtisch, back in October. http://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.com/2010/10/istd-stammtisch-13th-october-2010.html

Future Systems was the architectural practice of the late Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levete. The partnership designed some amazing and truly iconic buildings including Selfridges in Birmingham and the Enzo Ferrari Museum amongst many others.

The design of this publication could almost be described as a "de-constructed" book, as it has no binding! It is formed by the production of a 'case' which would normally form the cover of a hardback book. But this works more as a folder, holding in the two seperate and entirely unbound text sections. The size of the cover is 215x260mm portrait, the two text sections are 210x250mm.

Images are reproduced on gloss coated paper - our Millennium Real Art 115gsm 16pp self cover unbound - see below...

The text and some images reproduced in mono, printed on uncoated text paper, Formation Superfine 90gsm, also 16pp self cover, unbound but printed in one colour only - see below..

The hard case 'folder' was produced using Millennium Real Art with gloss lamination (inside and out) mounted onto 3 pieces of 2000micron greyboard with a 10mm gutter to form the 'hinge' and then punched out. I mentioned earlier that this publication somehow perfectly interprets the construction of the building and this is both in the visual sense and the literal sense ...the angle of the slit on the cover is exactly the same as the glazing on the front of the building which designed so the sun never reflects in the player's eyes - what a great piece of detailing!

The stunning photography is by Richard Davies. Print and superb finishing with amazing attention to detail was by Principal Colour.

http://www.future-systems.com/
http://www.cartlidgelevene.co.uk/
http://www.richarddavies.com/
http://www.principalcolour.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 01.12.2010

Forever Manchester

I just saw an article that there's to be an exhibition and sale of limited edition posters from prolific illustrator Si Scott at the Tarif Street Gallery in Manchester with proceeds going to local charitable community foundation Forever Manchester. The exhibition runs for two weeks and comprises series of 11 posters. Each uses as its focus lyrics from Manchester bands including The Buzzcocks, Elbow, Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Fall, The Doves and Joy Division. The unique typeface used in the pieces has been specially created by Si for the posters. Prices start from £100 with proceeds going to Forever Manchester.

Now I first met Si Scott way back in 2002 when he and Zoë Bather had just graduated. I didn't know them and they didn't know each other but they had individually won a D&AD competition to design the next issue of D&AD Ampersand magazine. The publication was then designed at Frost in London and Si and Zoë were literally thrown together for two weeks working with senior designer John Dowling at the Frost studio.

Well obviously things have moved a long way on from then! Si Scott is now ranked as one of the top 200 illustrators in the world. Zoë Bather worked at Frost in London with Matt Willey, they then established Studio8 which celebrates it's 5th anniversary this very week! ...so congratulations all round!

http://www.forevermanchester.com/

http://www.siscottstudio.com/
http://www.dowlingduncan.com/
http://www.studio8design.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 29.11.2010

Crispin Finn 2011 planner

The lovely Anna Fidalgo from Crispin Finn has sent me this excellent 2011 year planner. It is a full 700x1000mm (B1) size and is hand printed, silkscreened in two colours.

Now rather sadly this year's planner is not produced on our Colorset 100% Recycled (as it was last year) because it came out more expensive than another recycled paper but she's promised to get back to us about the 2012 year planner and give us a crack at it again! I do hope so, as it's a really lovely job. So even though it's not on our paper, here it is:

...there's lots of other lovely stuff on the site, perfect for Christmas presents.

http://www.crispinfinn.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 26.11.2010

Rapha - Spring/Summer 2010

I put last years Rapha books which were shot in Norddal in Norway on the blog a couple of months ago but this is the pair produced for this year's Spring Summer season. The two publications I show here are part of the same set, both with photography taken by Ben Ingham in the South East of Sicily in the ancient town of Siracusa.

Firstly there is the lookbook which is a 4pp cover and 48pp text. The size is 150x195mm, portrait, perfect bound, produced on our Neptune Unique SoftWhite 250gsm and 155gsm. The natural shade gives this job a really classic feel and works really well with the four colour black and whites and the muted colours.

Now the above job is paired with a slightly larger job which is produced purely as a photographic piece, all printed in CMYK black & white and it is a beautiful piece of work. It is 170x225mm Portrait, has an 8pp cover and 16pp text and is "singer sewn" with a salmon colour thread. It is also printed on Neptune Unique SoftWhite but this time all on 250gsm. The cover illustration is the title page from a 10th Century depiction of the Siege of Siracusa.

The art direction and photography on these jobs is simply stunning and really seems to convey the quality and refinement of the Rapha brand.

The designer for both jobs is Ultan Coyle working for Rapha and the superb repro, print and finishing is by Orchid Print.

http://www.rapha.cc/
http://www.beningham.net/
http://www.orchidprint.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.11.2010

This blog makes the top 50!

Best Blogs: Design is a chart of the most inspirational design blogs from around the world and part of the Best Blogs Network and believe it or not this very blog comes in at Number 50!
http://www.design-blogs.co.uk/blog/justins-amazing-world-at-fenner-paper/

An initial top 50 has been compiled through a set of criteria that includes design and content, Alexa and Technorati ratings, Twitter followers and curation from an expert team alongside known industry insiders.

I've checked it out and it comes as no surprise that 'It's Nice That' is the current Number 1.

Anyway, I'm flattered to be on there  ...thank you! (and thanks to Alex Parrott http://www.alexparrott.co.uk/ for letting me know I was on there!)

http://www.design-blogs.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.11.2010

Magnum 19|57

Now hold on to your seats! ...this could possibly be one of the best jobs of the year - and a job with a real difference!

19|57 is a new publication which represents the 19 photographers in the first part of a three part series showcasing the work of the entire Magnum collective (currently numbering 57, hence 19|57). This first book features a wide range of work from the likes of Indian photographer Raghu Rai, the powerful editorial work of Gilles Peress and iconic images by Thomas Hoepecker.

The size of the book is 120x170mm, portrait. The 8pp cover is simply hot foil blocked in matt white foil with a deboss on the reverse on Notturno 170gsm (yes that's right 170gsm - which most people consider too light for a cover but on a book this size with an 8pp cover, it's perfect). The text pages are printed on Omnia 120gsm and it is a great example of just how well Omnia prints, having said that images of this quality would look pretty good on anything!  The high bulk of Omnia gives this 96pp job a respectable 10mm spine which gives the book a nice chunky feel.

So what about this "job with a difference" that I mentioned at the start of this post, I hear you ask?  Well if you didn't notice, the pics of the spreads (pictured above) have something unusual about them, they are lying flat with perfect readovers - how come? 

Well this job incorporates a new 'Layflat binding' technique. It was important for this job in particular, which is designed to work as spreads and it works - it opens completely flat and open - and it doesn't fall apart. To be honest when you see a book opening as well as this, you have to question why anyone would use conventional binding ever again!  See the pics below:

Design is by Crescent Lodge. Creative Director is Lynda Brockbank and senior designer on the project is Andrew Collier ( ...who came up with the lay flat binding idea!) 

Print production, including the layflat binding, was handled by Push Print in London.

Luckily I was able to get hold of some copies of this piece and I posted out some this week (together with a new Omnia swatch), so one may pop on your doormat soon. If it doesn't arrive or you think I've missed you out and would like a copy, please drop me an e-mail and I'll see what I can do (first come, first served!) 

http://www.magnumphotos.co.uk/

http://www.crescentlodge.co.uk/

http://www.push-print.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 18.11.2010