Happy Christmas to one and all!

Thank you to everyone who has sent me cards, e-cards and other jolly xmas stuff. Rather sadly for the first time ever, I think I've received more e-cards than printed on paper ...sad but true!  Anyway, thanks to all for your good wishes.

And here's one of my favourites so far this year from Sandy Suffield:

http://www.sandysuffield.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 20.12.2010

New equipment arrives!

As part of our 'continuous investment programme'  (that amounts to all the shirt buttons and brass razoos that we can find!) I'm pleased to announce that we have purchased a 'ROUND CORNERING MACHINE' for the Fenner Paper sample room ...and here it is:

I can't really say much more about it because the title 'Round Cornering Machine' pretty much says everything there is to say - it puts a round corner on things! So, we can now put radius corners on samples and dummies - for examples on invitations or brochures up to a maximum thickness of about 10mm.

Posted by Justin Hobson 17.12.2010

Deutsche Bank Guidelines

This is a fantastic project - not only does it look great and work well but because it's succesful in an area (brand identity) in which these days, often guidelines are only produced digitally. In this case,  Deutsche Bank agreed that it’s new brand and visual identity guidelines should exist physically as well as digitally. The book is intended to set the bar and act as constant inspiration for Deutsche’s creative agencies around the world - and it certainly achieves this goal.

It took Studio 2br over 12 months to complete the research and design to develop the new identity system, design the new Deutsche Bank Brand Portal and produce the 80-page A3 guidelines book. All in all, a very large project.

Below are the scatter proof/print test sheets:

Design is by Studio 2br. Creative Director on the project was David Shalam.

The job is an 80pp, saddle stitched, self cover A3 portrait format and the paper used is our Marazion Ultra 90gsm - yes that's right 90gsm ...the paper was chosen for it's tactile matt quality, excellent opacity and the way this large format saddle stitched book opens, the pages turn nicely and the flow is just right.

It is printed in 8-colours, with a silkscreened plastic wallet to protect it. Print management was placed in the extremely experienced hands of Paul Harding (a freelance production man who comes highly recommended by many clients). The printer on this excellent piece of literature was St Ives Westerham Press.

http://www.2br.com/
http://www.paulharding.com/
http://www.st-ives.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.12.2010

Carbon Rations!

I've only just received a copy of this very nice little job which was produced last year for the Copenhagen Climate conference.

Ration Me Up is a monthly Carbon Ration Book created by The Ministry of Trying to Do Something About It (and designed by thomas.matthews). It was launched at NEF's 'the Bigger Picture Festival of Independence'.
http://www.theministryoftryingtodosomethingaboutit.org/

Thomas Matthews designed this monthly ration book to teach each us all of the true cost of our day to day necessities and habits by calculating personal monthly carbon usage.










The covers of all the ration books were produced on a variety of different colours of Colorset 270gsm which were all 'leftovers' from another job at Calverts Press. Here they all are at the exhibition:

The Ministry of Trying to Do Something About It are:

Clare Patey – Artist

thomas.matthews – Communication design

Cathy Wren – Installation Designer

Dr Victoria Johnson – Research

Corrina Cordon – Project Manager

Jonathan Atkinson – Project development and management

Jenny Hayton – Costume Advisor

Tim Mitchell – Construction

http://thomasmatthews.com/index.php/news/item/ration-me-up-a-message-from-the-minister/

http://www.calverts.coop/.

Posted by Justin Hobson 13.12.2010

World's most expensive book sells for £7.3m at Sotheby's

On Tuesday a new record was set for the most expensive printed book in the world!

A rare first edition of The Birds of America was sold at Sotheby's in London yesterday on 7th December for £7.3m, making it the most expensive printed book in the world.

London dealer Michael Tollemache, whose winning bid came in more than £1.3m above the £6m estimate, described the work as "priceless".

...and here's a picture of this MASSIVE book:

The four-volume work, produced in the 1830's is  from the private collection of Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh, comprises 435 hand-coloured etched plates with line-engraving and aquatint.

The engravings are by Robert Havell and Son, of London, and WH Lizars, of Edinburgh, from the original life-size watercolours by John James Audubon.

All prints were reproduced in double-elephant folio (what a shame we don't have names for paper sizes like that anymore!) which represents a sheet size of around 972mm x 654mm, from the copper plate etchings and then hand coloured.

The Birds of America took Audubon 12 years to complete and his technique involved shooting the birds (with a gun, not a camera - but do remember this was the 1830's) before mounting them with wire in order to pose them for his sketches!

Now I know people think that Fenner Paper have been around for years but even we haven't been going that long! ...so, sadly we didn't supply the paper for this particular job!  However the paper used is all watermarked  J. Whatman Turkey Mill and was actually produced at a paper mill in Maidstone in Kent which is very close to where we are based.

The "Turkey Mill" was established as a paper making mill back in 1740 by James Whatman - hand making paper and over the next hundred years became one of the most highly regarded mills in the country. By 1859 the Turkey Mill and Whatman watermarks (trade names essentially) were sold to a neighbouring mill - Springfield Mill which believe it or not, is still running! - producing a range of specialist scientific filter and medical papers and is the last remaining paper mill in the Maidstone area. In 1976 the original Turkey Mill was bought by the dreaded Wiggins Teape (now ArjoWiggins) and closed down, bringing to an end over 280 years of continuous paper making at Turkey Mill.

Here endeth the history lesson!
http://www.sothebys.com/
http://www.whatman.com/
http://www.turkeymill.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 09.12.2010

Sustain/ability

Sustainability is an event held just a few days ago in Treviso in Italy (2-4th Dec).  It comprised an exhibition, talks and workshops, all focusing on the subject of sustainable design. Although I'm sure it was a lot warmer in Treviso than it's been in the UK over the last few days, I'm not writing this because I actually went (sadly!) but because the paper used for the event was sponsored by Favini and used SHIRO, Alga Carta for the below posters, which I think are well worth a look:

The design of the posters was by Design Heads Collective. Photography is by Silvia Boschiero and print by Graficart.

There's an interesting article (with an english translation)  on the site about the workshop they ran on sustainable type: http://sustain-ability.it/archives/1141

http://www.favini.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 08.12.2010

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

Amelia Gregory is founder, writer, publisher, photographer, reviewer, designer, art director  (...in fact just about every job you can think of) of what has become known as an independent publishing  phenomenon - Amelia's Magazine.

Fenner Paper supplied most of the paper used over the five years and ten issues that were produced and it was always a pleasure working on each issue as the publications had the highest production values - one even using Swarovski crystals mounted onto the cover!  Amelia published her last printed magazine publication about two years ago in favour of concentrating her efforts on the website, blogging and twitter with great success! ...the Amelia's Magazine website has again been voted into the top 25 Arts and Culture blogs by Creative Tourist.

The good news is (for us and for you) that paper hasn't been completely shelved! Last year she published Amelias Anthology of Illustration Magazine which is a 264pp compendium of illustration, interviews, articles and reviews - in fact Amelia has billed it as "a book to inspire creativity in the climate of change". It is a lovely book and still available on her website. I should also mention that it's printed on our Marazion Ultra 135gsm.

And now she is in the throes of producing Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration - or ACOFI as she has affectionately termed it on twitter.

It has been 'on press' all last week down at the printers, Principal Colour in Paddock Wood in Kent and here are some pics of the proof sheets that Amelia took with her iphone as she went through them.

It's printed on a special making (which is an 'ex-mill' item only) of an uncoated paper with a good bulk, high opacity and whiteness, called Tallistag Hi-Bulk in 100gsm and as you can see from the pics above, the colours have worked really well, very vibrant.

The proofs do look really great and you can order your copy of ACOFI on line - for Christmas delivery and make all her hard work worth it!
http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/
http://www.principalcolour.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 06.12.2010