Japanese Earthquake 2011

I'm sure that everyone has seen pictures and footage of the terrible earthquake that occurred in Japan, the subsequent tsunami that caused devastation across much of the country's northeastern seaboard and the continuing problems controlling the country's nuclear reactors. Thousands of lives have been lost, it is a terrible tradegy.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people who have been suffered and who will continue to be affected in the coming months and years.

It is especially hard when such a disaster befalls a country which is so wealthy and advanced. There is little that we can do except watch and wait. I have sent messages of support to the Japanese companies that we deal with, to at least demonstrate some solidarity. If you have contacts in Japan, I suggest you do the same, it's not much but shows we are thinking.

Unlike the UK, Japan is still a major paper manufacturing nation and this disaster has and will severely affect the industry. Below is a short summary of just how badly their industry has been affected:

• The enormous flagship Mitsubishi Paper Mills' integrated Hachinohe mill produces 585,000 tonnes/yr of kraft pulp, around 849,000 tonnes/yr of printing/writing paper and 59,000 tonnes/yr of solid bleached board, was hit hard by the tsunami. So far no loss of life has been reported but production has stopped there.
• Nippon Paper Group mill's Ishinomaki, Iwanuma and Nakoso have been offline since the quake. No loss of life reported but production has stopped.
• The Akita mill, (714,000 tonnes per yr) has stopped production. No information is available yet on damage levels or a possible restart date.
• Oji Paper's Nikko mill has stopped production after being affected by the earthquake together with four of its converting plants in the northeast.

Source: http://www.risiinfo.com/
============================

So I would urge you to get in touch with any graphic designers, clients, contact etc you might know in Japan and at least say that you are thinking of them. Daniel Freytag has got in touch with me and he is producing some silkscreen prints for auction with all proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross.

www.redcross.org.uk/JapanTsunami

 Posted by Justin Hobson 14.03.2011

DesignWeek Awards 2011

This week I went to the Designweek awards held at the Park Lane Hilton in London. I was kindly invited by Phil Le Monde and Mark Cameron from Gavin Martin Colournet to join their table together with Magpie Studios as they were shortlisted for an an award in the packaging category for the new Gavin Martin Colournet proof bags.

It was a fabulous evening - everyone in their glad rags! The ballroom in the Hilton filled with some of the best creatives in the industry together with a lot of people there for a free drink (that includes me!) 

Below is the picture of our merry table - that's me with the bright blue waistcoat!

The evening started full of hope! the Gavin Martin project was shortlisted for packaging and Magpie were also shortlisted in the print design category for The Christmas stamp miniature book for Royal Mail. ...and (quite by chance) I had four projects that I had worked on (all produced on Fenner Paper) shortlisted as well ! (NB Studio - New Blood Posters, The Chase - 26&26 calendar, Hat-Trick - Ebbsfleet Valley Earthworks Brochure, NB Studio - Oxford Thinking) - not bad for a small little paper company like us!

Sadly for my fellow diners, GBH scooped the Packaging category with the phone packaging for Puma but the Gavin Martin Colournet proof bags (pictured right) was commended which is a great accolade.

Any small disappointment was short lived as Magpie then scooped the Print design award with the Christmas stamp miniature book ...and here, pictured below are the three very happy directors of Magpie, Jamie Ellul, Ben Christie and David Azurdia:

...and here's their (very lovely) job: 

The awards were presented swiftly and efficiently by the host Ian Moore and DesignWeek editor, Lynda Relph-Knight. Particularly worthy of note (an perhaps unsurprisingly) was the apple ipad which was awarded joint winner of the Consumer product design category and which also won Best of Show. It was lovely to see Harriet Devoy accepting the awards for Apple. I worked on projects with Harriet when she was at Johnson Banks and The Chase - Apple's gain has been graphic design's loss ...we miss her!

It was a great evening - good company and food and my thanks go to Gavin Martin Colournet for inviting me and Magpie for putting up with me on their table!

http://www.designweek.co.uk/
http://www.gavinmartin.co.uk/
http://www.magpie-studio.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.03.2011

Editions of 100

"Editions of 100"  is an online gallery/shop curated by Daniel Freytag, creative director of Edinburgh based studio, BERG (http://www.bergstudio.co.uk/).

The idea is to make original limited edition design objects available for sale by selected designers, photographers and artists.

They launched on 14 February with work by Andy Altmann (Why Not Associates), Ross Colquhoun (Human Resources), Kelvyn Smith (Mr Smith Letterpress Workshop) and Daniel himself with Greig Anderson (Effektive). Initially they'll be offering screenprints and giclée prints but expanding to letterpress, tees and design objects in the near future. As the name suggests, each work will be hand numbered and strictly limited to 100 editions.

...and the lovely work you see here, is printed on our Matrisse 200gsm.

http://www.editionsof100.com/
http://www.bergstudio.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 08.03.2011

Drawbridge - issue 19, Volume 2

The Drawbridge is an interesting publication and one that is hard to describe. It isn't a magazine, newspaper, journal, or even periodical. It is described as an "independent quarterly of thought, wit and reflection giving equal focus to literature and visual arts" and has just been subject to a radical transformation.

The Drawbridge originated as a full-colour newspaper format (I wrote about it in my post in December 2009: http://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.com/2009/12/drawbridge-15.html). It is now a book-sized publication (195x260mm Portrait with 12mm spine). The content now forms the basis of quarterly exhibitions curated alongside each issue but still with a theme for each.

Cover photograph: Flights by Dave Anderson, 2004

Photograph: Charles, Vasa, Minnesota, 2002 by Alec Soth

Photographs: Falling in Trees 1 and 2 by Elijah Gowin, 2006

Main drawing: The Chair, project for an installation by Davide Bignami, 2008

Photograph: Athens, Greece, 2004 by Jim Goldberg.

...and a flattering report from design commentator Rick Poynor:
"Changing a magazine's format is always risky. It's such a fundamental aspect of what we perceive it to be. The Drawbridge's transformation is particularly startling. Indeed, it might rate as one of the most dramatic changes of visual direction ever ventured by a literary magazine. Or any kind of magazine." Rick Poynor, Design Observer

The re-design has been carried out by Creative Director, Stephen Coates. In the same way that he used the newspaper format with great effect, he has equally made illustration and photography work in this format by leaving (and creating) lots of space.
The specification is 4pp cover on StarFine White 300gsm and 142pp text on StarFine White 115gsm. The printing deservedly remains with London printers, Push (given what an excellent job they made on the previous issues printed on Redeem 100% Recycled 70gsm)

I wish Bigna Pfenninger (Editor) and her team, much success with the new format.

http://www.thedrawbridge.org.uk/
http://observersroom.designobserver.com/rickpoynor/entry.html?entry=24748
http://www.push-print.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.03.2011

Jobs from the past - Number 17

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...

Irwin & Jordan brand book - 2007

This is the brand book for the (then) newly established luxury womenswear brand Irwin & Jordan. This was a new venture and as such, did not have a lavish budget but a need to convey their brand message which is one of "quality, discernment and a quiet approach" (as stated in the introduction).

 

It goes without saying that to produce an impressive piece of literature on a small budget requires all the creative stops to be pulled out, as it was on this project. Only 150 copies were required which dictated that litho printing was really unviable, but five years ago, digital was less advanced and there were fewer printers willing to try different materials. However, one printer was willing to give it a go...

The publication is A3 portrait is size (297x420mm) and is a 12pp self cover using our Redeem 100% Recycled 100gsm, giving it a deliberately floppy and raw feeling. The reproduction, however, is of the highest quality and this being one of my very first forays into the world of digital, everyone was truly delighted. The material perfectly complimented the line illustrations whilst performing equally well with the photographic images.

There are some key reasons it doesn't feel like a digital job: 1) the design and illustration- subtle and muted, not zingy 2) combination of the different material 3) it wasn't an A4 size piece 4)  it utilised a different binding method is "side sewn" (or singer sewn), stabbed through the whole text, in the brand colour (detail pictured below).

The brand book was designed by London agency Exposure. The designer of the project was Matt Jenkins and it was he who envisaged this large scale format working so well - you can judge the scale with the pic with the hands below. Matt has now moved on from Exposure and works freelance. Kristie Morton was the production manager who oversaw the project.

The printer that produced the job was Alderson Digital (a division of Alderson Brothers Print Group). Gail Ashworth was then in charge of the digital division (although she has since moved on) and Neil Scott was the operator that actually ran the job. The brochure was printed on an HP Indigo 3050 using 7 colours and was hand finished. I believe the material was not sapphire treated, in this particular instance.

The piece was written about in PrintWeek 29th November 2007 (which is why I have so many details about the job!), so the last word goes to her..."the end result is testimony that exceptional digital results can be printed on unusual materials" said Gail Ashworth, Digital Operations Director.

Gail Ashworth now runs her own marketing consultancy: gail.baytreemarketing@gmail.com

http://www.irwinandjordan.com/
http://www.exposure.net/
http://www.mattjenkinsdesign.co.uk/
http://aldersonprintgroup.co.uk/digital.php

Posted by Justin Hobson 01.03.2011

Max Lamb - The Vermiculated Ashlar

Photo by Philip Sinden

Last year, for the first time, the London Design Festival worked with HSBC Private Bank both as sponsor and collaborator. The partnership included a design commission: a one-off piece of design for the bank's St James's office which was unveiled at the V&A during the Festival.

British designer Max Lamb won the competion to carry out the commission. Inspired by the castings gallery at the V&A, he created a cast replica of part of the Bank's central office at 78, St James' Street, Lamb then hand-carved the piece using a hammer and chisel into a the shape of a bench.

The piece is called the Vermiculated Ashlar.

Pentagram were commissioned to produce a piece of literature documenting the project in words and images.  

 

The end result is a book of 150x200mm, portrait with a 4pp cover and a 52pp text. The cover is debossed with the original patterning from the casting taken from the building and used to create the piece. Although it's very obvious on the cover, it's quite hard to photograph but the pic below hopefully gives the idea:

The cover material used is Neptune Unique SoftWhite 250gsm and the text alternates in sections between Neptune Unique SoftWhite 155gsm and Colorset Light Grey 120gsm, two quite different papers which work in juxtaposition given the rough and smooth nature of the architectural piece itself.

To read more: http://www.hsbcprivatebank.com/video/maxlamb/maxlamb.html

The project was printed by Gavin Martin (with Gary Bird officiating!) and as you can see here, they've made a beautiful job of it. 

Partner in charge of the project at Pentagram was Domenic Lippa and the designer was Jeremy Kunze. Thanks to Jez for sending me a file copy and a nice note.

http://maxlamb.org/
http://www.pentagram.com/
http://www.gavinmartin.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 25.02.2011

Open Books 1

Yesterday evening I went to a private view at the Royal College of Art of an exhibition and book launch. The subject: To exhibit and to show the book

The aim of Open Books is to collect and highlight some initiatives which opens up minds and give cause for reflection.


“This is a book about exhibitions. The exhibitions are about books. They are also exhibitions about exhibitions of books. This unstable series of relations between form & content & between subject & object unfolds further in many of the books on show in the exhibition Open books. This book about books & about exhibitions about books results in endless repetition. It is a self-reflexive structure playing with infinity. That is why it remains open.”

The picture below shows the exhibition area (sans people!):

...and here is the actual publication, edited and produced by Sophie Demay and Charlotte Cheetham, designed by Sophie Demay and Lola Halifa -Legrand. The book is wiro-bound with a red wire and is 190x135mm, portrait. It is printed in 1 colour on a Risograph machine by Hato Press. The materials used are our Colorset Suede, Indigo 270gsm and a wide selection of our other text materials (the beauty of wiro means that you can use many different materials without being limited by producing in 4pp sections).

 

...and here we all are having a jolly time at the viewing!

The project was sponsored by Laurence King Publishing.

http://www.open-books.tumblr.com/
http://www.rca.ac.uk/
http://www.hatopress.net/
http://www.laurenceking.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.02.2011