ISTD Awards 2011

I was lucky enough to go to the ISTD awards on Friday evening and it was an excellent event. It was held at the The Museum of Brands and Packaging in London's Notting Hill. Now, I've never come accross this museum but as guests we were allowed to have a look around and I would suggest you have a look, especially if you are doing a packaging/branding project (http://www.museumofbrands.com/). As with all ISTD events, there is a real warmth, maybe because there is always an international element? or because people interested in type are friendly? ...I don't know.

Steve Fenn, Tom Heaton, Toby Burkill, Tom Pollard, Zoë Bather

There was no 2011 Overall Winner but there were 50 Awards representing design from 19 countries and 12 nationalities – 36 Certificates of Excellence, 14 Premier Awards, awarded for outstanding typographic achievement.

All the award winners deserve congratulations, but in particular, there are some people who I must mention:

Cartlidge Levene for the V&A  Ceramic Galleries  (... not on paper, but still great work!) http://www.cartlidgelevene.co.uk/

Raw for their lovely 11 out of 10 poster (printed by Adams of Rye), Studio 8 for Elephant magazine and the Central School of Speech & Drama identity and Paulus M Dreibholz for numerous awards!
http://www.rawdesignstudio.co.uk/
http://www.studio8design.co.uk/
http://dreibholz.com/

A piece that particularly intrigued me was  a book called Another Reason designed bu Al Mohtaraf, a studio based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:

http://www.mohtaraf.com/

http://mohtarafbooks.com/m/al-mohtaraf-publishing,1.html

It was an excellent evening which showed a fantastic array of international typographic excellence. It is SO important for the design industry that we retain organisations such as the ISTD and we must take every opportunity to try and encourage membership, thus ensuring their continued viability. Congratulations to the awards team: Belinda Magee, Clare Playne and Gilmar Wendt - a huge amount of time and work goes into these events and it is fair that they should be recognised and applauded.

The awards catalogue perfectly illustrates the awards, the diversity of media and approach and an inspiring overview of international typographic design. It is 130x185mm, portrait, perfect bound. Printed on our Neptune Unique 300 and 170gsm.

The book is designed by Playne Design. Print is by Gavin Martin. It's well worth getting - you can buy the awards book through the ISTD website (£15, I think)

...and if you aren't a member, have a look http://www.istd.org.uk/ - it costs less than £10 per month - still excellent value!

www.istd.org.uk
http://www.museumofbrands.com/
www.playnedesign.co.uk
www.gavinmartincolournet.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 20.10.2011

Vincit Qui Se Vincit

This is a beautiful prospectus for what looks like a very lovely private girls school in the Malvern Hills in the Midlands.

The publication is 210x280mm, portrait with a 4pp cover and 32pp text and is PUR bound. It is printed CMYK throughout plus two special colours (dark blue and gold) on our Omnia 280 & 150gsm. The cover has a silk finish lamination on the outside to prevent marking when handling. Interesting, because most people using Omnia would prefer the uncoated nature of the board but this is a sensible route given the fact that a dark blue is likely to mark against other lighter colours (however dry the ink is) and the lamination has worked exceptionally well on the Omnia.

There are also 4 x A5 size "tip-in's" on a 200gsm gloss coated which provides a contrast with the Omnia (see pic below).

...and as you can see from the picture below, the metallic ink on the Omnia, really looks metallic. On most true uncoated papers, metallics can simply look dead and like a flat colour. Metallics on Omnia, still look lively and have that pearly irridescent look. 

The propectus was designed Mosaique Design Consultants based in Tewkesbury. Art direction and design is by Phil Ellis and the account director on the project was Geoff Smith.  It's a very engaging piece of literature.

Printing is by Ortek printers in Walsall and they have made a superb job of it - colour reproduction is excellent - solid flat areas of colour work amazingly well as do the metallics. The job was handled by Graham Crisp and it was kind of him to send me file copies.

...and just to show my Latin O level wasn't wasted: Vincit Qui Se Vincit is the school motto and translates as "She conquers who conquers herself" (I use the female, as it is a girls' school - it also reads "he conquers who conquers himself").

http://www.malvernstjames.co.uk/

http://www.mosaique.co.uk/

www.ortek.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 19.10.2011

Sky Magazine Axed

Last week, BSkyB announced that they have axed the print edition of Sky Magazine. Now you might not particularly see why this is important or relevant to me or this blog - as we don't supply the paper for the magazine anyway!

However, when I tell you that this is the UK's largest magazine by circulation with an average readership of almost 7.3million, you can see why it's significant.

Richard Gray, managing director of Prinovis, which printed all of the Sky titles, referred to the decision in a recent interview with PrintWeek and highlighted its significance for the print industry:
"We do have to be concerned when companies such as BskyB, who understand the benefits that print can offer, make decisions about their marketing budgets that drastically reduce the use of the printed medium. BskyB’s decision should be worrying for the printing industry, not just Prinovis."

...how true
For the full article in Printweek:
http://www.printweek.com/bulletin/printweekdailybulletin/article/1098565/sky-magazine-axed-favour-online-mobile-comms/

Posted by Justin Hobson 18.10.2011

Biba

Most people will be familiar with the name Biba. Starting as a mail order company in the early sixties and becoming a global fashion phenomenon by the early seventies, Biba became one of the great symbols of swinging London. Biba closed its doors in 1975 but was relaunched in September 2010 (exclusively at House of Fraser).

A lookbook for the re-launch was designed and produced by London based creative agency, Exposure.

The size of the book is 235x170mm, portrait, perfect bound. The 4pp cover is on Notturno 300gsm (a black board) and is hot foil blocked in gold on the outside cover. The 52pp test is printed on our Omnia 200gsm which, although quite heavy for text, really works because of the gilt (gold) edge which runs around the page edges (if you click on the image, you should be able to see the edge).

...and as you can see from the spreads below, the Omnia has worked amazingly well with the solid black and images:

Art Director on the project was Simon Boniface. The photography is by Leandro Farina.

Print and print production including the superb foiling and gilt edging was by Chapter Press.
It is quite simply, one of those jobs that you look at and go WOW!
http://www.mybiba.com/
www.exposure.net
http://www.leandrofarinastudio.blogspot.com/
www.chapterpress.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.10.2011

Fabergé Promotional cards

This is a pair of promotional cards to accompany the Fabergé Horlogerie book (see post 30.09.2011). Produced in two sizes 190mm square and 142x175mm, printed on our Colorset Ash 270gsm. The images are just printed in one colour (black) offset litho, with a hot foil blocked Fabergé logo, in gunmetal on the outside. Simple and lovely.

 Design is anonymous. Print is by Push.

...and thanks to Justin at Push for the file copies and his note, complete with an artful rendition of the Fenner Paper Logo:

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 12.10.2011

Rapha

Here is yet another superb piece of literature produced by Rapha, the specialist cyclewear brand (see previous posts).

The amazing photography is again by Ben Ingham, the style of which is now defining the Rapha printed literature (and online). Below shows front and back covers:



This publication was produced for the German market and was used as a "loose insert" in a magazine which is the reason for it being slightly more conventional than the previous pieces. It is A5 (210x148mm) portrait, saddle stitched and is a 16pp self cover format printed on our Marazion Ultra 170gsm.

Art direction and design is by Ultan Coyle working for Rapha. Repro, print and finishing is by Orchid Print.

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.10.2011



Work Experience 2011

This week, we had the pleasure of having a pupil from one of our local schools (St Gregory's in Tunbridge Wells) for a few days of work experience.

Harry, pictured above, was able to see the workings of a paper merchant in action, spending some time in our warehouse (wrapping paper!) and in the sample room. I also took him out to visit a printer, Fulmar Colour in Croydon. It was a particularly worthwhile visit as the Croydon site, not only boasts printing, but foiling, die-making, lamination and finishing. It was very kind of Martin Stacey (above) at Fulmar to have taken the time to show us around.

 After the tour of Fulmar, we visited GBH's lovely offices in Chiswick, so he could see what a graphic design company does and thank you very much to Bethan for the time that she spent with us.

...and then back to our warehouse, where he helped wrap mountains of paper having been instructed by two former St Greg's pupils (or Old Gregorians as they are known) Chris Vallis and Neil Fenner!

http://www.sgschool.org.uk/

http://www.fulmarcolour.com/

http://www.gregorybonnerhale.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 07.10.2011