Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Jobs from the past - Number 35


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.

English Heritage 10th Anniversary Conservation Awards 1994-5
This booklet was comissioned by English Heritage to introduce their 'one off' award as part of English Heritage's 10th Anniversay celebrations. This 'award of awards' was given in conjunction with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors awards.

This modest, yet beautifully produced, piece of literature was to introduce the awards. It is 140mm square format with a 4pp cover and an 8pp text and is 'three hole sewn' in black thread.
Images are printed in Duotone (beautifully) on our uncoated Neptune Unique 250gsm and 135gsm. Printed in black, grey and red (this was back in the days when doing a three colour job was cheaper than CMYK!) The photography is by Phil Sayer and looks as amazing today as it did then.
Detail showing three hole sewing:
Outside back cover showing 'belly-band' printed in silver on a coated silk paper:

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 "press 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.
Posted by Justin Hobson 04.09.2012

Thursday, 30 August 2012

Coggles S/S 2012

Coggles is a Boutique Department Store (& Designer Store Of The Year) with a four floor shop in York's historic centre and an on line presence with over 2 million vistors a year

Victoria Bage started Coggles in 1974. From the opening of a quirky stall on York market, her designs proved so successful that by 1976 she had opened her store. Originally named Sarah Coggles, the name came about because Victoria's husband was having an affair with his secretary, Sarah Coggles. On discovering the affair, Victoria promptly divorced him and named the store after the secretary to remind him of the mistake he had made!

This publication is the Coggles Spring/Summer 2012 lookbook and because it is a department store, the content is wide and varied, including fashion, accessories, homeware, furniture and books.
Format is 200x270mm, portrait, saddle stitched with an 8pp cover (155mm flaps) and a 32pp text. It's printed on Omnia 280gsm and 150gsm. The quality of images and the reproduction is fantastic whilst the Omnia still makes it feel tactile and engaging in the hand.
Spread on inside front cover flap.
Art Direction and design is by No Days Off. Creative directors on the project are Patrick Duffy and Teo Conner. Designer is Charlie Hocking. This is the clever company that recycled it's old stationery to make new stationery - see previous post:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7054126605724460225#editor/target=post;postID=5178695148461243374

It's been beautifully printed by Kingsbury Press. They are a family run B2 printers based in Doncaster and many design agencies that I know have been using them recently and if this job is anything to go by, I can see why...

http://www.coggles.com/
Posted by Justin Hobson 30.08.2012

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Defining Luxury

The old expression that you can't judge a book by it's cover, gets disproved time an time again on this blog! Here is an example where the cover totally sets the tone and quality for the text.
'Defining Luxury' is a book of case studies, produced to demonstrate how Conran Design Group works with Luxury brands and is therfore intended to impress, which it does very well.

The publication is 210x285mm, portrait. The cover, which is the star of the piece, is hot foil blocked in white gloss foil and metallic silver foil and as you can see from the pictures below, it is simply stunning.
One of the really important things to draw your attention to is the way that the cover is formed. Essentially it is an 8pp cover, with the flaps folding on the outside rather than on the inside. There is grey, cloth binding tape along the spine and the flaps are glued down forming a really solid cover, which almost has the solidity of a casebound book. The material used for the cover is our Matrisse 350gsm which is uncoated, has an exceptionally high bulk and embosses and foils beautifully - as you can see!
Spine detail
The 40pp text is printed on a 'house' coated silk but is singer sewn which again, gives the book a quality feel (and allows the pages to lay relatively flat)

Creative Director on the project is Lee Hoddy and the designer on the project is Tom Mesquitta. Print and exceptional finishing and foiling is by Chapter Press.

www.conrandesigngroup.com
www.mesquitta.com
www.chapterpress.co.uk
Posted by Justin Hobson 28.08.2012

Thursday, 23 August 2012

The Liminal Points Project


This is the inaugural publication from Rokov Publishing, an independent publishing house established by London based photographer Nick Rochowski to be a platform for collaborative output.
Here's a description of the project by Nick Rochowski "The Liminal Points Project is a re-exploration of Penn Wood, Buckinghamshire and a journey back to a vivid childhood fantasy. Working at dawn, dusk and night blending natural and constructed lighting techniques in conjunction with elements from the landscape, the betwixt, large-scale images lie in a place that is somewhere between realities, as if you have stumbled upon a happening. For the artist it is a raw, solitary experience and a manifestation of contemplations on the wider world. There is a power nature holds when one is left alone with it and something that resonates in all people. Visually inspired by cinema of the late 70s and early 90s and writers Katushiro Otomo and J.G.Ballard, the work collaborates with illustration artist Greg Haynes and the influential music of producer Deepsea. These different creative elements form new levels within and around the work".

Cover is hot foil blocked and de-bossed on a well known cover board from that other, Hull based, paper merchant (!) in Racing Green 350gsm. Size is 305x235mm, landscape format.
The cover is a 6pp with two spines effectively creating a capacity folder. The text is saddle stitched (using copper wire - nice touch!) into the left hand spine. The 32pp text is printed on our Omnia 150gsm. The photography is amazing and the images have been faithfully reproduced on the Omnia, capturing all the detail that is present especially in the dark areas.
Equally, the illustrations by Greg Haynes have retained all the fine detail:


London based electronic musician Simon Rendall, who goes by the moniker Deepsea, produced the soundtrack for the project. His music incorporates samples from old records and field recordings with new music technology to create the soundtrack.

Produced in a limited edition of 250, it also includes a signed and numbered 9" x 12" book edition print from the artist, printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Satin 310gsm paper.

Book design is by Peter Koo and print is by Push Print, handled by Emma Horner and Roy Killen.

Publisher: www.rokovpublishing.com
Nick Rochowski: www.rochowski.net
Simon Rendall: www.reverbnation.com/deepsea
Greg Haynes: www.fybeone.co.uk
Printer: www.push-print.com
Posted by Justin Hobson 22.08.2012

Monday, 20 August 2012

Baron

***NOT TO BE SOLD TO PERSONS UNDER 18***
Now at the risk of getting my blog blacklisted (..although of course, it could increase my ratings!), here is a piece of literature which I will share with you.

Baron is described as the "Erotic Paperback Magazine for gentlemen and ladies who enjoy a cocktail, chit chatting about modern art, fine dressing and when the lights faint and the gin runs out, become connoisseurs at taking their companion into bed"
The size of the publication is a handy 165x110mm, portrait. It has a 4pp cover with 194pp text and comes in a handy PVC wallet. 

The article about Playboy vs Penthouse in the early seventies by Bill Hedley is fascinating and the photography by Dutch photographers Blommers & Schumm, titled Sex Objects (below), is very clever. 
www.blommers-schumm.com
You may be wondering if my review of this literature is strictly professional and I can tell you, it most certainly is!  The cover of the magazine is printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 300gsm which has printed beatifully. Text pages are printed on the printer's "house" gloss magazine paper 80gsm. Print is by Westdale Press.

Editor In Chief is Jonathan Baron, Creative Director: Matthew Holroyd, Consulting Design Director: Tom Watt, Editor: Toby Orton, Art Editor: Ché Zara Blomfield, Contributing Fashion Editor: Joanna Schlenzka, Fashion assistants: Mhairi Graham and Shereena Ghaffor.

Thanks to Jonathan for sending me a copy.

Get one, it's a reasonable £8.00  (...but only if you're over 18!)
www.baronmagazine.co.uk
Posted by Justin Hobson 20.08.2012

Thursday, 16 August 2012

ESPA at Corinthia


Here's a beautifully simple invite/promotional piece for the ESPA Life resort at the Corinthia in SW1. It's an 8pp "closed gatefold" format. Size is 150mm square.

Front and back cover are printed in solid black with reversed out type. Corinthia is hot foil blocked in metallic silver foil and the key device is printed in a gloss UV varnish. It is printed on our Omnia 320gsm (...just worth mentioning that Omnia is one of the very few papers with an uncoated look and feel that you can sucesfully UV varnish on to with one pass and it looks excellent). 

Inside spread printed in four colour process - excellent reproduction in both the dark areas and skin-tones.

Designed and produced by ESPA for the Corinthia.

Print is by London based printer, Leycol with Richard Davey handling the project. It's just worth pointing out that it has been well creased and finished - it is square, flat and no cracking on the folds or edges - a really nice clean, well produced piece.

Posted by Justin Hobson 16.08.2012

Tuesday, 14 August 2012

Transcending Reality

This is a beautiful catalogue produced for a major exhibition of the work of Tai Xiangzhou in New York , earlier in the year. These exceptional paintings are rendered in just black ink. Excellent reproduction was absolutely paramount.
The size is 230x305mm, portrait. It has an 4pp cover and a 22pp text, including three throw-outs. The material choice is perfect - it is Omnia Natural 200gsm cover and 150gsm text. The "neutral" white shade works well with the ink paintings which are reproduced out of four colour process (CMYK) plus a special green.  The material and the image work perfectly together with the subtle tactile nature of the Omnia and the shading of the paintings.
 There are three throw-outs, necessary to show the works in sequence:



The binding is two banks of three hole sewing (see below) - in a natural thread, suits the book and subject perfectly.


The project is designed and art directed by Ornan Rotem and Num Stibbe at Sylph Editions.

Print and finishing is by Principal Colour in Paddock Wood.
 
Posted by Justin Hobson 14.08.2012