Alan Fletcher Archive



© Martin Dunkerton 1992

If you aren't already aware of this, I think you'll find this pretty interesting. In the last month a new website archiving the work of Alan Fletcher has been put up. The site has been designed by Crescent Lodge and I asked Lynda Brockbank, the creative director to write a few words about the project:

 

The Alan Fletcher Archive website project began two years ago and was initiated by Alan’s daughter Raffaella with archivist Sarah Copplestone. The ‘soft’ launch on 31 May, was the moment when a rich mix of Alan’s work had been curated and digitised, important texts had been collected and commissioned, and the shop was ready to open. There’s still a vast collection, some of it unseen, that will continue to be added (some may yet be discovered), to build a living resource on Alan’s life, times and work. You can, of course, contact the Archive by email and also join the mailing list http://www.alanfletcherarchive.com/contact

The link to the new website is: http://www.alanfletcherarchive.com

Lynda remarked that it’s just wonderful to be able to look through all the amazing material in the archive and what a privilege it's been to work on the project.

...and I also have a small archive of my own! I have a set of ceramic desk accessories that Alan Fletcher designed for Time and Life in 1961 (bought in 2004 on the advice of a very sage Alan Dye from NB Studio ...thanks Alan)

 

...and I am the proud owner of a print that Alan gave me titled "a bouquet of flowers". I was at his studio one afternoon and had to rush off home as it was my anniversary that evening...

This new website is a brilliant resource and I look forward to seeing it grow and develop as more of the archive is uploaded.

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 04.07.2013

Jobs from the past - Number 45



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 and here's one from 2008.

Mission - Case studies

 

Mission is leading independent PR and marketing agency with an enviable client list. They commissioned design consultants, &Smith, to create a flexible solution for their self-promotional communications.

&Smith developed a series of individual case study booklets that are also broadsheets enabling Mission to build a bespoke portfolio. The design incorporates repeating Ms of their identity with a subtle number identifier (white reversed out) on each cover.

Each booklet unfolds to reveal a project description and press coverage results, before unfolding once again to reveal a full colour campaign image - and this is where the material comes in! Part of the requirement was that the project description/press coverage pages should have a "newsprinty" or "scrapbook" type feel. However this was a little at odds with the amazing images that they had to work and which appear when you open out the broadsheet! The paper chosen is our Redeem 100% Recycled in 100gsm which is a natural looking recycled products, but as you can see from these pictures, it prints amazingly! ...although that's in no small part due to the quality of original and the printer.  



As you can see from the large images on the open broadsheet, they are exquisite and they look absolutely brilliant on this paper. The size of each booklet is 220x170mm, folding out to 440x 510mm.

Design is by &Smith. Creative directors are Rachel Smith and Dan Bernstein.

The superb print (and the finishing is good too - no buckling on the folds) was handled by Gary Bird at Gavin Martin.

 

http://www.thisismission.com/
http://www.andsmithdesign.com/
www.gavinmartincolournet.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 02.07.2013



The Glastonbury Free Press

This weekend and for one weekend only ...the Glastonbury Free Press has been set up and is printing a new local newspaper for the Festival. It is being printed on site, using letterpress on a 1954 Original Heidelberg cylinder press.

...and if you'd like to read about how they managed to get a 5 tonne press and linecaster onto a muddy field and make it work, have a read of their blog here:
http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/areas/glastonbury-free-press/free-press-blog

There's also a design and print your own poster with letterpress artists, a healthy selection of woodblock type and a proofing press.

It's just complete madness but an amazing idea and I wish I was there to see it. I hope it stays dry for the hot metal maniacs in the field.

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/areas/glastonbury-free-press

Posted by Justin Hobson 28.06.2013

Inside|Outside 2013



Inside|Outside is an interesting project run by the printmaking team at the London College of Communication (LCC). The project involved 3 workshops, 3 locations and 3 processes. "A challenge to revisit the whole process of printmaking, considering parameters such as sustainability, environment, resources and waste. An experience outside the comfort of the studio to let the natural elements changing staff and students' way of thinking."

You can read more about the project lead by Pathway Leader Jack Blake and Printmaking Technician Barbara Salvadori and the LCC students at insideoutsideprintmaking.blogspot.co.uk

The end of project publication is printed by London based co-operative Calverts, chosen as they have excellent sustainable credentials and use all vegetable inks and their energy use is from renewable sources. They selected Favini SHIRO Alga Carta, Avorio 90gsm, chosen because it was in keeping with the sustainable nature of the project, because it is manufactured partly using algae harvested from the Venice lagoon, combined with FSC certified fibres. Algae blooms at the end of Summer in the Venice lagoon as the warm water combines with pollution and must be harvested to maintain the lagoon's eco-balance.

The format is an A5 broadsheet which folds out to A2. Printed in two colours, offset Litho.

Photography and design is by Jack Blake and Barbara Salvadori. Print was handled by Arthur Stitt at Calverts. A most interesting project and publication.

www.insideoutsideprintmaking.blogspot.co.uk
www.calverts.coop
http://www.favini.com/graphic_specialities/en/shiro-prd-21.php

Posted by Justin Hobson 26.06.2013

The Future of Paper Books

I've just been sent an invitation to the latest de.Frost* talk on the 14th July.  This is the fourteenth in the series of de.Frost* talks which are hosted by Frost* Design at their studio. Julie Gibbs is the Publishing Director of the Lantern imprint at Penguin, which publishes, high quality, illustrated books in the fields of cookery, gardening, interiors, photography, shopping, travel and biography. Julie has been in publishing for her entire career, and at Penguin for the last nineteen years.

At de.Frost* Julie will be discussing the value of paper books in our lives and what their future might be. She has also invited members of the audience to bring along a favourite illustrated book and perhaps say why it means something to them.

I would absolutely love to go along to this talk, it would be a fascinating and passionate insight into where the publisher sees the future, but sadly I can't go. ...why not? I hear you ask ...well sadly (for me) the Frost* studio is in Surry Hills in Sydney and although I did visit back in 2009, it's too far, even for me, to go for this talk.

Anyway thanks to Frost* for the invite and I look forward to hearing about the evening.

http://www.frostdesign.com.au/

Posted by Justin 24.06.2013

Coming Up for Air

A couple of months ago Melanie Smith, a graphics post grad student at the LCC, got in touch asking about lightweight and thin papers. Mel had a copy of our Size, Format, Stock and was aware of Offenbach Bible and wanted a material with an almost gossamer like appearance. One of the issues was that she only wanted to produce a limited number of copies. the publication called "Coming up for Air" is about some of the quiet (and green) areas in the city of London.

We discussed papers, format, bindings etc. and I suggested a few options. Anyway, here is the end result, which I think looks absolutely stunning.

The size of the publication is A3 (420x297mm) portrait. It is a 44pp, self cover and is printed on our Offenbach Bible 60gsm. One thing you probably won't be able to guess, or even believe, is that it's digitally printed! The job was printed and finished by MTA digital, who are based in south east London, on their HP Indigo digital press which made printing only a few copies viable - even on a material such as this, which many litho printers are scared of! ...just look at the print result.

Mel really wanted an A3 format, but because of the limitation of the SRA3 sheet size on the digital press, binding options were limited! ...which is why I suggested the singer sewing - which goes through the whole text and is probably better described as "side sewn" - see picture below

This is an excellent example of what can be achieved with a little time and effort. In many ways digital print still suffers from a poor reputation, especially when it looks like a poor colour photocopy on nasty high white supersmooth "digital" paper! This is a great example which shows that using the HP Indigo press, combined with a material that is right for the design together with binding/finishing which lends itself both to the subject and the format, a superb job can be achieved.

 

Design is by Melanie Smith. Print and finishing handled by John Sinnott and Aaron Carpenter at MTA Digital.

http://thetypothecary.wordpress.com
www.mtadigital.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 20.06.2013

AMC² Issue4

This is a truly beautiful book, which is just a delight to hold and leaf through.

Archive of Modern Conflict is an independent publisher based in London and this is issue 4 of  their series of journals. (their books on photography and art have won or been shortlisted for many prizes)

 

AMC² issue4 comprises photographs from Collected Shadows, an exhibition curated by the AMC for Paris Photo 2012. The works span a period from the early 1850s to the present day and are by photographers both known and unknown, amongst them Bertha Jaques, Gustave Le Gray, Robert Frank, Willi Ruge, Paul-Émile Miot, Johann Böhm, Ferdinand Quénisset, Mario Giacomelli, Eugene Atget, Josef Sudek and many others, while subjects include earth, fire, air, water and ether as well as divinity, astronomy, meteorology, flight and dance (these words from AMC books)

The size is 230x200mm, portrait and is perfect bound. The publication has an 8pp cover on StarFine White 200gsm. The text is made up using "French-folded" sections on Marazion Ultra 90gsm which gives it a sensational light feel and flows beautifully in the hand. The book has a 14mm spine.

The book has 140pp or printed pages (which I would normally describe as 70 x 4pp French-folded sections) - this actually makes 280pp but because the other side is unprinted and the ends are bound, each 4pp = 2pp. It's a bit tricky but if you think about it, it makes sense. French folding with a material like Marazion Ultra 90gsm feels fantastic because the weight of the material lets the pages flop and flow beautifully. The 8pp cover (pictured below) on Starfine 200gsm contributes to the soft feel. 

The picture below shows the foredge with the "french-folded" text

The book is printed by a Belgian printer, Die Keure, who are based in Bruges. They are one of the most renowned European book printers and they print for many of the high end publishers in Europe. The print and binding is superb on this book. It is printed CMYK throughout but most of the images have a mono/sepia reproductions and it's hard to get the consistency of look and feel in one publication from multiple image sources but this is an admirable result.

 

The designer is Melanie Mues, who I have worked with for many years. It was great to have the opportunity to work on a book project together, especially one as exquisite as this. 

http://www.amcbooks.com/amc2-journal-issue-4
http://www.amc2.org/amc2-issue-4
www.muesdesign.com
www.diekeure.be

Posted by Justin Hobson 17.06.2013