Queen's Award to Blue Eyed Sun

BLUE EYED Sun are flying the export flag for greetings cards and celebrating Her Majesty’s 90th birthday today in fine style with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise In International Trade.

Image & words courtesy of http://www.greetingstoday.co.uk/

The award was conferred today, Thursday, April 21, after it was announced that The Queen has been “graciously pleased to approve the Prime Minister’s recommendation” that the publishers receive the honour in recognition of their exceptional export growth over the past three years. MD Jeremy Corner and his wife Jo, the artist behind Blue Eyed Sun’s designs, have been invited to The Queen’s Reception at Buckingham Palace in July along with other Queen’s Award

winners.
Jeremy said: “We’re thrilled that the Blue Eyed Sun team have been recognised for their hard work in growing internationally with this highly prestigious and coveted award. “It’s an honour to be flying the flag for greetings cards especially in a year when the Queen celebrates her 90th birthday and will certainly be receiving many thousands of cards as part of her celebrations.”

Congratulations to Blue Eyed Sun, who have appeared on this blog before, here.
...and of course, congratulations to her Majesty on her 90th Birthday.
www.blueeyedsun.co.uk
http://www.greetingstoday.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 21.04.2016

It's my birthday!

I have to say a big thank you to Claire Vincent at card publisher, Love Poppet for my lovely personalised card which arrived on my birthday.

Not only is the design wonderful, it is printed on our lovely Stardream Silver 285gsm and Colorset Light Blue 120gsm. Size of the card is A5 and as you can see, it is also round cornered.

You can see Claire's work ( ...and buy cards!) here:
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/partners/lovepoppet/products

Posted by Justin Hobson 20.04.2016

Bits and Bobs

This is a superb new range of small greeting cards from greeting card designer, publisher ...and now printer - Nineteen seventy three!

Based in Brighton, 1973 bought their first Heidelberg press a few years ago and now produce many of their ranges printed letterpress in house.

The 4pp cards are 120x85mm, portrait and they are printed on our Colorset 100% Recycled 270gsm in the Natural shade. Colorset is just perfect for letterpress as it's high bulk and compressibility allows the impression to sink into the board.

Here is a selection from the range, most are printed in two or three colours.

Above image shows reverse of cards, below shows detail:

The range all come with gummed ribbed kraft envelopes (90x125mm) in a cellophane bag and with a 'letterpressed with love' sticker

You can see the new 'Bits and Bobs' whole range here:

www.nineteenseventythree.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 19.04.2016

Coast Autumn Winter Lookbook

Coast is one of the leading occasionwear brands for women. Established in 1996, Coast now boasts 52 stand-alone stores with 184 concessions and 46 international stores. This is the latest lookbook for Autumn Winter and is an exquisite piece of literature. 

 

To begin with the cover is yummy! The cover is printed on our Astralux board - this is a one sided 'Cast Coated' board which means it has a high gloss surface and an uncoated reverse. In this instance, it's been used inside out! The uncoated reverse has been printed in a special pantone cover and hot foil blocked in gold metallic foil and used as the outer cover - the high gloss has been printed CMYK and appears on the inside front and back cover

Detail showing inside back cover, with high gloss inside:

The cover is printed on Astralux [1 sided] 350gsm. Size of the publication is 240x165mm(which is an economical size to be printed on a B2/B1 size press) 

The text material chosen was our Omnia, which would beautifully reproduce the photography with the delicate patterns and dark colours superbly - without forgetting the fleshtones ...and it looks wonderful!  The 40pp text is on Omnia White 150gsm, printed offset litho in CMYK throughout.

Click on images to enlarge

Image reproduction is paramount but it was also important that the publication also projected the tactility of the clothes and in the image above and below the detail of jewellery. An ordinary feeling silk or gloss coated paper wasn't an option, so Omnia fitted the bill perfectly

Click on images to enlarge

Omnia is a very bulky paper, so even though it is only 40pp, the Omnia 150gsm gives it a 5mm spine thickness. As with all quality publications, it is 'section sewn' and here is a close up showing the spine and end of the book with the sewn sections:

Art direction and design is by Coast. Printing, neat foiling and fastidious finishing is by Identity Print based in Paddock Wood.

http://www.coast-stores.com/
http://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 14.04.2016

Introducing Letterpress Junction

It's not everyday that a new printing company sets up and it certainly might surprise you when I tell you that this new venture only prints using Letterpress! The new press is set up in the beautiful cathedral city of Canterbury and they have some of the very latest old equipment! They are equipped with both metal and wood type, a 'Thompson British Auto Platen'  and have also acquired another press a 'Miehle V50X '.

Letterpress Junction is a partnership between letterpress printer Glenn Church and typefounder Ed Denovan, between them boasting more years experience than they want me to mention!

 

They have produced a suite of printed literature to announce their 'Jobbing Letterpress Service'

 

The posters are 450x318mm, printed in two colours

...and these 4pp cards which are 183x130mm, portrait and printed on our Modigliani Neve 260gsm

...detail below, showing all the type well bottomed out and working with the feltmarked texture of the board (Modigiani has a texture reminiscent of a watercolour paper)

Click on images to enlarge

...and another poster 450x318mm, also printed in two colours. You can see they are hanging up to dry - unlike modern printing, the inks need time to dry.

Here's a picture of their  'Thompson British Auto Platen'  in situ

 a selection of their wooden type:

and a great example showing what is called a 'printers fist'

I can only wish this intrepid printing duo the very best of luck and goodwill. They have a passion for doing what they do and unlike some "letterpressy" individuals, they don't see themselves as artists, they are describe themselves as 'jobbing printers' to serve the graphic design market ...so why not give them a job - NOW!

http://letterpressjunction.co.uk/

Jane Churchill - New 2016 collection

Jane Churchill has built an international reputation for creating fresh designs specifically intended to work together to produce a wide range of looks, both contemporary and traditional. This is a promotional card for the new season's collection from the Jane Churchill collection.

The card features Holmewood, a wonderfully patterned embroidered stripe with a Suzani inspired design.

The 2pp cards are A5 (210x148mm) portrait and are printed on our Omnia 280gsm. They are printed CMYK offset litho with a special pantone grey on the reverse The colour reproduction is strong and vivid and the whole invitation has a matt, tactile look and feel.

Please just take the time to click on the image below and hopefully you'll be able to appreciate just how sharp the reproduction is...

Click on images to enlarge

Creative direction and production is handled in house at Colefax & Fowler. The designer on this project is Rachael Ashley. Print production is by Greenshires based in Leicester.

http://www.janechurchill.com/
http://www.colefax.co.uk/
www.greenshires.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 08.04.2016

Style & Truth

London clothing company Jigsaw has unveiled its ‘Lived not modelled’ spring/summer 2016 campaign. Furthering the ‘Style and Truth’ brand message which was launched in 2014, this publication is issue number 4 and contains eighteen articles about a wide range of subjects from Linen production to an article about short story telling by novelist Sarah Butler.

 

My particular interest in this 94 page publication is the use of our Colorset 100% Recycled as a section divider, introducing a new collection for Spring Summer 2016 called Foundation.

The divider page is on the right hand side and introduces the new collection. Size is 265x220mm and it is printed in just one colour, offset litho on Colorset Light Grey 270gsm  and heavily blind embossed with the word FOUNDATION which I hope you will be able to see in the below image:

Click on images to enlarge

The reverse of the divider is printed solid in one colour and you can see the reverse of the heavy embossing here

The divider is also punched with a small hole, in the same style as a swing tag.

 

But that's not all! ...there is a "tipped in" sample of linen cloth, which has been mounted using a piece of the same Colorset:

Image showing detail of tipped in linen sample:

All in all it is a really understated, yet engaging piece of literature which has been superbly finished. One interesting facet is this 8pp gatefold insert, which has been inserted into the middle of the publication - and when I say middle I mean middle as in top to bottom or head to foot - that is a clever piece of finishing:

Editor in Chief is Ana Santi. Design is by the Jigsaw in house design team. Print is by CPI Connect with the project handled by James Howe.

http://www.jigsaw-online.com/
http://www.cpiconnect.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 05.04.2016