Primark A/W lookbook

Primark is widely established as the destination store for keeping up with the latest looks without breaking the bank. They offer a diverse range of products, stocking everything from baby and kids, to womens, mens, home ware, accessories, beauty products and confectionery. Primark opened its first store in Dublin in 1969 under the name Penneys and today operates in over 270 stores in nine countries in Europe and growing with the first US store opening in Boston last year.

This is the beautifully produced lookbook produced for last year's Autumn/Winter season. It is a large format - 340x245mm, which economical out of a B1 sheet.

Click on images to enlarge

The publication is printed on our Shiro Echo, Bright White, which is 100% Recycled. The 4pp cover is printed on 300gsm and the 44pp text is on 120gsm. It is printed offset litho in CMYK throughout.

The cover is also hot foil blocked and embossed in a semi transparent pearlescent foil, as you can see in the image below....

...and not to forget the men! The men's range is also included going from the back cover towards the spine or what I have described before as a 'double-ender' - the cover as you can see below with the cover spread out...

 The Men's also has the cover, hot foil blocked and embossed in a semi transparent pearlescent foil.

...a particularly nice touch is the use of the 'loop stitching' as binding.

 The 48pp publication, sits nice and flat

The quality of the art direction, photography, repro, print and finishing is superb. The paper also happens to have performed brilliantly - fleshtones and jewellery details equally looking superb.

Primark's international Headquarters are in Dublin and the UK offices are in London. Art direction and design is by London creative agency Odd. Print, repro and finishing is by Gavin Martin Colournet, based in London E3.

http://www.primark.com/en/homepage
http://www.oddlondon.com/
http://www.gavinmartincolournet.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 26.04.2016

Letting in the Light

Letting in the Light is an art exhibition which was showing earlier in the year. The exhibition set to illuminate the streets of Stratford with a series of large light boxes, featuring images of paintings, drawings, digital and mixed media work by artists including Bobby Baker, Dolly Sen, Jan Arden, Phil Baird and George Harding. Produced by Bobby Baker’s pioneering Stratford-based arts and mental health organisation Daily Life Ltd, the exhibition showcased extraordinary work made by artists with personal experience of mental health issues.

 

This is the promotional leaflet for the exhibition. It is A5 (210x148mm) a 6pp format but with the front flap cut short at just 99mm wide, as I hope the image below demonstrates:

The below image shows the outside and inside folded out flat.

This piece of literature is printed on Omnia 200gsm, which means that rather than feeling like the vast majority of mass produced leaflets printed on a bit of 130gsm silk or gloss, this has real character and value - it feels superb - it also works superbly with the images. Printed CMYK offset litho.

Design is by Joe Hales, who runs his studio in Dalston, East London. It is printed by the Orphans Press, based in Leominster, Herefordshire.
http://dailylifeltd.co.uk/
www.joehales.co.uk
https://orphans.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.04.2016

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/