London Street Signs

Today is the publication date for a superb new book by a wonderful designer Alistair Hall, who's work has appeared on this blog many times before.

Over the past few years Alistair has researched, visited and photographed sites all over the capital city, documenting and creating an archive of street name plates. London has an amazingly rich collection of these wayfinding signs which stretch back through the centuries. The beauty is that because the signs were never erected by a single authority or been updated at a particular time, they
comprise a rich treasury of graphic form and typography, which Alistair has carefully and considerately mined.

Click on images to enlarge

‘London Street Signs is the stunning new book from Alistair Hall. An absolute must for type fans – one of the design books of the year.’ Daniel Benneworth-Gray

‘Mr Hall writes in an informative way about an unexpectedly fascinating topic. He has a good eye for serifs and unusual embellishments, such as the “delicately rendered manicule” on a sign on Addison Road, W14.’ The Times Literary Supplement

‘Everything I hoped it would be, nerdy and engrossing in all the right ways.’ Professor Phil Baines, Typography Professor at Central Saint Martins

Alistair Hall runs his own studio We Made This, he lectures at The Cass and CSM and is also art director of children’s literacy charity Ministry of Stories and its fantastical shop, Hoxton Street Monster Supplies.

London Street Signs is published by Batsford, which is an imprint of Pavilion Books and I'm sure they have a sure hit with this book. Congratulations to Alistair on the publication of his first title, I'm sure there will be more to come!

This 192pp hardback book is available from all good bookshops (Foyles, Waterstones, WH Smith etc.) at very reasonable prices or you can buy direct HERE.

https://www.pavilionbooks.com/book/london-street-signs/
http://www.wemadethis.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.09.2020

Jobs from the past - Number 130

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 this publication is from 2008.

Absolute Radio - Launch Brochure 2008
On June 30th 2008 TIML took over Virgin Radio and re-branded the station as Absolute Radio. This publication was the launch document produced for the press, employees and advertisers.

This newspaper style publication is a large format 420x297mm (A3) portrait and is a 24pp 'self-cover' left completely unbound.

Click on images to enlarge

It is printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 100gsm which is has a neutral white shade which gives the publication a 'newspaper' feel which really suits the editorial work that is being shown and which prints amazingly, as I hope these images show...

Click on images to enlarge

Below is a detail image showing just how good the images look...

...and the below image shows the binding (or lack of it!) with the text all loose, so you can see the way the 4pp sections sit together...

Below image shows the way the 24pp text sits nice and flat...

Outside back cover:

The publication isn't as light as a newspaper but it flows freely in the hand.

Sadly I don't know who to credit the design and creative work to (if you know, please drop me a line), however I do know that Principal Colour in Paddock Wood did the printing. Printed offset litho, CMYK throughout.

https://www.absoluteradiotickets.co.uk/
http://www.principalcolour.co.uk/ 

Posted by Justin Hobson 01.09,2020

Simone Rocha Limited Edition

Simone Rocha was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1986. In 2008 she graduated with a BA in Fashion from The NCAD in Dublin followed by an MA from Central Saint Martins in 2010. Simone debuted at London Fashion Week in September 2010 and her collections can be found in some of the most prestigious stockists in the world. 

In 2016 at the British Fashion Awards Simone received the “British Womenswear Designer Award” as well as the 2016 Harper’s Bazaar Designer of Year Award. In 2017 Simone opened her first USA store in Soho, New York. 

This superbly conceived publication is a limited edition production. The scale is a luxuriously large 420x305mm, portrait format, which flops and rolls beautifully.

Front cover...

Simone works on seasonal imagery and produces limited edition printed books featuring this and the works of collaborators and inspirations. For this publication Simone collaborated with the Louise Bourgeois Studio to re-imagine Bourgeois’ fabric works into prints and embroideries in the collection. The collaboration continued into two styles of limited-edition earrings produced with Hauser + Wirth released during New York Frieze.

The publication is a collection of loose 4pp, forming spreads which Juxtapose the different subject. It is a 28pp loose bound using a rubber band which holds it all together remarkably effectively for the size. The publication is a self cover, all produced on Omnia 120gsm.

Above is the spread, below is the mono image spread out alongside the Louise Bourgeois artwork 'Les Fleurs'

Click on images to enlarge

Spread appears in the publication above and below, with the Louise Bourgeois artwork 'Untitled' removed...

Below shows the publication separated into individual 4pp with the band removed.

The above image shows the outside back cover and the way that the 10mm wide black rubber band holds the folded 4pp unbound sections in place

The publication is a 28pp self cover printed offset litho on our Omnia, White 120gsm and the result is stunning. The look and feel of the whole publication is very uncoated and tactile but there is absolutely no loss of detail in the images, as you can see from the detail image below...

Click on images to enlarge

Art direction and design is by Simmonds. The excellent printing and print production, including the binding is by Imprimerie du Marais in Paris.

http://simonerocha.com/
http://www.simmondsltd.com/
https://imprimeriedumarais.fr/

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.08.2020 

New SUMO swatch

SUMO is our a heavyweight, thick board manufactured by FAVINI in Italy. It is available in black and white and the consists of 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm up to a whopping 3mm thick  ...seriously chunky! Last year, the range was extended to include a small range of colours - five new shades all available in 1mm thick and below is the new lighter weight swatch...

 Size of the swatch is 240x152mm with 10mm spine

Thanks to the dyeing process, the colour distribution is consistent throughout to give excellent results especially when the edge is visible. The finest quality makes Sumo perform excellently for invitations, tags, covers, business cards, luxury POS material and high-end packaging.

The SUMO range is FSC certified. Below shows the five new shades, all available in 1mm thick.

If you would like samples, please drop me an email: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

http://www.favini.com/gs/en/fine-papers/sumo/features-applications/

Posted by Justin Hobson 24.08.2020

XX: A Novel, Graphic

This is the title of a forthcoming book by Rian Hughes and also a talk (via Zoom) which is being hosted by the St Bride Foundation on September 2nd.

‘Brilliant, exciting, absorbing and mind-blowing... a perfect work of art about what it means to be human in a world of gigantic ideas’ Grant Morrison

Rian Hughes is a graphic designer, illustrator, comic artist, writer and typographer who has worked extensively for the British and American advertising, music and comic book industries. Rian has designed new fonts, curated old ones, drawn illustrations and diagrams and taken photographs to graphically enhance the narrative of his book, XX: A Novel, Graphic. These are supplemented by redacted NASA reports, artwork, magazine articles, secret transcripts, and a novel within the novel called Ascension .

In this talk he will give an insight into his explorations that led to his creation of the book to tell a story like no other...

You can book tickets here which are just £5.00 or £21.00 with a signed copy of the book - it's great value and a wonderful way to support St Brides.

https://www.sbf.org.uk/
https://www.sbf.org.uk/whats-on/view/xx-a-novel-graphic-exploring-the-narrative-potential-of-graphic-design/
https://www.devicefonts.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 20.08.20

Mulberry Mongoose

Mulberry Mongoose is a jewellery workshop, located on a well-trodden elephant path in the remote Zambian bush. Local craftswomen make all the jewellery by hand using natural materials from the South Luangwa valley. This simple 4pp piece of literature is used as an information leaflet promoting the jewellery and tours of the workshop to the tourists who stay at the local safari lodges in the local area.

Size is A5, portrait (210x148mm) and is printed Offset Litho on our lovely Flora Anice 240gsm. Below shows the inside spread (portrait orientation)

Click on images to enlarge

Outside back cover and front cover...

Flora is a part recycled text and cover paper with a deliberately recycled look and feel with specks and inclusions, so it looks deliberately flecky and specky. Click on the image below and you'll see the detail...

Click on images to enlarge

Flora is produced with 30% post consumer de-inked waste, together with 60% of virgin FSC pulp 10% cotton fibres, which gives the paper a wonderful tactile feel.

The Mulberry Mongoose brand identity and design is by Matt Morgan. There is some other superb collateral they've produced, which I shall write about soon. Print is by Identity Print.

https://mulberrymongoose.com/
https://mattmorgan.io/
http://www.identityprint.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 17.08.2020

Modernism on Sea

The De La Warr pavilion is on the seafront in Bexhill in Sussex and is an iconic modernist building by the architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff which opened in 1936. Following a major renovation in 2005, the pavilion hosts many shows, exhibitions and cultural events.

This is the booklet to accompany a talk titled 'Modernism on Sea' given by Stewart Drew, who is the current Director and CEO of the pavilion and who has overseen the recent development and transformation of  the Pavilion. The booklet documents the original concept for the building, the history, construction and events throughout the decades.

Click on images to enlarge

Size of the booklet is A6 (148x105mm) portrait and is saddle stitched. It is a 16pp self cover printed on Omnia Natural 120gsm.

The publication is digitally printed by Typecast Colour, based in Paddock Wood, Kent. It was printed on their Xerox digital press and the result is excellent. The great thing is the job just doesn't look and feel like a digital job, which is mainly down to the choice of substrate.

Click on images to enlarge

The 16pp, saddle stitched format, sits nice and flat.

Below showing front cover and outside back cover.

The publication is designed by Playne Design who have studios in London and Hastings. Creative Director is Clare Playne with production handled by Simon Hack. Print is by Typecast.

https://playnedesign.co.uk/
http://www.typecast.co.uk/ 

Posted by Justin Hobson 13.08..2020