International Design Day 2024

Celebrated since 1995, International Design Day commemorates the founding of the Council on 27 April 1963. Until 2020, this event was celebrated as World Design Day.

International Design Day is an opportunity to recognise the value of design and its capacity to effect change. On this day, designers are challenged to reflect deeply on the well-being of people within their local environments, and to find innovative solutions to local needs by using design as a vehicle to honour diversity and transcend borders.

What if designers first asked, is it kind? What if the measure of design was how well it cared for people and their relationships rather than how profitable it was? The International Design Day theme for 2024, ‘is it kind?’ is about building kindness into design practice.

On 27th April, you can join the Lithuanian Design Association and ICoD conference on line and watch the IDD Conference..The LDA event brings together speakers beyond the design profession to share their perspectives on incorporating kindness into design methodologies.

The event will feature speakers from sociology, philosophy, design accessibility, and performative design engaging in a conversation around the question: is it kind?

https://www.theicod.org/activities/international-design-day

Posted by Justin Hobson 15.04.2024

The 2024 Wayzgoose at the St Bride Foundation

Here's a date for your diary... 

The Annual St Bride Foundation Wayzgoose is taking place on Sunday 28th April. Wayzgoose is a term (unfamiliar to many people) that used to refer to an annual holiday in a printworks and was often an away-day to the coast or some other sort of day out, more often than not, paid for by the firm. However, in this instance the St Bride's Wayzgoose is a kind of letterpress 'bring and buy' sale.

There are companies selling type, letterpress accessories, ink and lots of letterpress printed books and cards and the proceeds from the event go towards the St Bride Foundation. Why not come along... ?

For interest, this is what the last Wayzgoose was like: 

https://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-annual-wayzgoose-at-st-bride.html

https://sbf.org.uk/ 

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.04.2024

Jobs from the past - Number 173

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 - this project is from ten years ago

Ex Duris Gloria - 2014 

This is a very simple 'leaflet' or 'flyer' - so what makes it so special and why does it deserve space on this blog? Basically it is simple, well written, beautifully designed and exquisitely produced piece of literature and printed on lovely paper!

Produced by Rapha, the specialist cyclewear brand, it is an essay written by the author and broadcaster, Graeme Fife, who has written many books on cycling and the Tour de France in particular. Titled in Latin 'Ex Duris Gloria' (Glory through Suffering) the essay is about the pain and suffering that road riders endure on their bike.

Size is A5, portrait and it is a 2pp, yes, just a single sheet of paper. Printed Offset litho in two colours, black and a grey special for the background tint which reads 'Kings of Pain'.

It is printed on our lovely Offenbach Bible 60gsm.

It is used, very simply, as a supporting piece of branding that Rapha uses in a variety of ways, including sending it out with online purchases - a very nice touch.

Art direction and design is by the in-house team at Rapha. Printing is by Generation Press.

https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/kingsofpain
https://generationpress.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 02.04.2024

Bamboo Paper

Our friends at the Favini paper mill in Italy pioneered the use of alternative fibres. In the 1990's Maggie Philbin on BBC Tomorrow's World (...do you remember that?) introduced the original Favini ecological paper Alga Carta and the mill has continued development of other eco-products over the last thirty years.

Tree Free has been setting the standards for papermaking with zero impact on forestry for more than twenty years. Now with an improved recipe and a refreshed range that includes a new 380 gsm weight ideal for tags, cards and packaging, Tree Free uses 75% Bamboo Fibres with 25% cotton linters. Both are renewable annual crops which yield high quality fibres giving a natural tactile finish to the paper and excellent printability. 

To complete the story of sustainability, Tree Free is recyclable, biodegradable and made using EKOenergy from a hydro electric power station. Tree Free carries the FSC™ certification, even though like the name implies it has no impact on forests.

It is available in two shades, Bamboo Natural and Bamboo Cream. If you would like one of these lovely swatches, please email me: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

https://www.favini.com/gs/en/

Posted by Justin Hobson 25.03.2024

Rathfinny Vineyard Map

Husband and wife, Mark and Sarah Driver, established the Rathfinny Wine Estate in 2010 on a working arable farm with the express intention of producing some of the world’s finest quality sparkling wines. Today, the vines cover 600-acres of the Sussex South Downs and is set to become one of the largest single vineyards in Europe. Pentagram devised the brand strategy and visual identity.

Visitors to the estate are supplied with this map, which gives directions and points of interest about the vineyard and countryside. This publication is designed by London based studio UTILE.

Click on images to enlarge

The finished size is A6 (148x105mm) folding out to A3 (297x420mm) and is printed offset litho in four colour process.

Above and below images show the map-fold...

The choice of paper for this project is an interesting one! The original choice was to use a synthetic paper as typically, with the British weather, paper maps get wet and the paper falls apart. However, synthetic papers are basically plastic and it does not fit with the vineyard's environmental policy. The solution is a clever one! It is produced on a 100% recycled (post consumer waste) label paper called Trevi manufactured by the Reflex Paper Mill in Germany. So, I hear you ask, why is that so clever? Well, this label paper is manufactured with what is described as 'Wet Strength' (WS) and is manufactured with the addition of chemicals which improve the tensile properties of the paper both in wet and dry state by crosslinking the cellulose fibres with covalent bonds that do not break upon wetting. It basically mens that it doesn't fall apart when it gets wet. These papers are generally used for label papers where the label is required to come off in one piece in the recycling process. It is also the same technique that is used in facial tissues, which stops them falling apart when you blow your nose, unlike toilet paper, which falls apart. This looks and feels like a totally normal sheet of paper but when it gets wet it will hold together, much better than a normal sheet of paper - it's the perfect choice! 

Click on images to enlarge

Above and below images show both sides 

The design incorporates these superb woodcuts, which look perfect on the neutral white shade of the paper.

Click on images to enlarge

The paper is called Trevi Recycled 80gsm which is manufactured by the Reflex paper mill in Germany and we are pleased to be their UK stockist and distributor.

Below image showing front and back covers.

Design is by UTILE. Creative Director on the project is Nicholas Duggins and the designer is Sammy Taylor. Printing is by Identity Printers with Paul Martin handling the project.

...and just in case, I gave the map a total soaking in the sink and it holds together perfectly, just as promised!

https://rathfinnyestate.com/

https://utile.studio/

http://www.identityprint.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 18.03.2024

Beaming

This is a really lovely piece of sales literature designed to work as a handout or a mailing piece. It has a lovely quality feel and is produced with high production values which show throughout.

Beaming is an established Internet Service Provider for businesses across the UK. They deliver reliable voice and data services and provide ongoing support ...and they're not afraid to say that they think they're the best!

The finished size is 210x128mm, portrait and the content is 12pp. Below is a birdseye view showing the way that it opens in the conventional way...

...and the below image shows the way the 8pp inner "text" concertina's into a 4pp "cover" which has been formed by parallel creases.

 ...and below is the parallel crease which forms the spine

Spine, as below (without the inner pages concertina'd inside)

The flat size is 210 x 760mm and below shows the outside, spread flat...

...and the inside

The material chosen for the publication is our Omnia in 200gsm and is printed offset litho in CMYK. For those readers not familiar with Omnia, it is an uncoated paper with a surface treatment. What this means is that it feels like an uncoated paper but because the surface treatment minimises 'dot-gain', the print result is much more like that of a coated silk or gloss coated paper. You can see the result - the solid red looks so vibrant and the tactile quality really works with the illustrations. Omnia also has a high bulk, so although this is only a 12pp it feels much more substantial.

It is a simple format and because it has been produced and finished superbly, it is beautiful. The publication is designed by Playne Design who have studios in London and Hastings. Creative Director is Clare Playne. The excellent printing and finishing is by Pureprint.

https://www.beaming.co.uk/
https://playnedesign.co.uk/
https://www.pureprint.com/ 

Posted by Justin Hobson 12.03.2024

Jobs from the past - Number 172

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 - this project is from nine years ago.

GSA x Drygate 2015

Click on images to enlarge

Drygate Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in the east end of Glasgow and they celebrated their first birthday on May 29th 2015 marking the occasion with a small-batch birthday brew. Working with D8, who had also created the brand identity and packaging for Drygate's core range of beers, they partnered up with graduates of The Glasgow School of Art to create beautiful hand-wrapped, individually designed and signed packaging.

The six Glasgow School of Art alumni are: Fran Caballero; Rae-Yen Song, Isabella Widger, Paul Flynn Brady, Alice Hoskins and Matthew Bainbridge.

D8 worked to create unique packaging that would also reflect Drygate’s philosophy and values. The brewery believes in open, fearless brewing to achieve the exceptional, and the spirit of collaboration has always been one of their main characteristics.

There were 350 editions of six hand-signed artworks. Each is printed offset litho onto our Offenbach Bible 60gsm. The sheets are then hand wrapped around the 750ml bottles, sealed with a branded roundel and a tag held with string is tied to the neck of the bottle to secure the wrap.

The project was featured on the packaging design website the Dieline ...
"The idea is perfect for a birthday beer, allowing beer enthusiasts to open the gift of an amazing brew! The illustrations used on the “wrapping paper” are incredibly special and unique, coming from artists in the community, and they offer variety and individuality among the limited amount of this exclusive libation. The concept can also expand and be used for future brews, utilizing the same bottle style and different artworks, designs, and ideas for the outer wrapping"
http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2015/6/1/drygate-limited-edition-packaging

Offenbach Bible is the perfect paper for this project, as it is light enough to be easily wrapped around a bottle, has an almost 'tissuey' feel and yet prints amazingly.

Creative direction and design is by D8 and the project was handled by Stephen Cappello. The bottle wraps are printed by J Thomson Colour printers, based in Glasgow.

All in all this is a most engaging piece of branding and packaging. A superb creative solution, beautifully executed and printed.

https://drygate.com/
https://d8.uk/
https://www.gsa.ac.uk/
https://www.jtcp.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 04.03.24