Jobs from the past - Number 174

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 eleven years ago.

Gardens by the Bay 2013

This publication is to showcase the result of a major landscape project in Singapore which started in November 2005 and was completed in June 2012. Gardens by the Bay include the amazing vertical 'supertrees', were commissioned by the National Parks Board of Singapore and was the result of a winning entry by a British team put together by Grant Associates, Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Atelier Ten and Atelier One.

This brochure is 340x240mm, portrait and has a 36pp text which is sewn along the spine with white thread. It has a 6pp cover with a full flap on the inside front. An absolutely sensational 'blind embossing' appears over the whole area of the cover - which looks and feels amazing. The cover is printed in the dark purple of the Mangosteen fruit, an intrinsic part of the brand identity of the gardens. 

 

It may not surprise regular readers of this blog to learn that the material used is our lovely Omnia, the cover is 280gsm and the text 150gsm. Image reproduction was paramount but it was also important that the feel of the publication conveyed the tactility of plants and landscape, so a silk or gloss coated paper wasn't an option. The images with CMYK dark areas - with loads of ink going down, looks great on the Omnia, reproducing bright vibrant colours as well and the darker colour saturated images as well, whilst retaining all the detail and feel. ...and it looks brilliant.

The images below, speak for the job...  

There is a seperate 32pp inserted in the middle, printed on uncoated 80gsm offset, which has all the details, relating to the project (below) 

 

a staggeringly blue spread...

The below pictures show the binding which is worthy of note. This type of binding is generally known as 'three hole sewn' - because there are three holes, the thread comes out of the middle up and into the top hole, down the inside of the book out of the middle hole again and now down to the lower hole and in again up the inside of the book to the middle hole, where it is knotted. In this case, there are two banks of three hole sewing and this is to take account of the extra bulk and position of the extra 32pp text section, inserted in the middle. 

Here's a close up showing the sewing and the beautiful embossing:

Thomas.Matthews are the branding and communication designers who formed part of the winning bid, to design the identity for the gardens. The intricate, shape based illustration forms the basis of the identity (embossed on the cover), together with the brand typography. Creative Director on the project is Sophie Thomas.

Gardens by the bay branding pattern

'Gardens' typeface

Thomas.Matthews also art directed and designed this brochure. To have the opportunity to produce a piece of literature about a project with which they had been so intimately involved, must have been a total delight and something that I think shows, in this beautifully considered piece of design for print. Art director on this project is David Grbac.

The exceptional printing, repro, debossing and binding was by London based Jigsaw Colour, who sadly don't exist anymore, however Paul Martin who was responsible for the job is now at Identity Print.

https://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/
https://thomasmatthews.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 03.05.2024

Save the Date!

The Independent
 Paper Show is coming to town! Yes, this June in Clerkenwell, the first ever London edition of the IPS will be presented in the Crypt on the Green and all are welcome.

Presented by three Swiss companies who founded the original show: Bubu, Lorenz Boegli and Sonderegger, the London show has been brought to the UK in partnership with Foilco.

These superb 'Save the Date' cards have been sent out in the post and you may have received one already!

The event is on Wednesday, June 12th 1pm until 8pm and Thursday, June 13th 10am until 5pm at the Crypt on the Green
 St. James’s Church,
 Clerkenwell
 London EC1R 0EA . You can read more about it on their website.

To attend, you just need to register on the website: https://papershow.ch/ 

We hope to see you there!

Posted by Justin Hobson 25.04.2024

Today is Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event first held on April 22, 1970. It now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. Above all, Earth Day is the "people's day" for doing something to take care of the Earth. That "something" can be local, national or global. It can be a solo action or involve a crowd.

What better day for me to remind you of a material we launched to coincide with COP26.

PaperWise is an entirely new concept, a range of paper and board manufactured from agricultural waste - this is the stems and leaves left over the harvest and which is often left in the field or burnt. There are additional benefits: PaperWise is produced in factories in India and South America that make a big difference to local communities. Investments are made in education, infrastructure, and healthcare while the manufacturing process is geared toward safety, zero waste, and preserving local ecology.

Lifecycle analysis (LCA) conducted by the University of Amsterdam (IVAM) has concluded that the environmental impact is 47% lower than FSC-paper made from trees and 29% lower than recycled paper...

The natural shade, manufactured from 100% agri-waste is also completely unbleached and has lower Co2 emissions than virgin fibre or recycled papers.

The PaperWise range is held in stock by us at Fenner Paper in Tonbridge. European stocks are held in Rotterdam and include a wide range of packaging boards and lightweight papers with food approval, copier paper and even corrugated boards. 

You can read more about this new range HERE and about how this fits with the UN sustainable development goals...

The paper and boards are suitable for all print work and packaging, with a one side coated packaging board up to 465microns.

PaperWise founder Peter van Rosmalen features on this 1 minute video here:

If you would like samples, please drop me an email justin@fennerpaper.co.uk or have a look at our website.

https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/

https://paperwise.eu/en/

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.04.2024

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