Fine Bone China Invitation

This post is nothing to do with paper but I think it's of interest!

Wimbledon based design company, Ideas Factory send out an e-mailshot every month about a piece of their work. This month they sent out a project which is in the same vein as my "jobs from the past"

Whilst working on their studio refurbishment earlier in the year they came across some interesting work from their archive. This is one particular piece from 1998 for Mayfair based, luxury goods company Thomas Goode (established 1827). This is an event invitation to launch an in-store exhibition of Peter Ting’s new ceramics collection. The recipient was instructed to hold the bone china invitation up to the light allowing the details, screen printed on the reverse, to be revealed.

It's just a beautiful idea playing with the translucent nature of thin china. The invitation was wrapped in a watermarked Japanese paper in such a way that allowed the receiver to slowly reveal the invitation.

All in all a beautiful project and not very much to do with paper - but I hope you like it.

Thanks to Mark Wilkins at Ideas Factory for keeping me on his e-mailshot list ...keep them coming!

http://www.thomasgoode.com/
www.ideasfactory.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 11.09.2012

The Girl Effect

Here is a series of really striking broadsheets produced for the London Summit on Family Planning held in July by "The Girl Effect".

The Nike Foundation created the Girl Effect and is devoted to the idea that the empowerment of girls is the key to significant social and economic change in developing countries. When a girl has the right tools in place, a chance to use her voice and systems set up to work for her, she will transform the lives of everyone around her. One of the tools is family planning and that's what the conference (and these broadsheets) are about.

 

This particular job is a series of three A2 broadsheets 420x594mm folding down to A5 (210x148mm). They are printed in just two colours (black and fluorescent specials) for the bold graphic style. The broadsheets are printed on our Redeem 100% Recycled 70gsm. 

The folded broadsheets are held together with a belly band produced on fluorescent poster paper and the type is lasercut (which looks just amazing).

  

 

Design is by Accept & Proceed. Creative director on the project is Matthew Jones. Print is by Push. It's a simple, beautifully designed and well produced project ... I love it!

 

www.girleffect.org

http://nikeinc.com/pages/the-nike-foundation/

www.acceptandproceed.com

www.push-print.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 07.09.2012

Blog by The Creative Paper Expert!

Most followers of this blog know that I try to keep keep my posts positive,  interesting,  paper related and occasionally light hearted! ...and rarely do I slag things off.  However I have to share with you something that both amused and frustrated me at the same time!

 

Last summer (2011) a follower of this blog sent me a link to the new Antalis McNaughton "Creative Papers" blog. On reading it, I felt it was clearly an attempt to create a blog along similar lines to this one. Although it is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I find it frustrating when a multi BILLION pound global corporation (Antalis turnover £480 million and they are part of Sequana which turnover €3.9 billion!) follows the trend of a small little company like us rather than doing something new and setting their own trend.

  

http://antalisblogcreativepapers.oegen.co.uk/

As it turns out, I should have had no concerns whatsoever. It started on 3rd June 2011 and the last post was dated 2nd November 2011 with a total of 9 posts!

...and the most hilarious thing of all is that it wasn't written by a named individual, it's written by the "Creative Paper Expert" - not even I would try and aspire to that job title! 
 

"Welcome to the Creative Papers blog from Antalis McNaughton, the home of everything that is new, innovative, interesting and creative in the world of paper. Keep posted for ideas, thoughts, advice and suggestions from the experts in print and paper" ...but obviously nothing's happening in 2012!
Do have a look: http://antalisblogcreativepapers.oegen.co.uk/
Please note this link doesn't work anymore - see the update below

Posted by Justin Hobson 06.09.2012

PS - an update 20.09.2012

After writing the above post about 'The Creative Paper Expert' and the above mentioned blog, the blog site was taken down and it's been erased from history! Fortunately, an archive copy of the blog has now appeared on the following link, so it's contents can now be enjoyed forever:

http://creativepapersblogarchive.blogspot.co.uk/

Jobs from the past - Number 35

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 here's one from 1995.

English Heritage 10th Anniversary Conservation Awards 1994-5
This booklet was comissioned by English Heritage to introduce their 'one off' award as part of English Heritage's 10th Anniversay celebrations. This 'award of awards' was given in conjunction with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors awards.

This modest, yet beautifully produced, piece of literature was to introduce the awards. It is 140mm square format with a 4pp cover and an 8pp text and is 'three hole sewn' in black thread.

Images are printed in Duotone (beautifully) on our uncoated Neptune Unique 250gsm and 135gsm. Printed in black, grey and red (this was back in the days when doing a three colour job was cheaper than CMYK!) The photography is by Phil Sayer and looks as amazing today as it did then.

Detail showing three hole sewing:

Outside back cover showing 'belly-band' printed in silver on a coated silk paper:

It was designed by Atelier Works. Lead Designer was John Powner working with senior designer Annabel Clements.

 

The job was printed by a company called Penshurst Press based in Tunbridge Wells. Sadly the company is no longer around. Alan Flack who was the "press minder" that actually physically printed this job left Penshurst Press with Martin Darby to form their own printing company called Principal Colour and they are still based in Paddock Wood in Kent.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
http://www.philipsayerpartnership.com/

http://www.atelierworks.co.uk/
http://www.annabelclementsdesign.com/

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

Posted by Justin Hobson 04.09.2012

Coggles S/S 2012

Coggles is a Boutique Department Store (& Designer Store Of The Year) with a four floor shop in York's historic centre and an on line presence with over 2 million vistors a year

Victoria Bage started Coggles in 1974. From the opening of a quirky stall on York market, her designs proved so successful that by 1976 she had opened her store. Originally named Sarah Coggles, the name came about because Victoria's husband was having an affair with his secretary, Sarah Coggles. On discovering the affair, Victoria promptly divorced him and named the store after the secretary to remind him of the mistake he had made!

This publication is the Coggles Spring/Summer 2012 lookbook and because it is a department store, the content is wide and varied, including fashion, accessories, homeware, furniture and books.

Format is 200x270mm, portrait, saddle stitched with an 8pp cover (155mm flaps) and a 32pp text. It's printed on Omnia 280gsm and 150gsm. The quality of images and the reproduction is fantastic whilst the Omnia still makes it feel tactile and engaging in the hand.

Spread on inside front cover flap.

Art Direction and design is by No Days Off. Creative directors on the project are Patrick Duffy and Teo Conner. Designer is Charlie Hocking. This is the clever company that recycled it's old stationery to make new stationery - see previous post:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7054126605724460225#editor/target=post;postID=5178695148461243374

It's been beautifully printed by Kingsbury Press. They are a family run B2 printers based in Doncaster and many design agencies that I know have been using them recently and if this job is anything to go by, I can see why...

http://www.coggles.com/

http://www.nodaysoff.com/

http://www.kingsburypress.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 30.08.2012

Defining Luxury

The old expression that you can't judge a book by it's cover, gets disproved time an time again on this blog! Here is an example where the cover totally sets the tone and quality for the text.

'Defining Luxury' is a book of case studies, produced to demonstrate how Conran Design Group works with Luxury brands and is therfore intended to impress, which it does very well.

The publication is 210x285mm, portrait. The cover, which is the star of the piece, is hot foil blocked in white gloss foil and metallic silver foil and as you can see from the pictures below, it is simply stunning.

One of the really important things to draw your attention to is the way that the cover is formed. Essentially it is an 8pp cover, with the flaps folding on the outside rather than on the inside. There is grey, cloth binding tape along the spine and the flaps are glued down forming a really solid cover, which almost has the solidity of a casebound book. The material used for the cover is our Matrisse 350gsm which is uncoated, has an exceptionally high bulk and embosses and foils beautifully - as you can see!

Spine detail

The 40pp text is printed on a 'house' coated silk but is singer sewn which again, gives the book a quality feel (and allows the pages to lay relatively flat)

Creative Director on the project is Lee Hoddy and the designer on the project is Tom Mesquitta. Print and exceptional finishing and foiling is by Chapter Press.

www.conrandesigngroup.com
www.mesquitta.com
www.chapterpress.co.uk

Posted by Justin Hobson 28.08.2012

The Liminal Points Project

This is the inaugural publication from Rokov Publishing, an independent publishing house established by London based photographer Nick Rochowski to be a platform for collaborative output.

Here's a description of the project by Nick Rochowski "The Liminal Points Project is a re-exploration of Penn Wood, Buckinghamshire and a journey back to a vivid childhood fantasy. Working at dawn, dusk and night blending natural and constructed lighting techniques in conjunction with elements from the landscape, the betwixt, large-scale images lie in a place that is somewhere between realities, as if you have stumbled upon a happening. For the artist it is a raw, solitary experience and a manifestation of contemplations on the wider world. There is a power nature holds when one is left alone with it and something that resonates in all people. Visually inspired by cinema of the late 70s and early 90s and writers Katushiro Otomo and J.G.Ballard, the work collaborates with illustration artist Greg Haynes and the influential music of producer Deepsea. These different creative elements form new levels within and around the work".

Cover is hot foil blocked and de-bossed on a well known cover board from that other, Hull based, paper merchant (!) in Racing Green 350gsm. Size is 305x235mm, landscape format.

The cover is a 6pp with two spines effectively creating a capacity folder. The text is saddle stitched (using copper wire - nice touch!) into the left hand spine. The 32pp text is printed on our Omnia 150gsm. The photography is amazing and the images have been faithfully reproduced on the Omnia, capturing all the detail that is present especially in the dark areas.

Equally, the illustrations by Greg Haynes have retained all the fine detail:

London based electronic musician Simon Rendall, who goes by the moniker Deepsea, produced the soundtrack for the project. His music incorporates samples from old records and field recordings with new music technology to create the soundtrack.

Produced in a limited edition of 250, it also includes a signed and numbered 9" x 12" book edition print from the artist, printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Satin 310gsm paper.

Book design is by Peter Koo and print is by Push Print, handled by Emma Horner and Roy Killen.

Publisher: www.rokovpublishing.com
Nick Rochowski: www.rochowski.net
Simon Rendall: www.reverbnation.com/deepsea
Greg Haynes: www.fybeone.co.uk
Printer: www.push-print.com

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.08.2012