Part 1 – Plus a GIVEAWAY!
It’s a given in design that trends are part of the landscape. Something gets hot and suddenly it’s everywhere (um, rose gold foil). To me the interesting thing about trends is how they build on themselves. And type design is no different. Trends come and go but true classics always inspire. And inspired is exactly how one feels after experiencing Neenah Paper’s newest promotion, Fresh Takes on Classic Type.
At first look, I knew P&P had to do something fun to share it with our audience. So we invited a group of local designers to join us in the sample studio for a Toast to Type! A celebration of type, design and paper.
Designed by the team at Willoughby Design in Kansas City, Fresh Takes on Classic Type is a lookbook for fans of type design. Showcasing (mostly) 21st -century typefaces, the promo highlights how current technology enables advances in the way typefaces are designed and refined, shared and sold.
Featuring type designers ranging from the well established – like Jessica Hische, Eric Spiekermann and Matthew Carter; to the new generation of type designers – like Luke Lisi.
The piece highlights the beauty of type design paired with fabulous papers. Produced on a range of papers from Neenah’s flagship CLASSIC brands. This little gem has quickly risen to the top of my list as one of my favorite paper samples for 2016.
Each spread contains a pull out, pop up, or put-it-together piece to help tell the story, and a quote from each typeface creator.
The project was a true collaboration between the Willoughby team, writer Alyson Kuhn, Neenah, the featured type designers and Independent Printing Co. Inc.
In less than 20 years digital technology has transformed the way designers, typesetters and printers work, blurring the lines between digital and analog. This book celebrates the expanded possibilities for merging print and pixels.
A TOAST TO TYPE!
Inspired by the message of the promotion, P&P teammate Molly came up with the design and layout of our newest paper installation – a 40 foot wall of type, crafted out of press size sheets of Classic Crest Epic Black, Pewter and Environment Grocer Kraft.
Our good friends at Type Twenty Seven, a design and letterpress studio here in town, offered to bring their table top letterpress so guests could delight in some hands on printing. Using one of Neenah’s papers from the Design Collection, Neenah Wild in 314C, guests got to try their hand at letterpress and make some fun ampersand coasters to take with them.
Guests also took home a letterpress print featuring Eric Spiekermann’s HWT Artz, one of the typefaces featured in Fresh Takes on Classic Type.
Upon hearing of our plans to celebrate the piece, Neenah generously sent in enough of the promos for guests to take home – along with packs of matching typographic gift wrap!
It was such a fun night. Guests enjoyed the Neenah Paper exhibit we had on display, socializing with their peers and raising a glass (or two) to one of their design faves – type!
Don’t miss out on our next designer event, join our mailing list and we’ll add you to the guest list.
And we didn’t forget about our online friends, you can get in on the fun too!
We’re giving away a few copies of Fresh Takes on Classic Type along with some of the typographic gift wrap and prints, click here to enter.
Check back later this week for part two of the post – we’ll be doing a deep dive into the design and production of this gem! In the meantime, you can check out more pics of the event on facebook and instagram.
Delicious. Gorgeous. All the attributes a fine, communicative, typographic keepsake should be. Thank you for my Monday quote — as well. Any chance of getting one of these Neenah Paper promos?