Print Inspiration: Custom Newspaper

I confess, I still read the paper. Not everyday, only on Sundays when I know I have the time to enjoy it. Maybe I’m old school, but there is something about the look and feel of newsprint that I trust. Don’t get me wrong, my feedly app is the first thing I check during the week, but on the weekends I’m all about slow information. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the recent project by the team at Tag Collective for Schnitz, a restaurant in NYC, featuring a custom newspaper.

To showcase Schnitz’s history Tag created a custom newspaper using their old blog posts. This served as both a promotional and hero piece within the space as custom wallpaper. The menu and print collateral are straight forward with a little bit of playfulness, just like the food they serve. The color palette is simple, using yellow and black for a high contrast punch and plays off their signature sandwich garnish, the lemon.

Clearly fans of print, Tag’s Founding Partner & Creative Director, Becca Eley, explains why they chose to make a custom newspaper the center of the promotional material. “When you’re working to get a restaurant off the ground, you’re hustling—testing recipes, sourcing ingredients, hiring staff, dealing with the nitty gritty that most people buying a sandwich never even think about. Luckily for us, Schnitz had been documenting this process since they first started in street markets three years earlier. For this project, using newsprint allowed us to show the fast paced nature of working at a restaurant and the history behind it. We deemed this edition Vol. 2, Issue 1, and ideally Issue 2 will come out when their next space opens.”

Becca explained since Schnitz is still in start-up mode (this is their first official brick and mortar), they wanted the cost to be accessible on this project. Tag used a printer called Newspaperclub, who prints traditional style, broad sheet newspapers with CMYK printing. This newspaper was printed four color process 52 gsm Standard Newsprint, 380 x 578mm.

After seeing the amazing print work they’ve done, I had to ask Becca her thoughts on paper specification and what role it plays for Tag in the design process. “Paper has intrinsic value. Like any other design element, it’s a great tool to communicate an idea. It can be used subtly (e.g. a sophisticated cream linen paper) or strongly (e.g. a florescent envelope). With certain projects it can be a secret weapon, so much media is consumed online that having something tactile can have a huge impact. For example, with the Schnitz Newspaper, we had people combing through content while waiting for their sandwich. It became part of the experience and it’s much harder to make that happen when it’s just a blog on their website.”

I have to say, I love this concept of printing a custom newspaper as part of the brand’s print collateral.  It is such a  great way to really tell the story behind it. In such a heavily digital world this type of print really stands out. Want to see how others have used custom newspapers as part of a brand’s story, sign up for our newsletter where we share all the best in paper, print + design.

Images via Tag Collective