Handlettering & image via Anthony Hos
TGIF for sure as we head into a much needed holiday weekend around here. It seems like the week leading up to a long weekend is always hectic. Deadlines get moved up and everyone’s trying to fit Monday’s workload in before they cut out early. For those that find themselves with a few minutes of downtime this weekend, here’s a recap of our weekly faves.
In case you didn’t realize it, I like to share. If you follow P&P you probably already know that. I just think the most effective way to help educate about paper as it relates to print and design is to share my experiences with full disclosure – the good, the bad and the ugly. So when the team at Domtar dished about the problems they encountered producing their newest promotion Share on Cougar, I knew I had to see it for myself.
About this time of year I get a little antsy. Thoughts of wanderlust start to distract me. I’ll get lost for hours on Instagram searching for the perfect escape. For me the ideal destination has the perfect mix of art, design, food, music and horticulture.Not so sure I’ll find one spot with everything on my wish list, even in the dreamiest of Instagram feeds – never mind the distraction it’ll cause in my work day. Thankfully Neenah’s new piece arrived just in time to quell my fall into the time-suck of social media. Future Classic is the newest promotion from Neenah Paper and it focuses on the relationship between destination and design.
I’ve said it before, I’m kind of a voyeur when it comes to design. I walk the dog at night just so I can check out the interior design of homes in my neighborhood. And if it’s a home of particular note, I let my pooch have a good long sniff around just so I can get a better look. Luckily, when it comes to paper and print design I don’t have to go to such lengths. Many of the paper mills and industry publications host design competitions and share the details with their audience. I got my fix recently when Appleton Coated sent us their new print promotion, O1NE, featuring the 2015 U360 winners.
I had been warned. Get to the exhibit hall early on opening night, it’s crazy. So last month at HOW, I left Simon Sinek’s keynote speech a little early so I could be among the first to see all the paper samples from the mills. It worked – but only for one booth. By the time I looked up it was a frenzy of people clamoring to get at all the swag. It was like Black Friday for designers. There was a line that wound its way around the perimeter and through the center of the exhibit hall. After being knocked around several times by these enormous yellow/orange CSA designed packages, I knew where all the fuss was coming. Not one to miss out on a good thing, I hopped in line. It was definitely worth the wait, not only did I get some awesome print samples, I was among the first to catch a peek at Kraft-Tone, the new grade from French Paper.
We’ve all heard the expression, you can’t judge a book by its cover. While this may be true, we can’t help but form an impression when we encounter something for the first time. This week I took a field trip to visit the Mohawk Paper mill in upstate New York. From the moment I pulled into the lot and saw the colorful Mohawk logo, an impression was formed and I knew I was in for something special. That opinion held true when I got to experience the new Mohawk Maker. From the moment I ran my hand across that neon orange marbleized pattern on the cover I was hooked, the new Mohawk Maker Quarterly makes quite an impression.
It’s official, spring’s here. I know the calendar says the vernal equinox began on March 20th – but I have my own system. Living near the Great Lakes most of my life, I know a date on calendar means nothing in terms of reality. So I rely on something much more scientific, my senses. While I saw a few snowflakes flying this weekend, I also saw the first harbinger of spring in my book – the crocus. I base the next three months on this sighting alone. I know in 10-14 days the hellebores will be in bloom, followed shortly by the forsythia and cherry trees. That’s my signal to breakout the putrid liquid fence. This step is a necessary evil because it prevents the deer from devouring my spring landscape. As a gardener, I live for my display of spring bulbs. Tulips are by far my favorite – probably because much like paper, they come in an abundance of gorgeous colors.
What’s your favorite color? Most people know instantly what their color of choice is, for me this is a tough one. I find it’s a lot like choosing your favorite ice cream flavor, it kind of depends on my mood. Lucky for me I’m in The Sample Studio all day and can easily find a hue to suit my needs, from white to black and every shade in between. While some may think being surrounded by all this color can make one jaded to it, I am gitty when a mill revamps a grade and colors are re-imagined. Just last week I attended a meeting with some industry paper peeps where we were shown the recent grade refresh of Neenah’s Astrobrights offering. While the rep from Neenah spoke about the big changes to the grade (major additions of basis weights), I could focus on nothing else but the new lemon-lime duplex colors in the new Astrobrights swatch book.
I was scrolling through my facebook feed when a post from a design friend stopped me in my tracks. “Dear paper companies – cease and desist showing designers premium / unique papers that when we actually go to use them – you inform us right before press you cannot fulfill an order. I am so over print production.” I cringed, this is the exact opposite reaction every paper company wants a designer to have about their products. As someone who has lived and breathed paper for the better part of my career, I have to wonder why the disconnect between availability of premium papers and designers still happens?
It was love at first sight. I could hardly believe my eyes, but two of my all time favorite combinations were staring me right in the face: kraft paper paired with copper metallic ink. Oh Mohawk, you had me at hello. I was thrilled when I got the brand spanking new Mohawk Carnival + Via swatchbook last month. I didn’t think things could get much better with one of my “go-to” budget friendly grades…until I got the current copy of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly Issue No. 5 – PERCEPTION.
