Jobs from the past - Number 17

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...

Irwin & Jordan brand book - 2007

This is the brand book for the (then) newly established luxury womenswear brand Irwin & Jordan. This was a new venture and as such, did not have a lavish budget but a need to convey their brand message which is one of "quality, discernment and a quiet approach" (as stated in the introduction).

 

It goes without saying that to produce an impressive piece of literature on a small budget requires all the creative stops to be pulled out, as it was on this project. Only 150 copies were required which dictated that litho printing was really unviable, but five years ago, digital was less advanced and there were fewer printers willing to try different materials. However, one printer was willing to give it a go...

The publication is A3 portrait is size (297x420mm) and is a 12pp self cover using our Redeem 100% Recycled 100gsm, giving it a deliberately floppy and raw feeling. The reproduction, however, is of the highest quality and this being one of my very first forays into the world of digital, everyone was truly delighted. The material perfectly complimented the line illustrations whilst performing equally well with the photographic images.

There are some key reasons it doesn't feel like a digital job: 1) the design and illustration- subtle and muted, not zingy 2) combination of the different material 3) it wasn't an A4 size piece 4)  it utilised a different binding method is "side sewn" (or singer sewn), stabbed through the whole text, in the brand colour (detail pictured below).

The brand book was designed by London agency Exposure. The designer of the project was Matt Jenkins and it was he who envisaged this large scale format working so well - you can judge the scale with the pic with the hands below. Matt has now moved on from Exposure and works freelance. Kristie Morton was the production manager who oversaw the project.

The printer that produced the job was Alderson Digital (a division of Alderson Brothers Print Group). Gail Ashworth was then in charge of the digital division (although she has since moved on) and Neil Scott was the operator that actually ran the job. The brochure was printed on an HP Indigo 3050 using 7 colours and was hand finished. I believe the material was not sapphire treated, in this particular instance.

The piece was written about in PrintWeek 29th November 2007 (which is why I have so many details about the job!), so the last word goes to her..."the end result is testimony that exceptional digital results can be printed on unusual materials" said Gail Ashworth, Digital Operations Director.

Gail Ashworth now runs her own marketing consultancy: gail.baytreemarketing@gmail.com

http://www.irwinandjordan.com/
http://www.exposure.net/
http://www.mattjenkinsdesign.co.uk/
http://aldersonprintgroup.co.uk/digital.php

Posted by Justin Hobson 01.03.2011