Principal Colour

High quality lithographic printers based in Kent, UK. We specialise in fine art printing and out of the ordinary print techniques. Tumblring about our experiences and discoveries in the print trade.

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Catlin Guide 2013 Preview: An Interview with Steven Allan

The 2013 Catlin Guide features a selection of 40 recent graduates to watch: and we are proud to say that once more we were tasked with printing the beautifully boxed book. Here we meet one of the artists: New Sensations shortlisted RCA graduate Steven Allan, a Scottish painter who specialises in anthropomorphic depictions of everyday objects.

Steven Allan – There’s Always Time for Tea.

Has being Scottish and your subsequent move to london informed your work? and if so in what way? I wouldn’t say that being Scottish has had an overriding influence on my paintings, but my roots have certainly influenced the black humor that is evident in most of my work.

Why do you think you focus on a confusing and tragic landscape? Any particularly sad stories in your past that have made you this way?! I don’t think my paintings are necessarily just tragic or confusing – but they can often be interpreted that way. I think there are many less obvious things at play as well. Like Hogarth, I am interested in the tragicomedy aspect of humanity. I want to depict real life situations but obscure and twist them around to both bend and underline their meanings.

Steven Allan – One Off The Bunch.

Objects such as bananas and snails are a feature of your art – what draws you to these most curious and disparate of subjects? I don’t tend to dwell on why I paint this, or why I paint that but If pushed for an answer I guess I Identify in some way with these kind of ridiculous objects. I look at a banana in the fruit bowl, browning, overripe. It’s such a sad image to me – the last banana that no one has gotten round to eating – destined for the bin. It can say a lot about where your heads at to be painting a version of yourself into such an object. The snail I don’t paint so much anymore. Most images are a passing phase. They completely captivate me at the time but at some point I’ll move onto the next image that captures my imagination. With the snail paintings I was just interested by this slimy little creature that carried its house on its back. How I choose an object is pretty much that simple –its really just about my desire to visualize that subject in my paintings.

Steven Allan – Stains Of A Decade.

Subversion is a key element of your artworks – any future subversive ideas that you would like to work on? Currently I am working on a hybrid painting, which involves two very disparate images that visually seem to fit together. I came across this really odd photograph of a gimp in a pvc balloon suit and then thought about coupling it with something else I’ve been looking at a lot lately – Bertie Basset of the famous liquorish allsorts. As a child I always though there was something quite scary about Bertie Basset. He’s supposed to be approachable and sweet but he’s his strange anthropomorphic figure with a liquorish black hole for a face. Taking Bertie’s head and putting it on an inflatable gimp suit just seemed to be more in spirit with what he was all about in the first place so I decided to make a painting about it.

Steven Allan – The Faithful Companion.

What is your work process? (using materials and in the studio) Well for me it’s a really intuitive, complex process and it can take a long time. I use alot of unconventional tools I find in diy shops and of course an array of paint brushes and palette knives. I’m always on the look out for different objects that I can manipulate paint with. I also use allot of paint mediums, depending on what effect I’m after. Some give the paint a matt finish, some a gloss, some thicken paint and other speed up drying time. It all really depends on each individual painting.

Steven Allan – We’re All In This Together.

How has being part of the Catlin Guide aided your career and what do you hope for in the future? Being part of the Catlin Guide so far has been a great experience. I was surprised to see an image of my painting in the Guardian and also get a quick review. I am also going to be putting work in the London Art Fair which will be featured in the Catlin Guide’s stand so I’m looking forward to that. All in all it’s been a great experience so far and I am extremely thankful to Justin Hammond who had the belief in my work to give me this great opportunity to get my work out to a wider audience.

He that’s born to be hanged will never be drowned.

Geoff Litherland – I Knew it Would Come to This (The Old Horizon).

Also check out the work of Geoff Litherland, who creates abstract landscape collages that tap into our current obsession with other worlds. To find out more about the selection process read our interview with Art Catlin founder and curator Justin Hammond.

The Catlin Guide 2013: New Artists in the UK is launched at the London Art Fair 2013, 16 – 20 January. It will also be available from Amazon, Culture Label and selected book sellers (£12.99).

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We printed the official 2012 Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant brochure!

We couldn't talk about it before the event but now we are pleased to blog about our involvement with producing the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant official brochure. Principal Colour printed the programme that you see being held by Boris Johnson and the Queen's aide, and which was read by thousands of people who flocked to the Thames to celebrate the Jubilee just over a week ago. 

The Facts.

We printed the brochure during May and June 2012. It has 72 pages of text and a 4 page cover, which is beautifully decorated with metallic blue foil. We printed the text on Robert Horne Hello Fat Matt 115gsm paper, using 250gsm weight for the cover. Inside a fold out page showcases a wonderful illustration of the boats on the Thames. The brochure is chock full of beautiful photos and interesting facts such as a history of the Thames and information about the participating boats. A total of 73,000 copies of this were produced along with 300,000 copies of a small giveaway leaflet “BIG diamond jubilee weekend knees-up”. Principal Colour produced the programme for Ian Paull at Knockout Print in Tonbridge, Kent, and it was published by St James's House. Here's a look at some of the pages:

Director Martin Darby says about working on the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant official brochure:

We are very proud to have produced this and even more so when you see the pictures on the television of the brochure in actual use: proud to be British and associated with the whole Jubilee. We have printed things before which we know the Queen and the Royal family will have seen and had copies of (mainly charity event programmes and that sort of thing), but this was on a totally different level. I hope she has kept a copy of the brochure on the Royal book shelf...

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Creating a corporate branding book for Skype & best ways to Bind

We've got some gorgeous Skype corporate branding manuals printed by Principal Colour to give away, but first, it's down to the nitty gritty of production for a high quality print project such as this... Here our director Martin Darby describes how to produce white on white print for a Case Bound book, and how to find out what kind of binding suits what project best.

A few years ago you printed a beautiful Case Bound book for Skype - showcasing ways in which the brand identity is used. Who designed this and how did they find you to produce the book? 

It was produced for Albion communications. They were recommended to us as they were looking for someone to produce this prestigious type of job.

Who received this book and what was the purpose of its production?

It is a corporate ID manual, so it was sent to anyone who was producing work (in print or otherwise) for Skype in order to ensure that the Skype brand image remains the same around the world. It is also two books in one, so if you turn it upside it is gives a brief history of Skype, so it was also given to new employees to give them the corporate line on Skype.

There is some highly specialised techniques in the production of this book - including white on white screen printing on the front cover. How did you ensure that this looked great? Any tips of the trade you can share? 

White on white (and black on black) can be a very tricky beast because if you get the white to match too closely you won’t see it at all. We had to run trials with screen printing (which was the favoured route) as well as with foil blocking, to find which method worked best on this material. Generally if you are trying to achieve white on white or black on black (which we seem to do lots of) it will be done through a foil or screen process.

This book was casebound - when is this form of binding best for a project, and what are the other forms of binding are most commonly used in high quality printing? Can you give us a quick run down of the different types.

There are hundreds of different binding styles and methods but listed below are the most commonly used ones. I have listed them in order of cost – from the cheapest to the most expensive – although there are always exceptions to the rule.

Saddle-stitched.  This is the most basic and most common form of binding which uses wire staples through the spine and is suitable for up to about 80pp.

Perfect binding.  The text is collated and then has the spine cut off and the cover glued around it (think telephone directories) from 24pp up to 1000pp +

PUR Binding.  The same as perfect binding, but uses a much stronger glue.

Thread sewn soft bound.  The text sections are sewn together with thread to form a book block (this is an untrimmed block of text). This then has the cover wrapped around and glued onto the “book block”.

Paper over board case bound.  The book is sewn in the same way as above, but then has endpapers (an extra 4pp section) glued onto the first and last page, a printed cover is wrapped around a greyboard and then glued to the endpapers (think Dandy and Beano summer specials)

Cloth case bound.  Exactly as paper over board, except the paper is replaced with an imitation cloth, either real cloth or leather. This is quite commonly done with a separate dust jacket wrapped around it for protection (think Skype book and all those old library books).

Finally, you have some copies of the Skype manual to give away, who do you think would appreciate this book?

I think anyone who likes something a bit more unusual (or an addition to their book shelf) would appreciate a copy of this.

We also think that anyone who is interested in branding and graphic design would treasure this Skype book, as it's full of interesting insider knowledge. Get in touch with Martin (via email) to secure your copy before he gives them all away!

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Print Giveaway and Interview: The making of Draft Magazine

Draft Magazine issue 005, featuring Brangelina by Jon Kessler

Martin Darby explains how Principal Colour set about printing a high quality project such as Draft Magazine. Which just so happens to be our latest giveaway: read on to find out how you can secure your copy of this rare magazine.

Draft is a beautiful high quality art and photography magazine that you printed between 2005 - 2008. It's aim was to publish previously unprinted work by emerging art practitioners, and it features stunning photographic and illustrative artworks. How did you make sure that these were beautifully presented in print? What techniques do you as a printer have at your disposal to ensure the best quality image representation?

We look at the type of pictures that are required for a particular job and then recommend a screen value (the number of dots per inch) that will produce the best result. We are also able to change the plate output (people would refer to this as a curve) depending on what kind of paper is being used. To give an example, for a job to sell houses at auction the reproduction of the houses might not be the most important aspect of printing - it's more important to print the job quickly. On the other hand we recently produced a poster for the Tate Gallery which had three stages of retouching (that’s adjusting the colour) to make sure the images were as close to the original as possible. We always cater for the individual requirements of each customer.

Ladybird books by Chris Brooks.

Photography by David Spero.

You used Fedrigoni papers in the printing of Draft Magazine. When high quality papers are used for a project how much of an advisory role does Principal Colour take on, and how do you steer a project in the right direction? Or do most designers come to you with an already firm idea of what they would like to use?  

It’s a bit of a mix really – some people have a strong idea of what they want, and some people rely on our expertise to advise them about what would work best. We will always suggest suitable papers for particular job types, for instance the job selling house at auction might require a quick turnaround and minimal outlay – so the job would be printed on a standard silk paper which gives good colour reproduction for a good price. However our recent Tate Gallery job was printed on a top of the range triple coated silk (it literally had three stages of coating) because the accuracy of colour reproduction was far more important than the price of the paper.

Artwork by Anthony Burrill.

Nursing Home by Jim Goldberg.

Photography by Matt Burgess.

Unfortunately Draft is no longer in print - did you notice a big drop off in the printing of this kind of publication during the recession? And how has business picked up since then - what kind of publications are you currently printing, and have their print processes or paper stock options changed in that time to accommodate different finances?

We are printing lots of interesting things at the moment but are awaiting permission to talk about them, so watch this space! 2008 was a massive shock to the print industry and we are still struggling to recover (although we are very happy to be busy at the moment). Since that period designers and customers have generally moved away from specifying particular paper stock in favour of the cheapest approach. I am glad to say that this appears to be changing again, so hopefully this is a sign of green shoots in both our trade and industry as a whole. 

Photography by Evan Brownstein.

Principal Colour have 50 copies of Draft Magazine issue 005 (produced during A/W 2007/08) to give away, each originally worth £15. It's a beautiful feast for the eyes, so why not drop Martin an email to secure your copy?

Technical Info:

Draft Magazine is 276 x 216mm in size, with 112pp of text printed on Arcoprint 135gsm and cover printed on Splendorgel extra white 340gsm, both available from Fedrigoni. Printed in 4 colours process throughout. Binding is thread sewn with the cover drawn on.

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Print Giveaway: Bottle of Britain Campaign Booklet for Spitfire Kentish Ale in aid of the RAF Benevolent Fund

In the first of a couple of blogs we discuss some of director Martin Darby's favourite print projects with Principal Colour - which are available as giveaways to interested readers of this website. First up the Shepherd Neame brewery's Bottle of Britain Campaign. 

So, Martin, tell us all about the accompanying booklet that you have produced to go with this long running advertising campaign….

It gives a brief description of the Bottle of Britain Campaign for Spitfire Ale – which most people will be familiar with - documenting the famous, successful TV and poster campaign. It also shows pictures of adverts that never quite made it (some of those I suspect due to advertising standards). It is sold in aid of the RAF Benevolent Fund and for each copy we give away we will donate £5 to the fund (as this was the original price of the book).

Which is your favourite advert? 

As a big football fan my favourite advert uses the tagline Looks like our boys have crippled another German sub, accompanied with a picture of a German football player.

This is one of your favourite print projects, why do you think it was such a successful campaign?

A lot of work we do here is for galleries, museums and other very colour critical work. This is not one of them - the reason I love it is it makes me laugh. The success of the campaign has been to play on the idea that every Englishman hates Germany (and France). We all know this is not actually true – but we still find it fun to take the mickey out of them and our past.

What were the technical specifications of producing the booklet?

We started this back in 2005 (MK1) and have produced in total over 30,000 copies (now on MK11, which has reprinted 5 times). The job is 60pp of text in A5 landscape format,  printed in 4 colours throughout onto a 130gsm silk with a 250gsm cover. It has a plastic gloss lamination on the outer cover.

To get hold of your very own copy of this delightful booklet and ensure a donation to a very worthy cause, contact Martin here. He only has 50 to give away so be fast!

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An interview with Pretty Green Look Book designer Dave Uprichard of One Big Company

Creative design agency One Big Company designed the new S/S 2012 look book for Liam Gallagher's clothing brand Pretty Green, which was then printed by Principal Colour in Kent. This beautifully made object was inspired by record sleeves and features stunning photography shot on London's Hampstead Heath. We caught up with designer Dave Uprichard to find out what goes into putting a look book together.

Your most recent project has been the creation of a look book for Liam Gallagher's clothing company Pretty Green. How did the collaboration come about?

Myself, Matt and Neil (the other members of the One Big Company team) were contacted by a former colleague from our time at Ted Baker who now designs the collections for Pretty Green.

Have you worked on the design of many look books over the years?

Yes indeed, working at Ted Baker they were one of the bi-annually repeated projects we looked forward to most and as a bonus towards the end of my time there they started creating a High Summer mini-lookbook too so I got to turn my hand to that as well.

One of Dave's Ted Baker look books (also printed by Principal Colour).

What do you think sets the Pretty Green collection apart from other fashion collections for men?

Apart from the inherent sense of cool which comes through its associations with Liam Gallagher and the best bits of the British music scene what's great about Pretty Green compared to other fashion collections is that each season is different - obviously your staples are still there but there's no taking the best selling styles from previous collections, adding a different button or pocket to it and rolling out something which is 99% the same as last year.

What inspired the design of the look book?

It's inspired by the British music scene of the 60s & 70s, the format is a 12" with a black slipcase to echo a record sleeve and then all the shots have been graded to give an aged analogue feel. There's no digital crispness with this book, we wanted it to look raw.

The sleeve was die-cut and foiled.

How did you choose the materials and print production techniques for your look book?

Firstly the paper stock had to be uncoated to be in keeping with the grading we'd added to the photography, we knew this would darken up any imagery so that had to be taken into account when printing. We picked Challenger Offset by  Antalis McNaughton for this. Other than that it was a case of picking a great black stock for the cover and slipcase (Colorset by Fenner Paper) and ensuring that the foiling of the logos was of the highest quality. We haven't been let down!

You've clocked up 10 years in the print design industry - what have your design highlights been?

The biggest highlight would be breaking free of corporate shackles and setting up with Matt & Neil, maybe not a design highlight but a highlight of my design career! Other than that, it's hard to say... I've worked with so many great clients and brands from MTV to Ted Baker to Pretty Green. Can I just say that the past 10 years have been a highlight?

Where did you work before setting up One Trick Pony? And what skills did you learn at each different place?

I started at a boutique creative agency called Point Blank which was lead by Steve Wallington, it was the perfect place to cut my teeth as everyone had input into creative briefs - the ethos of PB was that a great idea was a great idea no matter whether it came from the Creative Director, Junior Designer or company accountant! After that I went in-house in fashion, working at Ted Baker for just over three years. Then I took a foray into retail design with Portland Associates before setting up One Trick Pony with Matt Bishop and ultimately One Big Company with Matt & Neil.

Aldgate Lofts property brochure - produced for BMOR

What prompted you to start out on your own?

Without wanting to sound bitter it was getting made redundant for the third time! Admittedly Matt and myself had been freelancing for a year or so as One Trick Pony before my employment was cut short and it couldn't have happened at a better time as Neil had just approached us with a very exciting offer of a monthly retainer from a fairly sizeable property client so everything fell into place perfectly.

Aldgate Lofts property brochure - produced for BMOR

One Trick Pony is about to become One Big Company - what's the difference?

Pretty much the name is the only difference. Matt, Neil and myself (the three directors of One Big Company) have been working as a creative collective for the past two years now, under the separate guises of One Trick Pony and O'Dear. We decided that it was time we admitted our mutual love for one another by creating a new partnership, plus it makes it a lot easier knowing how to answer the phone when there's only one company in an office!

During most of this time you've worked with Principal Colour, what is it that keeps bringing you back to Kent for your print production needs?

I think it's just refreshing to work with a printer who has the same high standards as we do. It certainly makes life a lot easier when you know you can trust your supplier to get the job done well, supply it on time and actually let you know if there are any problems that have arisen rather than covering them up or ignoring them… am I speaking from experience with other printers I've used in the past? No comment!

Thanks for chatting to us Dave! Don't forget to visit the One Big Company website to see more of his stunning design work.

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Introducing the Pretty Green Lookbook designed by One Big Company

London Fashion Week kicks off next week, so it's only fitting that this week we are working on the print production of the new lookbook for Liam Gallagher's clothing label Pretty Green. Here's a quick sneak peak of the running sheets - as you can see it features some beautiful atmospheric photography. We'll be sharing the full look book soon, alongside a Q&A with designer Dave Uprichard of One Big Company, so stay tuned!

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CAFOD: 50 Years, 50 Voices Anniversary Photo Book

This month we have been delighted to print an anniversary photo book for the Catholic aid agency CAFOD – 50 Years, 50 Voices - which marks 50 years of the charity's work, bringing 'hope, compassion and solidarity to poor communities, standing side by side with them to end poverty and injustice.' CAFOD works with people of all faiths or none in more than 40 countries across the world, with the aim of achieving 'a safe, sustainable and peaceful world.'

Some sheet pages from the book, ready to be bound.

The book has been produced as a thankyou to all CAFOD's supporters, and features beautiful quality printing that ensures the excellent photography looks fantastic. 

Checking that the print quality is superb on the light box

Technical specs: We used 250gsm Revive 100 White Silk for the cover, and the text is printed on 130gsm Revive 100 White Silk. This is a 100% de-inked post consumer recycled waste silk paper from Robert Horne, which ensures superb printing quality. This is an FSC certified paper that has been bleached using a totally chlorine free process. 

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An interview with Justin Hammond, Curator of the The Catlin Guide and Catlin Art Prize

We are very pleased to announce that we have just printed the highly collectible The Catlin Guide for 2012: the premiere place to discover the best new graduate artists from across the UK. We decided to quiz curator Justin Hammond on the history of The Catlin Guide. Read on to find out more!

You are about to launch the 2012 edition of The Catlin Guide at the London Art Fair, between the 18th - 22nd of January at the Business Design Centre in Islington. What can people expect?

Due to the financial implications of most art fairs, galleries tend to pack out their stands with large and expensive statement pieces. So I'm going to do the opposite and curate a show of small scale drawings, photography and works on paper. I've asked artists like Gabriella Boyd & Tom Howse to make very small paintings. I'm showing eleven artists from the Guide - a real mixture - and for most of them it's the first time they've shown in that kind of environment. We'll also be giving away copies of The Catlin Guide, of course.

Dark Green Fritillery on Wildlife Attracting Mix, installation by Alison Stolwood.

You've picked 40 graduates for inclusion in the guide: what criteria determines who you pick, and what are you looking for?

Potential is the key criteria. I'm looking for artists with the ability and desire to progress and really make their mark in the art world over a prolonged period. Ultimately, I choose the final 40 artists but a big part of the initial long-list is made up of recommendations from course tutors, curators, collectors, gallerists, artists, critics and bloggers.

Twofold Interleaf by Rowena Hughes.

What is your background? 

I studied Art History in Manchester in the early 90's, but didn't open my first space in Hackney until 2005. Along with my brother, I ran MLIA in Broadway Market for a couple of years showing new grads and generally making it up as we went along. That was when I decided to start the prize and Catlin came on board as the sponsors almost immediately. The first year was held at the now defunct Ada Street Gallery with a first prize of £1000. 

Portrait of the artist on vacation and the door opening for a Byronic Hero by Hannah Harkes.

How do you support the up and coming artists that you choose, so that their career gets off to the best start it can?

The Catlin Guide functions as an index; a bang-up-to-date 'who's who' of the new wave in contemporary art, and that's a great platform. If the Guide can help to facilitate exhibition opportunities or encourage interest from galleries and collectors, then I see it as a success. Last year, the winner of the Catlin Art Prize was awarded £5,000, while Catlin bought work by participating artists and commissioned two new pieces for their collection, so there's financial support too.

Catlin Art Prize 2008 at LSO St. Luke's

How is The Catlin Guide related to the Catlin Art Prize, and how do they work alongside each other?

In a way, they're quite separate. The Catlin Art Prize came first and The Catlin Guide was initially a supplement to that and a way of documenting the shortlisting process. Now, I think The Catlin Guide has taken on its own identity and individual worth. All artists for the Prize are selected from the book, but there's a gap of four months between publication and exhibition, so The Guide has its own lifespan.

Victoria Matkin's 'Ladies in Waiting' - Catlin Art Prize 2010 at Village Underground

What are your particular hot tips from the current batch of featured artists in the guide? 

All 40 artists are in with a shout, but some are already streets ahead in terms of attention and publicity. The press will always focus on new grads from the Royal College of Art or other major schools, so I'm going to pick out Mandy Barker from De Montfort University and Hannah Harkes from Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen. I like the way that both artists are forging their own paths. Neither is primarily concerned with producing commercial work, but what they make is very desirable. Hannah is on a residency in Tallinn and has just sent me through a fantastic new piece called Desert Picnic Imposter. I'll be showing it at the launch.

David Malone.

What has happened with previous artists that were featured? Have they gone onto great things, if so what?

The Catlin Guide is only three years old, but lots of artists have gone on to feature in high-profile exhibitions in the UK and abroad. Leah Capaldi and Joshua Bilton from the 2011 Guide have just finished showing as part of Bloomberg New Contemporaries and Noemie Goudal has been selected for Out of Focus: Photography, at the Saatchi Gallery in May. But I'm taking a long-term view; it's all about what happens over the next decade or more. 

Untitled by Ali Kazim.

How is the guide itself produced and how do you ensure that it is a desirable object destined for collectibility?

The slipcase makes The Catlin Guide very expensive to produce but we're not looking to make a profit or even recoup the production costs. We print a limited number so that all adds to its collectibility. The first edition has sold out and there are just a few of the 2011 edition remaining. OK, here's the technical stuff: For the slipcase we've used Lockwood Green 135gsm from the GF Smith Colorplan range. The Guide itself is printed onto 170gsm Munken Polar. All the paper products are FSC certified. There are 128 pages.

Mossy Lichens by Tom Howse.

Why did you decide to print your guide with Principal Colour? Was it important to use a printer based in the UK and if so why?

Catlin came across Principal Colour and we were impressed with their green credentials. Printing abroad was not an option due to the tight deadlines. It's imperative that the information in the Guide is as relevant as possible, so we sign off in the week leading up to Christmas and publish in mid January. Principal Colour were prepared to go in and work on The Catlin Guide over the Christmas break.

Tom Howse at work.

Who designs the guide and what kind of art direction are they given? 

The original design and identity were conceived by the guys at Yes Studio. I liked a lot of the previous stuff they'd done and I was after a very minimal design; I wanted the Guide to be an art object in its own right. Yes Studio were working with Peter Saville at the time so it was a perfect match.

Moje Sabz by Soheila Sokhanvari.

What do you do when are you not curating The Catlin Guide? Any other exciting projects in the pipeline?

I'm actually trying to work less... and failing. I've been doing lots of writing and I also published a book of Alex Ball's paintings. The last couple of years have been non-stop but it's hard to turn down an interesting project. At the moment, I'm enjoying not having the burden of a permanent gallery, but that could change. I've curated a few pop-up shows and I'm always on the look out for original and exciting spaces.

Pools from the Plane by Sophie Percival.

Any last tips for aspiring artists who want to be featured in The Catlin Guide? What should they do if they are still working towards their graduation?

Presenting a strong degree show is vital. It's a shop window. My personal bugbear is film or installation artists not bothering to turn up and switch on their equipment. A waste of everyone's time. 

Want to know more? Make sure you check out The Catlin Guide for 2012 at the London Art Fair between the 18th - 22nd of January at the Business Design Centre.

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The Final Pictures of the BBC Children in Need 2011 Christmas Photo Album

Eagle eyed readers of our tumblr feed will remember that we worked on the BBC Children in Need photo album to accompany the BBC Christmas advert. There was only one copy of the book made, which is to be sold for charity (Children in Need). This is your only chance to see the beautiful inside of the book unless you win it at auction! We especially urge you to check out the polaroid pics with beautiful calligraphic lettering. It was a wonderful bespoke project to work on for a good cause! 

Here is the photo album in production at Principal Colour and here is the almost finished item in previous blog posts. The book was designed by TAG UK. Take a peek at all the lurverly featured celebs inside...

Anne Robinson

Frank Skinner

June Brown

Lenny Henry

Matt Smith

Tess Daly

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Fiat Mug of Tea Promotional Mailer with USB Stick, designed by TAG

To round off our posts before Christmas we thought we would end on a blog about one of the most interesting and unusual projects that we have worked on this year.

Back in July 2011 we worked on a job for Fiat, aimed at fleet car buyers and designed by TAG UK. The promotion consisted of a ceramic tea mug with the Fiat logo on the side and a USB stick designed to mimic the colour and shape of a bourbon biscuit stuck into what looked like a cup of tea. The USB stick contained an amusing video as well as information on the Fiat van range. 

For this job we had to die cut four pieces of foam with slots to take the USB stick then carefully fix them into the mugs before hand painting the top of each piece of foam individually to the colour of a cup of tea (2 coats and a gloss varnish). Then the 'bourbon biscuit' was inserted into the foam so that it appeared to be sitting in the tea. The mug was then placed into a polystyrene box with an outer printed sleeve and then into a corrugated mailing carton (and then in the post). 

The colour of tea (in case anyone wants to know) is Dulux emulsion Soft Almond 1(from the mixing station at B&Q).

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BBC Children in Need 2011 Christmas Photo Album with Knitted Reindeer Front Cover

Here's the (nearly) final BBC Children in Need official Christmas photo album with a knitted reindeer front cover, as blogged about previously here. Now all that needs doing is a touch of bespoke calligraphy labelling on each page, then the next time you see the album will be for auction on Blue Peter and The One Show!

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BBC Children in Need Bespoke Photo Album of Television Stars 2011

Director Martin Darby updates us on one of the current print projects at Principal Colour:

I am sure everyone has seen the new BBC Christmas advert, Consider Yourself One of Us! When they shot the advert single polaroids were taken of everybody who starred in it (46 I think) and all of them were individually signed (apart from the Cyberman for obvious reasons). We are now making a one off bespoke photo album: all the pictures will be held in the book with photo corners and each page will have a die cut aperture to frame the picture and offset the bulk caused by 46 polaroids. Each photo will be covered with a transparent leaf and finally they will all be bound together as one case bound (hard back) book that will be covered in a festive Christmas jumper! 

Each page will have the name of the star hand written at the foot of the page (I suppose in case people don’t recognise the photograph?). We are trying to rush this through so it can be promoted on Blue Peter and The One Show before Christmas. It is going to be auctioned for Children in Need and we are putting the whole book together free of charge as our bit to help raise money. Look out for more pictures once the project is complete.

Date of printing: December 2011

Designer: TAG UK

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The Principal Beano: a day out with Margate FC

Last weekend (Saturday  3rd December) the Principal Colour office headed down to Margate on an Only Fools and Horses inspired jolly, thanks to our friendly relationship with Margate FC: we have done the printing of the Lottery Super Draw Membership Cards for Cliff Egan(CEO of Margate FC) for the last 4 years.  We called this the Principal Beano to Margate. Director Martin Darby answers my questions about the trip. Sounds like it was a lot of fun!

Proud match sponsors.

How many of you went down to Margate on Saturday, would you like to introduce the members of staff who went along and what they do at Principal Colour? 

There were 12 of us in all – myself and Alan along with Richard and Ben from the office, Neil and Tony (printing machine operators), Tom (van driver), Malcolm, Jeremy and Peter. And finally Alan’s brother in law Brian (who was our driver for the day). Our  mini bus left Paddock Wood on schedule at 9am, going via Maidstone to collect myself and Peter long with 12 bacon sandwiches. I had to apologise as I was un able to find my Chas and Dave’s greatest hit CD for the journey (dowwwwn to Margate).

What did you get up to once you got to Margate?

On the journey all staff were equipped with the spending money for the arcades, a bag of 50 10p pieces each! We got to Margate ahead of schedule and hit the arcades, air hockey, bowling (the one with the strings attached to the skittles) fruit machines and shove penny machines. We moved along the sea front from arcade to arcade and ended up – in the pub! We just had a chance to pop into the Turner Contemporary Gallery before the Margate FC match.  

The whole Principal Colour posse on the sea front in Margate (enjoying some light refreshment)

What were your first impressions of the Turner Contemporary?

To be fair I only saw one picture (which was nice) and did not have time to get upstairs to the main gallery – so I will have to re-do it at some point. Most of the feedback I have had from people who have been there – is that there is not that much to look at – or maybe it's just that they didn’t spend long there?

How did it go once you got to Margate FC?

We arrived at the Football ground at 1.30pm and were led to our private room, beer and Guinness on tap. We had our picture taken with Tigger and Buzz Lightyear – I never knew that 2 such icons supported Margate. We had a wonderful 3 course meal of salmon and prawn followed by lamb, cheesecake and then huge lumps of cheese and biscuits – the food was exceptional (and very filling). The match commenced and Canvey Island scored (to everyone’s dismay) in the first half which they dominated. Coffee (and more cheese as there was loads left) at half time. In the second half Margate played much better and the full back (No 3) equalised. This is how the match ended at 1-1. 

Tell us more about Tigger and Buzz Lightyear! 

Margate FC have two team mascots (Buzz Lightyear and Tigger), it is a very family orientated club and there were kids of all ages there watching in full football kit (including boots – I suppose you all have dreams at that age that the team might be short and need an extra player on the day).

Principal Colour company directors Alan Flack and Martin Darby on the right with the mascots. 

How did you decide who to award the Man of the Match to and who was it?

At half time we wondering how we were going to award a Margate player the man of the match award as they didn’t play very well – however they were a lot better in the second half and it was a toss up between number 10 and number 3 (Dean Pooley). Because it is quite rare for full backs to get a goal (and probably the Man of the Match award) we decided on Dean.

A great day out was had by all!

Sounds fun, can I join the boys next time please? 

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An interview with Stratis Kastrisianakis, co-founder of Nakedbutsafe magazine

We introduced Nakedbutsafe magazine to you in our last blog post - it's a beautiful new arts magazine with a conscience, produced in Greece but available worldwide. Now it's time to speak to co-founder Stratis Kastrisianakis in more depth. 

What does Nakedbutsafe mean and how did you decide upon the name for your new magazine?

Nakedbutsafe means that our magazine tries to be 'naked' from any form of ties and connections to standard industry pressure points like PRs etc… which makes it highly independent. I think readers don't trust magazines and the media in general any more because there is no more news, only commerce. Magazines today (including many so called independent ones) are just sales platforms for major brands. As a freelance photographer I witnessed last minute calls from major brands in Paris to an otherwise quite credible publication, asking for clothing items to be used on the cover shoot even when they had nothing to do with the theme of the shooting. Additionally 'naked' means naked from any form of post production that cannot be done in the dark room. This could have made the magazine feel a bit nostalgic, but this is not the case. We celebrate photography and our research into young artistic and photographic talent shows that there is a strong trend towards not using post production. We want our fashion photographers to enjoy the process of taking photos in the moment, and not to rely on the lab. Naked is also naked from any fear of press censure. We encourage freedom and the breaking of boundaries every day, not just in the magazine. The choice of name was a natural decision from the state of mind we found ourselves in at the start of 2011.

Who is behind Nakedbutsafe? Can you tell us a short history about its creation?

Myself (Stratis Kastrisianakis) and my partner Manos Samartzis are the creators and driving force behind the magazine. We do everything in house from design to proofing, and from art curating to monitoring distribution and sales. Happily we are blessed with many talented friends and old collaborators that jumped on the idea of giving a hand to a project that started out shy but now is a full time commitment. One day in december 2010 myself and Manos were so frustrated by a commission that we decided NOT to work for these kind of publications any more. So nakedbutsafe was born out of frustration. Then we started a task of entering into a world that already seems so natural, even though it was all news to us back then. We chose to work with consultants and not actual collaborators so we could keep the schedule under control (it is hard to ask people to work for free under pressure) and so that we would not offend anyone's artistic expression by rejecting them. Nakedbutsafe is 100% an in house process with 95% of its material shot especially for us. Today things have changed dramatically. Every day we get requests from artists and collaborators of every kind that want to be part of nakedbutsafe. This is all very exciting. Our new roster is a very selected list of young and emerging talent in their fields.

Your press release speaks about living life with intellectually fulfilled integrity, how is this best manifested in the magazine's content?

Our take on lifestyle aims to show people that we are humans with brains and not just simple forms of life who react to outside influences. We do not need toys and wealth to live a rich life. Wealth comes from bettering our lives. There are alternatives out there that will create conditions for a new experience. We don't just need things to show off to other members of our circle. Our planet is a wonderful thing and it is ours. Freedom from needing stuff but encouraging new experiences is our biggest tool towards independency from the media promoted garbage that fills our lives. This is clearly stated in many parts of our magazine - we want it to be a magazine that is read and not just a coffee table item. Magazines are not decorative items.

How difficult has it been to launch a magazine in Greece in this time of financial crisis?

Amazingly difficult and challenging. But also this is one of the reasons why we manage to keep editorial integrity. Once you hit the bottom you can only go up. Also the anger that exists inside everyone in Greece right now has transformed itself into a creative force.

I love the statement that you 'appreciate illustrators, but not the ones who call themselves photographers'. Why is it so important to you to use images that are not airbrushed?

See my previous answer for part of this explanation. All readers, even non industry ones, are so familiar with post production that they have lost their trust in the colours of a sunset, of a fruit and eventually the beauty of human form. It's a crime. We are living in the era of temporary plastic surgery through imagery.

Nakedbutsafe is published in English. What was the decision about this, and where can you buy the magazine? 

English is the most commonly spoken language and the one that suits most of our international team. It was a decision based on practicality. In the future we want to have multilingual articles in the magazine (in their original form) as well as in English, but this will not be the case anytime soon. Pineapple Media and Comag International are the people behind our global reach. We have somehow limited printing numbers (under 15,000 copies) so our reach is global but targeted. In January 2012 we will have full details of where to buy nakedbutsafe but for the moment please check out Where to Buy on our website. 

Have there been any difficulties in ensuring global distribution, if so what have you learnt?

Yes. As always a new craft brings excitement and also problems which need to be dealt with. Not knowing the actual distribution locations until the magazine is already in the stores was news to us. Now we know and it's ok. We are not an urgent magazine to buy in terms of news.

Why is it important to you to create a magazine from 100% sustainable sources?

I will reverse the question; why is not so important for everyone else? There is too much intellectual garbage out there, never mind actual garbage. Let's all be sustainable - it will make everyone happier.

How did you discover Principal Colour and why did you decide to use them to print Nakedbutsafe?

Their take on natural and ecological printing was a big attraction, but I also like thatPrincipal Colour is run with an informal mood that is in line with the playful (but still extremely serious) character of nakedbutsafe. They are amazing and I have no hesitation in recommending them to others. I received their press proofs by mistake for issue 1 and there was no difference in quality between mine and theirs. 

How do the subjects of Nakebutsafe make you feel emotional? What is it about someone who inspires a particular emotion and is there any one person in the first issue who stands out for you? if so why?

I love all the content of issue 1. Even as a photographer I am in love with the art of words, which play a big part in issue 2 - we have a linguistic section that is amazing! Don't miss it. My favourite parts of issue 1 are an article by Maike Ludenbach about her amazing experience at the Circle of Transformation in Brazil, and Ned Sewell's rules to hitchhiking in the USA.

How do you find intelligent writers to contribute to Nakedbutsafe?

Everyone is more or less intelligent if they feel like it. There is so much need for expression and either we are blessed or we are just lucky. We could print a 300 page magazine if we were to include everything of worth. We are open to submissions in any written art form; texts, stories, poems, linguistic themes, essays.

You hope to open a dialogue with readers, how are you encouraging this open discussion, for example on your blog? 

Our new website will be very interactive and include all modern forms of communication available on the net. So yes this will start with issue 2.

You are now on to your second issue, what can readers expect from it, and what are your plans for the future after that?

More photography, more free speech. More joy and more beauty. In a time of struggle (manmade and fully reversible if only we create an interesting alternative) we need to focus on the beauty of our bodies, our relationships, our senses and our emotions. We are rich and equal within ourselves. Issue 2 is much more daring and more compact than issue 1. It is similar to issue 1 but without the mistakes and with more direction.

It's an amazing new magazine - make sure you pick up issues 1 and 2 of nakedbutsafe. 

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Introducing Nakedbutsafe Fashion and Art Magazine

Here's a sneak peak at the new Greek photography based fashion and art magazine, Nakedbutsafe, which we printed recently. The first issue came out in August 2011, with the next one due out in January 2012.

At the start of the job we ran a series of scatter proofs to check the colour balance of key images and then once the job was up and running sheets were sent to Athens on a daily basis so our client could see the whole job as flat sheets before it was bound.

Nakedbutsafe was printed on Essential Velvet FSC 135gsm from Premier Paper, and it was designed by Stratis Kastrisianakis, who we will be interviewing very soon to find out more about the magazine and his design process. 

Nakedbutsafe magazine is available worldwide.

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An interview with graphic designer Simon Loxley, creator of the Ultrabold magazine for St Bride Library

Designer Simon Loxley is a multi-talented print designer and writer who has worked on some fantastic projects over the years, including the creation of the beautiful Ultrabold magazine for the St Bride Library, printed by Principal Colour. Following the highly successful Critical Tensions conference last week we decided to check in with him and find out a bit more about his career. You can read about how Ultrabold first came to life in our previous blog here.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your career as a designer and some of your favourite projects that you've worked on?

 I suppose I’ve always approached working in design as a fan; I love music, books, films, magazines, museums and art galleries, so have always tried to seek out work in areas I personally feel very connected to. 

I did a lot of work in the past, and still some now (St Bride obviously), for London’s cultural institutions: the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of London, Geffrye Museum, the Maritime Museum, the London Library, and a long spell for Dulwich Picture Gallery. Their logo was my design, and I created a cut-out model of the Gallery’s famous John Soane-designed central tower/founders’ mausoleum for their shop which was lot of fun to do. There was a postcard set for the National Portrait Gallery that a Financial Times review called the best small present of the year, which was nice of them.

More recently I‘ve been doing lots of book covers for the publisher Boydell & Brewer: non fiction stuff, history, music and Hispanic studies. I’ve put some of my favourites on my website, www.simonloxley.com. Although but no means do I do all their books – it’s a large umbrella organisation with several imprints – I do enough to hope I’ve managed to create something of a Boydell style or ‘feel’ for them.

My distinguishing feature is arguably that as someone who can both design and write I’m relatively unusual; I enjoyed researching and writing both my two books,Type: The Secret History of Letters, and Printers Devil: The Life and Work of Frederic Warde. And of course Ultrabold would be right up there at the top of the tree for me: a chance to design, edit and write. Perfect really. Ten issues feels like something of an achievement. It would be good to be offered, or to create, other projects where I could be involved with the content as well as the design.

What is the production schedule like for each issue of Ultrabold and how long does it take to put together?

 Ultrabold comes out twice a year; I think it would kill me to do more, unless I had a team of assistants focused solely on the task, which I don’t. Although if it were financially viable for me, ie a job rather than essentially a labour of love, it might be quite good to do more. Time? Tricky to quantify, as I’m always thinking of possibilities for the next issue, noting them down so I don’t forget them; so the planning goes on all the time, in the back of my mind. I suppose if the journal was laid out and proofread all in one go, you might be looking at 2, maybe 3 days. But then there’s reading and editing the copy, surely another days’ worth, and then a day to go down to Principal Colour and pass the pages on press. But a lot of the design and editing gets done in little corners of the day concurrent with and fitting around other things I’m working on.

What kind of paper do you use and why? and what kind of special production techniques or specifications do you have, if any?

 A very undesignerly answer, but as Ultrabold was, and still is, done on a miniscule budget, I was prepared for it to be printed on whatever we could get at low cost. Fennerdonated the paper for many of the early issues, so we would get whatever Justin Hobson wanted to try out for his own promotional purposes. Which is why the stock has sometimes changed from issue to issue. But I quite like that. For Fenner’s purposes there were some short extra runs of some issues on other stock; there is a (very rare, collectors of the future!) grey version of no 5, for example.

For the last two issues we’ve used Brand X FSC 135gsm coated, which Fenner have given at a special rate. I like it; it’s a good bright white, and the pictures seem to perform well on it, good tonal ranges, fresh colours, that kind of thing.

Did you have a previous relationship with Principal Colour and what is the best part of working with the company?

 My relationship with Principal Colour came about through Richard MCombie, whom I have known for years, since he had a place with his brother near Brixton tube station. I’ve sort of followed him around over the years wherever he’s worked. Principal Colour is the best though. I always have the feeling I’m working with really committed craftsmen, which is not a sensation you always get with printers. I noticed on the pinboard in their boardroom an email from a PA for Bryan Ferry which said: ‘Bryan was very happy with the printing. And believe me, that’s rare.’ Quite a tribute I think.

Why do you think it's so important to preserve our printing heritage, as epitomised by the work of the St Bride Library?

 If you want to look at, say, the 1499 Cologne Chronicle, you can just walk in off the street and ask, and they’ll bring it out for you. I recently wanted, in connection with a job in hand, to look at the type specimen book of the eighteenth century Glasgow typefounder Andrew Wilson, and the librarian Nigel brought it out for me to look through as if it was nothing unusual – which at St Bride Library it isn’t. But when you stop and think about it, it’s amazing. Where else could you do that, and so easily? But it’s not just about the preservation of this heritage, the thousands of items in the archives. The Library is the focal point around which St Bride’s great programme of talks, events, exhibitions and conferences revolve, which provide inspiration, food for thought and a relaxed social setting in which to meet, for today’s designers, printers and movers and shakers, and I hope tomorrow’s too. But if the Library is not supported then one day the collection will be broken up and disappear into the hands of private collectors. And we’ll never get it back, or see its like in this country again.

Wise words indeed. You can support St Bride Library by becoming a friend right here.