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New thomas.matthews identity
Posted by Mark Sinclair, 22 February 2010, 11:58 Permalink Comments (16)
thomas.matthews has unveiled a new studio identity. In keeping with their design ethos the work aims to dispell the myths associated with sustainable printing and making the best of leftover materials...
The project, which includes identity design, self-promotional mailers, business cards and stationery, is particularly interesting as it began with the material concens – selecting the paper and inks, choices that are typically left until the latter stages of a brief.
"We knew that by switching to a post-consumer recycled stock we could save up to 70% of the embodied energy of a piece of print," explains studio founder Sophie Thomas of the thinking behind the work.
"But then we thought, 'what if we use paper that is already sitting in our printer's – Calverts – warehouse because of an over order?' So we rifled through their surplus stock and chose some suitable weights and finishes. Then we asked our printer to use it as 'make-ready' i.e. paper that preps the press on a number of jobs. Once it had finished this useful task, we then saved it from being discarded."
This approach was also applied to the inks that the studio chose to work with, with even vegetable-based inks coming in for a stringent reassessment by the studio. "Vegetable-based inks may be low in VOCs (Volatile Organic Chemicals) and less polluting," says Thomas, "but there are some serious questions around soy crops causing rainforest deforestation to contend with.
"Every time a designer asks for a particular spot colour, even for the smallest job, the printer mixes up a tin. That's a whole litre of ink when you may only require a spoonful. So instead of contributing to this global impact, we spent an afternoon peering into leftover pots, checking them for low barium and copper along the way, to arrive at our new brand palette."
Thomas says they also investigated the impact of using metallic inks, often considered to be an environmental no-no.
"We checked the supplier's specification and asked some experts about the silver ink and the effect of using big floods of colour on the de-inking process," she explains.
"They responded by telling us that our approach was great and would not detract from the overall recyclability of the finished article. So we had our paper and our inks. Now we could take these back to the studio and get designing.
"It may seem a backwards process starting with the restriction of leftover materials, then thinking about what items would make best use of space on the press sheet – but it made perfect sense to us."
The identity is also rolled out across thomasmatthews.com. Printing by Calverts.
16 Comments
brilliant concept !
2010-02-22 13:05:04
excellent..brilliant concept
2010-02-22 13:32:29
This is very encouraging at a time when i need to sort out my photographic identity... not wanting to call it 'branding'... that sounds too grand for an individual, unless you're a celebrity. I've been looking at ways of using old/used paper, envelopes, cards to recycle... rather than just banging off artwork to a printers. it's a big challenge.
2010-02-22 13:40:45
Proud that Calverts worked with Thomas Matthews on the print - it was a lot of work, but to produce something so satisfying both aesthetically and functionally was well worth the effort!
2010-02-22 13:41:14
Cool designs, really great concept.
Keep up the good work!
2010-02-22 15:10:13
As much a testament to the printers allowing designers to get in the way and rifle around whilst they're trying to do their day-to-day job. Good stuff all round.
2010-02-22 17:09:53
I love it. We have been working on doing this in our studio. It's almost our same plan of attack. I love that it worked. It makes it an easier sell.
2010-02-23 00:12:00
yes a very big cheer goes out to the wonderful Calverts printers mainly for their patience whilst we shook all their tins and tested their left-over colours. They are a formidable bunch who have been championing sustainable print for a long time.
2010-02-23 00:20:03
Oh my..
This is so creative.. and simply mind blowing
2010-02-23 06:05:31
I need to sort out my own identity and this truly inspiring.
2010-02-23 13:07:18
This epitomises everything I love about design.
Thoroughly creative, wonderfully executed, bulletproof concept and fantastic, simple typography.
Awesome.
2010-02-23 13:35:13
See page 32 of Nancy Williams wonderful Paperwork book for a much earlier version by Imagination for Goldsmiths Gallery. I am sure they didnt use left-over inks though.
2010-02-23 13:36:31
Hmmmmm
It's a good statement of intent, and it works for this job, but we can't ALL go around using recycled paper and left-over ink. What are the rest of us supposed to do about it?
2010-02-23 15:24:12
....just to rub it in – their studio is based in Disney Street – so they get to spend the day with Mickey & Co!
2010-02-23 20:10:22
Hmmmmm
Agree with fatboy, what are we supposed to do...
I think it looks beautiful, but printing a business card entirely devoted to saying how little it is impacting the world isn’t really moving the world on. If they weren’t made in the first place they could claim the same achievement.
If the waste materials are a problem then this isn’t a solution just because it looks nice.
The problem persists, they have just coloured in the waste.
2010-02-23 22:12:53
We believe it’s important to lead by example, so all the techniques used (from the recycled paper, to the left-over ink) are perfectly viable for for designers to specify with a printer.
Producing print that has less impact on the resources and carbon consumption of the world has to be a good thing. (The humble A4 sheet creates a paper mountain 8,000 miles high every year in the UK). Far from greenwash, both our studio and printers have learnt heaps throughout this project and our clients and contemporaries are engaging with the subject.
We're not suggesting that everyone does it exactly this way, in fact we're more than happy to agitate or inspire others to do it better, or differently. But, thinking about the relationship of waste to what you design needs to be an essential part of the creative process. (50% – 90% of a print piece’s carbon footprint is built up through virgin paper manufacture alone).
If you want a good starting point, these are a fantastic resource: http://www.lovelyasatree.com and http://threetreesdontmakeaforest.org/
Communication is required. Print is required. A welcome debate…
2010-02-25 10:11:47
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