Print Roundup: October 2020

Every month, we put together a roundup to show all the different ways our creative customers are using newspapers. Below, see 9 inspiring print projects — from a playful zine that keeps Help Scout's remote team connected to a life-size baby announcement for long distance intros. 

No umbrella needed

"Petrichor" is the lovely word used to describe the smell of rain on dry earth. It’s a smell the team behind Bergen-based rainwear brand Norwegian Rain knows well, and it’s also the title of the broadsheet they use to share new products and projects.

“The format fits with our philosophy of slow fashion and our focus on timeless craftsmanship,” says designer Christian Bergheim. “You have to invest time to fully appreciate it, and that gives our readers an experience that goes beyond the normal, digital scrolling. This is our fifth edition of the newspaper and it’s become an important ingredient in the Norwegian Rain universe.”

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Together, wherever

To keep their team connected while working from home, customer support platform Help Scout printed this fun zine on our tabloids. With contributions from team members — including a roundup of “dad jokes” collected from different Slack channels — and a playful pull-out poster illustrated by the design team, it was sent out for their remote company retreat this month.

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Baby faces

If you can’t introduce your baby in person, Hey Hey Baby is a new service offering a clever alternative: birth announcements that fold out into a life-size poster, printed on our tabloid newspapers.

Founders Jenny Nguygen and Bob Stel launched the business after creating a newspaper for their daughter, Jet. Friends and family loved it (“The format really moves people and they keep it on their fridges,” says Jenny) and the pair realised other parents would want to welcome their newborn “in a more playful and modern way than the usual letterpress card.”

Traditional birth announcements “are always so precious and cute,” says Jenny. “The newsprint really brings in the coolness factor, almost like a zine.”

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A sense of belonging

Originally a weekly email to subscribers, photographer Louisa Wells says her Belonging project “has morphed into a more thoughtful and slower-paced way to encourage others and explore my own creativity.” Her mini newspaper examines the idea of “belonging” through photography and writing, with a portion of the proceeds from its sale going to the Coalition for the Homeless in New York City. 

“I wanted to give readers something tangible,” explains Louisa. “As a photographer who shoots mostly digital, there is something truly special about seeing your work in print – it reminds you how special this medium really is. This is also a way for me to share stories that I feel deserve to be told in a way in which I, as a Black woman, can control that narrative.”

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No waste outerwear

London-based upcycling workshop Greater Goods recently collaborated with outerwear brand Arc'teryx  to turn damaged and out-of-warranty products into a limited-edition range of jackets and bags. This tabloid lookbook, printed on salmon newsprint, explains how the collection was made.

“The best part is working under the ‘limits’ of the format,” says designer Marta Urbez about creating a newspaper. “It pushed me to look for more exciting design elements.” Greater Goods founder Jaimus Tailor adds: “Everyone has loved it!”

Proceeds from the project support the non-profit Flock Together, a birdwatching community combatting the underrepresentation of people of  colour in nature.

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If sofas could talk

Family-run furniture company Barker and Stonehouse is using this tabloid – printed on our recycled newsprint — to tell the story behind their new sofa collection, made entirely from sustainably sourced and 100% recyclable components. “We're always on the lookout for something new and different,” they say. “We thought a newspaper would be the perfect format for this story and would stop our customers in their tracks.”

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Capturing the crowd

In December of 2017, photographer William Mebane – a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek – documented a Trump rally in Pensacola, FL. This 64-page tabloid, designed by Area of Practice to work as both a photobook and a collection of pull-out prints, features images and quotes from the event.

“A printed object is such a different experience from sharing the same content online,” says William. “I think sharing printed work is really important. It shows a commitment to the content and to the development of one's photographic practice and vision. Everyone has talked about the quality of the printing and the typography and type treatment that the designers brought to the project.”

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Wall-worthy lookbook

The latest lookbook from NYC-based denim brand 3Sixteen is printed on a single sheet of newspaper. Created with designers at Studio Mast — who “loved working within the specific guidelines” of newspaper design — the physical catalogue complements the “thoughtfulness of the collection” and photographer Ray Spears’s beautiful analogue images.

“The tabloid format gives us the flexibility to use large images on the covers and have endless layout options on the inner pages,” says co-founder Andrew Chen. "Customers love having a physical copy of the lookbook to reference and plan purchases or to share with friends. They also look great pinned up on a wall.”

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Bold bodies

Body care brand Oui The People is shifting the conversation around beauty with their “damn good products to help you feel amazing in your own skin, as you are.” They share ingredients, interviews, and wellness tips in this tabloid newspaper, which gives their customers “a break from digital” content. They say one of the best things about the format is the space to use “big and bold type” to get their message of empowerment and inclusivity across.

 

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