Newspaper Club 2024 Gift Guide
We love putting together our gift guide every year – it’s the perfect excuse to browse the brilliant things our customers make and sell!...
Every month, we put together a roundup to show all the different ways our creative customers use newspapers. From an illustrated guide to bookmaking to a look inside British brand JOSEPH's atelier, here are 9 print projects to inspire you in November.
Feel-good format
“We wanted to connect with our customers in a way that felt more thoughtful and tactile,” says Ebi Sinteh, co-founder of Aberdeen-based lifestyle brand Our Lovely Goods. “Social media and newsletters are great, but we wanted to go a step further.”
Their new print journal is “a chance to flex our creative muscles in a different way.” Included with every online order, it features feel-good interviews, recipes, puzzles, plant care tips and more.
“The newspaper is a great way to share more about our growth as a business and focus on products in a less 'sales-y' way,” says Ebi. “We've had so many great comments from customers about it — to quote one: ‘I have to say it was the most beautifully created piece of mail I have had in such a long time.’”
Printed on our digital tabloid newspapers.
Connected catalogue
With their latest catalogue, womenswear label JOSEPH shows how brands can use print to drive digital engagement. Featuring model Erin O’Connor MBE, the 20-page broadsheet celebrates the relaunch of their Foundations collection and invites readers into JOSEPH's design studio and atelier in Paris.
A QR code on the last spread of the catalogue leads to additional editorial and film content online — and it's boosted visits to the page by 34%, according to communications director Michelle Cook. Omni-channel experiences like this are "the future of communication," says Michelle.
Eye-catching comics
This zine is a sampler of three comics — Mason Mooney, The Adventures of Team Pom and Akissi — from Flying Eye Books, the children’s imprint of award-winning visual publishing house Nobrow.
Printed on our mini newspapers, it’s got hands-on activities based on each comic, including colouring pages and an illustrated bao recipe by Isabel Roxas. The response has been “phenomenal” says Flying Eye Books, with over 65 requests from schools, libraries and bookshops and lots of happy feedback on social media:
Book blueprints
Book artist Ellen Knudson of Crooked Letter Press has spent years developing diagrams for her Book Arts courses. Now she’s collected her colourful instructions for long-stitch bindings, pop-up maps and more in Illustrated Bookmaking, a newspaper supplement for her students. Printed on our digital tabloids, the loose pages can lay open and flat on a table — ideal for easy reference while working.
“The best part was seeing the book come together in all its glory on the printed page! It truly is a thrill to see it as a living book,” says Ellen. “I’ve sold 1/4 of the printed edition within the first two weeks. I hope this trend continues as I discover new venues to promote the book!”
Striking a balance
Part of this year's London Design Festival, “Looking For a Certain Ratio” was an exhibition of paintings by Angus Hyland and works on stone by Marion Deuchars. This catalogue, designed by Shirley Wang and Yorgos Panagopoulos of Pentagram, accompanied the show — and all 450 copies were taken home by visitors!
"I loved playing with the type, images, scale and negative space to create a layout that attempts to capture the juxtaposing styles of Angus and Marion’s works,” says Shirley. “There’s a balanced ratio of images and text across the pages — a nod to the title of the exhibition.”
Printed on our traditional tabloid newspapers.
Plant pages
Leaflet is a playful new publication “for plants, by plants.” Each issue is written from the perspective of a different plant — “it's a chance to get to know the real plant beneath their glossy-leafed exterior,” say founders Tiffany Yee and Alexander Cao.
Kicking off the first issue is the dumb cane AKA dieffenbachia. “When I was a young seedling, I never would have imagined seeing my face on the front of a publication,” reads the editor’s note. For each issue sold, $1 is donated to One Tree Planted, a non-profit dedicated to global reforestation.
“We wanted to create something tangible and love the warmth and tactile feel of a newspaper,” say Tiffany and Alexander. “Being able to flip actual pages instead of scrolling down a PDF is honestly its own experience.”
Printed on our digital mini newspapers.
Pioneering print
Founded in 1946, Pioneertown in California was originally built as an 1880s-themed set for Western films. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of this unusual place, local business Life and Times brought back the city’s old newspaper, The Pioneertown Gazette, for a special edition.
It’s full of quirky news items and photographs of Pioneertown and its residents throughout the years and is dedicated to the memory of Linda Mazzarello, the original Gazette's fearless steward.
“Designing The Gazette was a dream because the archival content was already so rich,” says designer Sarah Shoemake. “And it was the perfect opportunity to use lots of Western typefaces and ornaments!”
Printed on our traditional tabloid newspapers on 45gsm salmon newsprint.
Mindful moment
Boston-based ceramics studio Myrth is showcasing 6 new handmade glazes in the first issue of their zine FLUX. Designed by Magnifico Design with images by Gabby Riggieri, the newspaper presents a “dream-like narrative” that is part catalogue, part photo journal.
“There’s something soothing about newsprint that feels very Myrth,” says co-owner Abigail Smallwood. “Perhaps it’s the slightly rough feel of the paper in your hand or the soft saturation of color across the page. Maybe it’s the slowness of paging through a paper with a warm cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. Scrolling can’t really create this sensorial journey.”
Printed on our digital tabloid newspapers.
Raise a glass
Music venue Cobalt Studios in Newcastle is celebrating the return of live events with a refreshed print programme. They changed the format from a small booklet to a tabloid newspaper — it was “a gamble,” says designer Jake Hollings. "But it’s been very successful and people have commented that it’s unique compared to other music programmes in the area.”
“A tabloid gives you so much space to create interesting layouts,” adds Jake. “We run a risograph studio at Cobalt and design and print all of our event posters in house. Newsprint felt right for the attitude and aesthetic of our venue — it has an immediacy and isn’t too precious.”
Printed on our traditional tabloid newspapers on 45gsm salmon newsprint.
Make your own newspaper with Newspaper Club. Print runs start at 1 copy!
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