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 creative ways our customers use newspapers.
This time, we've got a jam-packed compilation featuring an architectural newspaper being published in bookstores across the US, a jazz festival programme that doubles as a poster and an AI-generated photobook - plus more!
Keep scrolling for 9 creative projects hot off the press in April.
Power print
Since 2015, Bol Foods has crafted 100% plant-based, delicious food aimed at enhancing well-being and providing true nourishment. Celebrating their recognition as the 'fastest growing fresh soup brand in The Grocer Top Product Awards 2023' for their Power Soups range, Bol printed a digital tabloid as a gift to retailers, buyers and brand enthusiasts.
The Bol Times featured user-generated content from happy customers, insights into their shopper statistics and a playful crossword. The brand also took a tongue-in-cheek approach by naming Taylor Swift as a 'Power Soups enthusiast' and introducing their latest venture, 'Eau du Power' - a perfume inspired by their Power Soups!
The newspaper format served as a "fun and unusual design project to engage and educate people on our brand and products", says Content Marketing Manager at Bol, Lydia Granger.
Cosmic creation
Journey Into Cosmic Adventure is a one-shot comic book based on a short story written about death and the afterlife. Designed by Keith Bowman of graphic design agency WRKLFE MFG. CO, the style of the writing and artwork is a homage to classic sci-fi and supernatural comic books of the 1950s-1970s.
The size and uncoated paper stock of our digital mini gave the comic book the vintage feel that Keith wanted to achieve. "The feedback I have received so far has been excellent. People are impressed with the look and feel of the finished comic book" says Keith.
"This is the second project I have used Newspaper Club and I continue to be amazed by the quality of the product, the insanely fast turnaround, and the amazing customer service."
Podcast print
Swindled is a true-crime podcast utilising narrative storytelling and immersive soundscapes to tell "true stories of white-collar criminals, con artists and corporate evil".
Since 2021, Swindled have printed ValuedReader™ on our traditional tabloids; an annual newsletter to promote the podcast's upcoming seasons. Designed by the in-house team with the help of a few friends and artists, the newspaper is distributed for free to ValuedListeners™ and features engaging puzzles, graphics and a keep-sake poster.
The team admit being "suckers for traditional and analog media", and choose print as many of their listeners "appreciate a physical souvenir in a digital world".
"The feedback has been incredibly positive. Our listeners agree that a custom newspaper is a fun, unique way of communicating."
Jazzed-up journal
For their 2024 event, Bristol Jazz Festival wanted to create a functional and memorable print programme that gave festival-goers more than just a typical booklet.
The festival has recently undergone extensive re-branding by designer and producer Chris Befeld, as well as the establishment of the "Visual Artist Feature" programme and the involvement of local Bristol Illustrator and Animator Con McHugh. As a "long-time fan of Newspaper Club", Chris opted for our digital broadsheets to bring the new elements of the festival to life.
The resulting programme features an illustrated weekend programme on one side and a full-sized poster on the other. The combination of the new branding alongside "flowing, characterful illustrations" created "a really special visual result", notes Chris.
The unique format of the programme "struck a chord with many of the associated sponsors, venue and partners", he says, with several additional sponsor requests coming in since the festival!
"Witnessing the moment thousands of festival-goers opened the programme fully and saw the poster on the inside was so heart-warming. We had many of festival goers come to us saying they had never seen anything like it!"
Brew bible
Metric Coffee is an independently owned and operated Chicago-based coffee roaster and retailer located in the historic industrial corridor of West Fulton Market, and a certified B Corp company.
Designed in collaboration with Chris Dazzo and Luka Lumovic, they created The Home Brewing Guide in response to their most frequently asked questions about coffee brewing, providing a unique insight into how to get the most out of their Metric Coffee beans at home. In addition to covering filter and espresso recipes, there is also a home brewing colour chart with a QR code to find out more.
Included with each coffee subscription purchased, the brand chose to go with a size that was "easy to ship and weighs practically nothing so it doesn't add to shipping costs". Our traditional minis were the perfect solution!
"We love zines and collect them from other companies, so our hope is that our customers will enjoy the content and design of ours! We have received nothing but positive feedback."
Wedding wow's
Congratulations to Chie and Wesley! The couple recently married in an intimate ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, surrounded by close family members. A month later, they held a larger celebration with loved ones who had been by their sides throughout their 12-year relationship.
They designed a 'non-wedding newspaper' to take their party guests on a nostalgic journey, filled with photos and heartwarming stories of their friendships. Our digital tabloid format was chosen because "it's compact enough to carry around, while still providing plenty of space to include images and engaging design elements", says Chie.
"Our guests absolutely loved the newspaper! They enjoyed flipping through all the pages and having a physical keepsake to remind them of our friendship and celebrations."
The newlyweds loved the process of designing the newspaper, with the "wide range of page options and inspirational designs given by Newspaper Club" helping to provide "complete freedom" during the project.
See Chie talk about the newspaper on Instagram.
Architectural adventure
After completing a publishing course at Pratt Institute, graphic designer Adrian Volz found his passion for designing books and dreamt of creating a newspaper. His dream came true with the creation of Archiprint: The Architectural Issue, an "adventurous homage to architecture".
This digital tabloid documents "impactful examples of historic modern architecture" and combines Adrian's love for graphic design and architecture across a 20-page publication. Featuring contributions from prominent Colorado architects, the newspaper also highlights international architectural movements, typography, film and more.
The newspaper has been a "career highlight" for Adrian, with five bookstores across the United States, from Washington to New York City, now stocking the newspaper!
"I couldn't ask for a better printer to work with than Newspaper Club. The customer service team is fantastic and the newspapers were printed to perfection and delivered in record time."
Printed copies are available for purchase online through William Stout Architectural Books and Printed Matter Inc. You can also purchase a digital copy on Adrian's website.
Foodie flow
Ever struggled with what to feed fussy children? Introducing "WTF Do I Feed You?!". Created by Katie Needs and Edward Coombe, this digital mini is the brainchild of two friends-turned-parents determined to tackle the eternal challenge of feeding their children.
Designed by Katie's husband Floris Dekker, the zine serves as a practical guide for parents who love to cook but find it challenging due to picky eating habits. The newspaper is a curated collection of their tried-and-tested recipes and meal ideas, all carefully designed to please even the pickiest eaters.
While recipes are regularly shared on their Substack and Instagram platforms, Katie and Edward wanted to create something physical for parents to keep in their kitchens. They've received fantastic feedback so far, with Katie noting "Everyone is loving the photos, recipes and essays!".
"We appreciated how quickly the newspaper was printed and delivered to us, so we could share it with our friends, families and readers!"
Runway is an applied AI research company shaping the next era of art, entertainment and human creativity. As an experiment to show off the capabilities of generative imagery, they printed Floral Phantasmagoria on our digital minis.
Make your own newspaper with Newspaper Club. Print runs start at 1 copy!
We love putting together our gift guide every year – it’s the perfect excuse to browse the brilliant things our customers make and sell!...
In this month’s roundup, we’re showcasing a fresh batch of newspapers that celebrate creativity and community. See how a zine connects...
In this month’s roundup, we’re spotlighting newspapers hot off the press – from city guides to creative portfolios – showcasing the...