Print Roundup: April 2020

April is normally our busiest time of the year, with an influx of orders from art and design students around the world. But this year, of course, was different.

With university courses moving online and degree shows postponed, the newspapers below reflect the current reality we're all facing — from a student who documented her family in isolation to an artist offering "studio visits by post".

Thank you to the creators here and all our other customers spreading the word and keeping our presses going during this time. It's inspiring to see the creativity that is still happening!

THE COVEN

The Coven is an online support network for female founders and freelancers (with over 2,500 people on the waitlist to join!) Their new magazine, printed as a digital mini, celebrates businesses run by women.

"I loved working with so many talented writers and seeing their ideas turn into fully formed articles. Then designing it and seeing the project come to life in print was really exciting. Despite the global pandemic, the  magazine has been received really well. It's been so, so lovely to have people support the magazine even in such crappy circumstances!" —Sapphire Bates, founder of The Coven

RESPONDING TO THE UNKNOWN

Graphic design student Ella Staines' university project, printed as a digital tabloid, looks at how her family has adapted to life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Before lockdown, I took a series of photographs and conducted accompanying interviews while social distancing. I wanted to create a piece that explores how different generations are responding to the current uncertainty. The newspaper format is a reference to the heavy impact of the news at this time. " —Ella Staines, design student

SHAPING THE FUTURE AT THE NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERY

The New Craftsman gallery in St. Ives launched its current show, Shaping the Future, online this month. This traditional mini catalogue features work from four emerging artists:  Will Calver, Alice Walton, Chloe Rosetta Bell and HoJung Kim. 

"Newsprint has an earthy, work-in-progress feel that mirrors the essence of the creatives in the show. As the catalogue is for two separate shows, we've designed it so you have to turn the newspaper around halfway through to read the second part. This allowed us to give each show a front cover and a clear identity.  

At this time a tangible catalogue for the show is very important to give a sense of the exhibition, while people are unable to see it in the flesh. The artists are really happy with it!" —Martha Holmes, designer

STUDIO VISIT BY POST

Los Angeles-based Gretchen Andrew describes herself as a "Search Engine Artist and Internet Imperialist". Her work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Dazed, Hyperallergic, The Financial Times and others. She used our digital tabloids to offer a peek inside her studio during social distancing. 

"One of my favorite things about being an artist is sharing my works in process through studio visits. My work has always existed online and IRL, and I wanted to find a way to spread some California sunshine to my community all over the world.

With this newspaper, I hope to transport people into my studio — to have a cup of coffee with me and to look forward to when we can all be together again.  As a result I have a lot of new pen pals, and it's turning into something of a mail art project!" —Gretchen Andrew, artist 

MEZCAL BROTHERS

Based in Paris, Mezcal Brothers is a craft spirits company that specialises in small batch mezcal from Oaxaca, Mexico. This catalogue, printed our on traditional tabloids, showcases the drinks they import and people who make them.

"We've done a lot of work to educate French drinkers about mezcal, and a newspaper was the perfect way to share this information. We worked with photographer Baptiste Marteau and were inspired by the designs we saw from other Newspaper Club clients. Due to the current situation, we're still waiting to send it to our customers but hope to do so soon!" —David Migueres, founder of Mezcal Brothers

DESIGN CALENDAR

To help creatives stay connected and motivated during lockdown, Design Calendar has been curating the best online design events. Their latest print edition, published as a digital mini, focuses on how to bring people together.

"We need the power of community now more than ever. For this issue, we spoke to community leaders to figure out what makes communities thrive, both online and offline. Our goal is to help our readers find or create their own communities." —Anton Wade, founder of Design Calendar

OÙ EST MIYAMOTO? (WHERE'S MIYAMOTO?)

Belgian design student Anaïs L'Heureux created this illustrated digital tabloid about video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto in response to a prompt for her course.

"My newspaper is a quest to discover the identity of Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. I tried to translate the playfulness of Miyamoto's games into my newspaper. I loved drawing the different pages and trying to get something cohesive. Working in two colours was also fun!  My classmates loved it— some even wanted to buy it, which warmed my heart." —Anaïs L'Heureux, design student

THE FERTILE GROUND PROJECT

The Fertile Ground Project is a public art initiative creating a dialogue around food access in Mississippi. This booklet, printed as digital mini, explores the issue and introduces the artists and farmers involved.

"Fertile Ground’s brand identity should feel like the rich soil of the Deep South. Newsprint has a tangible, raw feel that made sense for this project. I was also very impressed by Newspaper Club’s environmental standards, which are important to me as a designer but also relevant to this project." —Tyler Tadlock, designer

GRAVY

"Congealing words, fatty with content and suspense." That's how Brighton-based illustrator Robin Chevalier describes Gravy, a collection of his writing and illustrations, printed on our digital mini newspapers. Issue 1 is called The Shed.

"I wanted to write and illustrate my own publication to sell and use for promotion — Gravy is the result. I'm hoping it will be a regular production, each with a different theme, and possibly some collaborations in the future. There's an idea that each subject featured would be missed if it wasn't there, like gravy with a roast." —Robin Chevalier, illustrator

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