Print Roundup: March 2021

Every month, we put together a roundup to show all the different ways our creative customers use newspapers. This time, we've got 7 projects to keep you inspired in March — from a lo-fi lookbook for a brand aiming to be "the antithesis of fast fashion" to a student's zine to make her teachers smile in lockdown.

Lo-fi lookbook

Named after a London street that was once home to David Hockney, Colville is fittingly guided by colour and imagination. Describing the brand's approach as “the antithesis of fast fashion," founders Molly Molloy — a former design director at Marni — and Lucinda Chambers — the former fashion director of British Vogue — are as focused on sustainability as they are on style. Their designs use repurposed materials and are made in collaboration with artisans around the world. "We wanted something lo-fi," Molly says about their latest lookbook, which was photographed by Henrik Blomqvist and printed on our digital tabloid.

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Kitchen aid

Public Media Institute, a community-based arts non-profit, provides over 2,000 free hot meals to Chicagoans in need every week. This map, available for free at their community kitchen and canteen programmes, provides vital information about mutual aid programmes and food pantries across the city. “We have been overwhelmed with requests for copies and to add additional locations to the map,” says designer Edward Marszewski, who emphasised the project’s advocacy of “food security for all." Printed on our traditional broadsheet.

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Creative community

Housed in a converted school built in 1938, BOK is a workspace for makers, non-profits and small businesses in Philadelphia. With over 130 tenants, they use their quarterly newspaper — this is their 13th issue! — to keep everyone in the loop and share stories from BOK’s creative community. “While it's still a 'marketing' piece, we want it to feel approachable,” they told us. “Readers love the newspaper!” Printed on our digital tabloid.

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Happy headlines

Inspired by Emily Coxhead’s project The Happy News, primary school student Scarlet created her SMILE newspaper “to put a smile on the faces of my friends and teachers" during lockdown in Oxfordshire. She worked with her mum Leonora, founder of parenting site MyBaba, to collect crafts, recipes and poetry to share in this digital tabloid.

“So many people have written to me and done things that were in the paper,” says Scarlet. “My head mistress has decided she wants to have more papers and I have been asked to be editor!”

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Scent-sational stories

For the first edition of their new print journal, fragrance brand Sigil asked 9 creators to reflect on the theme of intimacy. Founder Patrick Kelly says the newspaper is a “collaborative, experimental undertaking” and an extension of the brand’s mission to “create space for dialogue across all identities and perspectives.” The digital tabloid is also an opportunity to support causes the company believes in: 30% of profits from the newspaper will be distributed between the non-profits The Okra Project, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts and the Audre Lorde Project.

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Stand-out stamps

For Black History Month, Detroit-based arts publisher 1XRUN partnered with curator Greg Cummins on an exhibition of work from emerging Black artists. Inspired by the Public Enemy lyric, "Most of My Heroes Don't Appear on No Stamps" is a collection of fine art "stamp" editions celebrating the artists' icons . This digital broadsheet, designed by Mariesa DeSantis, folds out into a poster showing some of the artworks.

"There's nothing like holding a printed magazine in your hands," says 1XRUN co-founder Dan Armand. "We've gotten a lot of compliments on the content and format of the newspaper from our collectors and we're excited to make this an ongoing component to all of our big moments and releases!"

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Fresh picks

What’s better than a bunch of flowers? A bunch of flowers — and a surprise newspaper! Sunny Meadows Flower Farm in Columbus, Ohio recently added a traditional broadsheet poster to their flower boxes to show what’s in season and share farm updates.

“So much changed with COVID that we wanted folks to know about our business pivots and what was available without it being just about sales,” says co-founder Gretel Adams. “With a newspaper we could also share our story and thank customers for their business. The broadsheet format allowed us to have everything on one sheet, rather than having individual inserts in each box like we've done in the past.”

Gretel says customers have been excited to find something extra with their flower deliveries and have been sharing photos of the newspaper "which has helped drive sales.” As one happy customer wrote on social media: “Was delighted to receive this in my dahlia tuber order!”

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