Published today in The Guardian and Daily Mail our latest design campaign for Liberty is Valentine themed with a serious message – to raise awareness of the poposed Justice and Security Green Paper which would allow secrets to be hidden from the courts, press and public, fundamentally damaging our right to fair trial.

Check out the For Their Eyes Only campaign on Liberty's website. 
 

It may seem like a long way off on these chilly January days, but fashion designers are already showing off their spring and summer collections. So Calverts were really pleased to assist the lovely folk at Muji with their Spring/Summer 2012 Look Book.

Digitally printed on our Konica Minolta BizHub 8000 digital press on a beautiful off white uncoated stock called Olin Natural White by Antalis McNaughton, the 32 page booklet is bound with white wire stitches to compliment the natural look. The colours and shades of the clothes were quite critical, so we were happy to hear that Muji are over the moon with the results.

If you would like to do a look book or a beautiful piece of print, whether digital or litho, please get in touch.

Calverts has worked with the Tab Centre for a number of years. The Tab Centre runs a portfolio of projects aimed at helping disadvantaged and isolated people help themselves reintegrate and succeed in mainstream society.

One of these projects is Suited & Booted, a service that offers clothing and job interview advice for vulnerable and disadvantaged men in London, including the long-term unemployed, former military personnel, ex-offenders and men with HIV/AIDS – people who may be struggling and in need of support, both financial and practical.

Currently the project needs clothing – suits, jackets, trousers and ties, as well as accessories such as shoes and cufflinks. Toiletries too would be very useful.

These donations will help enormously, giving clients better prospects of success at job interviews, while contributing to their general self-confidence and self-esteem.

To donate a suit, run a "suit drive" at work, or find out more please contact Maria Lenn: maria@tabcentre.com or
call 07423 458067.

Late last year we worked with oral historian Ruth Meyerowitz on a project marking 25 years of Mind in Bexley.

Ruth worked with people who attended Mind’s groups and services, to record their life stories, with a focus on their experiences of mental health and wellbeing.

In November 2011, the work was exhibited at the National Trust’s Hall Place . 

Entitled People in Mind, the exhibition attracted almost 150 visitors in two weeks. Extracts from the life story interviews were grouped around the themes that had emerged during the project. These were exhibited with the portrait photographs of participants, taken by photographer and filmmaker Daniel Quinones.

Calverts worked on layout, production and display of the exhibition. 

Read more about the project and hear extracts from the interviews on MIND’s blog.

Beatrice Warde was a typographer and propagandist for fine printing. Her manifesto, This is a Printing Office, was produced as a broadsheet in 1932 following years of work under the persona “Paul Beaujon,” whom she described as “a man of long, grey beard, four grandchildren, a great interest in antique furniture and a rather vague address in Montparesse.”  

When the executives at the Lanston Monotype Corporation in London offered Mr. Beaujon the post of part-time editor by mail in 1927, they were flabbergasted when Beatrice arrived in their offices to accept the position.

She was promoted to publicity manager in 1929, which was virtually unheard of in publishing at that time, and held this post until she retired in 1960.

Do you have your own manifesto?

What does it look like?

What does it say?

Email it to: mymanifesto@calverts.coop

We'll post them all with links back to your website and produce a digital art print for the ten best (please make it no more than one page!)

Besides printing manifestos we also design beautiful things for paper and screen.

To see samples and discuss your project please get in touch.

Authors and publishers Marina Chang and Lukas Meusburger have reserved a small number of copies of The Food Junctions Cookbook to distribute at the discounted price of £9.50 / US$ 15.00 per copy (Amazon price £16.00) + £3.50 / US$ 9.00 post and packing. Please email us with your name, address and phone number to order one or more copies. Payment is by credit card over the phone.

Supported by University College London, The Food Junctions Cookbook project explores the complex relationships between food, human society and nature. Some 70 contributors share their ‘living recipes’ for things to cook, things to think about and above all things to do. It mixes practice, politics and pleasure and ties people together through a common interest in food.

The book takes the word recipe both literally and metaphorically, combining insights and inspirational stories from all round the world; how to taste wine, open up a catering co-op, deal with food waste, prevent childhood obesity, make delicious dishes from wild plants and grow food in the city.

The book was produced on our Heidelberg 5-colour B2 litho press using 120gsm Cocoon Offset for the inner pages, and 280gsm Revive 100 Uncoated for the cover (both premium 100% recycled white uncoated, FSC certified) with Bio vegetable oil based inks, under Calverts ISO14001 Environmental Management System.

Soft cover, 240mm x 170mm 200pp

ISBN 978-0-9570354-0-9

Just before the New Year, we printed Young Colossus, a visual narrative to accompany a mini album by Orlando Weeks. The accompanying CD of music tells the story of the characters in the book which was painstakingly illustrated by Robert Hunter.

We were intrigued to find out that Orlando is lead singer of The Maccabees, whose third album Given to the Wild was number one last week.

The book is designed and printed in three pantone colours, and printed on lovely Munken Pure stock on our Heildelberg 72F litho press, using Bio vegetable oil based inks, under Calverts ISO140001 environmental management system.

The booklet was finished with an eight page gatefolded cover, with die cut slits to hold the CD, and devilishly handsome black staples.

Freshly printed and delivered is the UK edition of Booyah!, a comic book about an irresponsible creature devoid of conscience.

Originally published in French by author and artist Loran the childlike graphics contain a lot of cartoon violence and it's recommended for teenagers or adults.

Printed in a neat B5 size by Calverts in CMYK throughout with vegetable oil based inks on Challenger Offset cover and (FSC) silk coated for the inner pages, Booyah is published by new comic book publishing house Sloth who are currently looking for authors and artists.

It's always nice to get good feedback and this is what Nicolas from Sloth had to say about his experience of working with Calverts:

"I just wanted to express how happy I am with your work! The final product looks incredible! That matt cover really give the whole item a nice feel. Please extend my thanks to all involved!"

Clothes are an important part of our daily life. We have the opportunity to affect millions of people’s lives and to protect our environment by how we shop and what we wear.
 

If you’d like to create your own sustainable wardrobe, but don’t know where to start, then a new guide by Amisha Ghadiali and Joana Casaca Lemos might help. The 12 Rules To Dress By project is about raising awareness of the ethical issues in the fashion industry. It highlights the part that individuals can make to bring about change. The 12 simple steps laid out in the poster below create an easy way to a ethical fashion future.
 

To read more about the project, and download the full guide visit the Rules To Dress By web page. And if you decide to sign up to the challenge tweet your commitment by using the hashtag #12rulestodressby