Newspapers – Not Dead

One of our favourite clients, Access to Music walked into the studio recently and announced, "I have no prospectus, I have no promotional materials and I have an Open Day in a couple of weeks – what can you do?"


After a considered sip of tea, and the offer from our client of a Disco biscuit, we suggested a newspaper. They are very much in vogue at the moment in certain design circles, and apart from their usual function as a carrier of news, the format had been rarely utlized commercially. We had already discovered Newspaper Club, a brilliant new printer who create cost effective newspapers and for short runs too. With our tea and the Disco biscuits finished, our decisive client gave us the green light to proceed.

Designed by NUCA graduate Billy Thorpe, who had just completed a successful Studio internship, Billy also recommended the illustration talents of another graduate Lauren Marina. It was one of those enjoyable projects which seemingly design themselves. But that's because of a great idea, and the momentum of a print deadline. And Newspaper Club only print every Tuesday at 2pm.



I love this project – Studio created a desirable object which would be irresistible to pick-up and take home if you are discovering a new university or college campus. But there was an added twist – during the project I attended the Future:Content design conference, organised by the good people of It's Nice That.



One of the inspirational speakers was Russell Davies, Head of Planning for Oglivy and Mather – who gave a brilliant talk on new methods of communication, the limitations of the screen and print finding a new purpose. I had a tingle when he told us he was the owner of Newspaper Club and how it was fun to re-purpose a format which the digital evangelists continually tell us is dying.


Find out more about Newspaper Club here.
And please view the Access to Music Open Days newspaper there.
With thanks to Billy, Lauren and Ian.

A Reason to be Cheerful

It's important to occasionally have a day out from the Studio.


And it's especially important if you're being culturally re-charged by seeing a new exhibition or hearing an info-rich lecture (Billy and Scott will be soon attending V&A talks by Angus Hyland and Neville Brody – lucky fellas). I recently visited Chelsea Space with photographer Andi Sapey to see the retrospective show of the work of designer Barney Bubbles.

Barney isn't instantly recognisable as Saville, Garrett or Farrow, maybe it was because he never put his name to his work. But his work was amazing, a real explosion of style which possessed charm and wit. And you find it in his work for Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Stiff Records (and many, many more). I especially liked his numerous full page adverts for Ian Dury in NME. And the full set of wallpaper covers for his LP, 'Do It Yourself'.

For designers of a certain age and pedigree, it's a reminder of previous working methods. Here at Chelsea Space, you see all of Barney's original artwork, alongside the still-stuck-bromide, cow gum, rotring pens and air brush – the original tools of the designer's craft. Sadly, Barney died in 1983, before the arrival of the Apple Mac and its revolution of change. It's a shame because he would have had a riot with a Mac.

'Process: The Working Practices of Barney Bubbles' is a brilliant show and will hopefully open next year at the Norwich University College of the Arts. Certainly, Andi and myself will do our best to spread the word. Afterwards, we enjoyed a couple of drinks with Chelsea Space manager and curator Donald Smith – a lovely guy, who told us all about Jerry Dammers and various ex-members of Big Audio Dynamite and other characters in Barney's working life who had recently attended the Private View.


Please see the rest of Andi's photos of the show here.
And, as a special treat, a couple of the rare videos Barney directed.