Victoria offers us a look at her forthcoming article, published in issue #8. Prairie Collective is a cute collaborative shop in San Francisco.
magazine update: Issue #8 is in the bindery stage and then all the fabulous letterpress samples must be inserted into each copy. Vintage matchbox labels will be hand applied to each subscriber copy, too!
At my dining room table, proofing the inkjet printouts of issue #8.
Glen gave me this lovely teapot by a Swedish designer for Christmas, as seen at Rare Device.
Since visiting Camilla, we’ve been coveting white floors. In the past few months we’ve transformed our home with white walls and floors and we love it!
Some snapshots from the first day of 2011 during a quiet moment at home alone. My visiting parents were at the mall and Glen and the baby were out and about. Even Percy was being still for a few minutes so that I could concentrate on proofing the magazine.
As we’re all easing back into our routines (or still working like a crazy woman, in my case), I’m back on the blog to share with you a glimpse at issue 8. Behold all 116 pages:
I’m doing the last proofread before it goes to the printer tomorrow. hooray! I’ll keep you posted about when it is mailed to subscribers, but it will likely be near the end of the month.
Thanks for renewing your subscriptions or starting new ones! It is very much appreciated and makes all this hard work worthwhile, knowing that so many like the magazine.
And there she is, a cover design-in-progress for issue 8, out in early February! Thanks to Sarah and Ryan at Lab Partners for the illustration. I love the simple concept and the play on the notion of a type slug (a strip of metal used to space lines of type).
(Lab Partners were previously featured in the magazine, as part of our dynamic duo column. Below is the illustration that they made for that article.) Quite the dapper pair!
In addition to the usual topics, the issue explores themes of small and miniature, as well as articles about letterpress. Each issue will have an actual letterpress sample inserted within its pages and subscriber copies will include an authentic vintage european matchbox label.
The abecedary spread is always a fun challenge. This time it goes to three pages since Charlotte Rivers provided so many great images!
The number 8, part of Bethany Heck’s favourite woodtype letters
Image by Snap + Tumble of part of their letterpress submission
Issue 8 will feature an interview with Studio on Fire
In addition to our usual topics, we have two themes that are explored in the forthcoming issue:
1) Letterpress! We love ink on paper and this issue includes an interview with Studio on Fire, a collection of wood type and the ABCs of letterpress printing. And to explore the tactile quality of letterpress printing, 50 amazing designers and printers are sharing samples of their work with UPPERCASE readers. Each copy of the magazine will have an actual letterpress sample, be it a greeting card, small art print or other treat dreamed up by one of the participants. (Above is a preview of Snap + Tumble’s submission… Tanya printed these little bags within which she includes a marvelous card showing the virtues of print. Each bag is numbered… her details are impeccable!) There will be a few lovely sampler sets containing all 50 letterpress samples which will be given away in a draw of our subscriber list.
2) Small things! A celebration of miniature and playful distortions of scale and proportion… Bonsai, buttons, dollhouses, things kawaii, children’s books, and matchbox labels. Each subscriber’s copy will include an authentic vintage matchbox label from my own personal collection! I’ve had an ebay score of labels waiting for the perfect opportunity… I’ll post more about that soon. You have to see it to believe it.
And more:
An interview with Ed Emberley
Behind the scenes with Faythe Levine
Yarn design with Blue Sky Alpacas
From my perspective as a designer and publisher, I am always striving to grow and learn… and exceed my own expectations. The forthcoming issue marks a leap forward for the magazine, not only in content, but also in size (116 pages) and print run. Issue #8 is going to be great!
(Issue #8 will be distributed and mailed in early February.)
Inspired by vintage matchbox labels, I’d love to see your design, typography and illustrations that pay homage to these small treasures of graphic design. Traditionally, the box label messages were public service announcements, recommending citizens “Eat Vegetables” or “Be Careful with Matches” or “Save For Happiness” or “Alcohol Will Sink Your Plans”. Or they celebrate more decorative topics like animals, national sports or fables. What is your modern take in subject matter for a modern matchbox label? Printed inexpensively, specimens from the 50s and 60s have lovely misregistration, overprinting and dot patterns. Feel free to emulate these effects in your design. The best ones will be published in the winter edition of UPPERCASE magazine (Issue #8, out in Jan/Feb 2011).
Submissions should 3″ x 2″ either horizontal or vertical and 300dpi. Please label the file with your last name and include your name, address and contact details when uploading it here. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30.
ABOVE: an excellent submission by John Yates.
UPDATE: thanks for the tremendous response! The call is now closed.
Issue 8 is a work-in-progress, but content is starting to flow in. I had one of those ideas… the kind that you just have to put out there and see if it works:
The forthcoming issue of UPPERCASE, a magazine for the creative and curious, celebrates letterpress with features written by Charlotte Rivers (The Little Book of Letterpress) and Bethany Heck as well as a studio tour and interview with Studio on Fire. We would love to have our readers experience the tactile qualities of letterpress while getting to know the talented spectrum of letterpress printers out there. We are looking for participating printers to donate samples of their work which will then be inserted into the magazine. All printers who donate work will be listed with their contact details. This issue will be distributed in January/February.
We are looking for 30 printers to each donate 100 items for insertion. Possible items could be greeting cards or small art prints, below 8″x10″ in size. (They don’t all have to be the same, either, since just one sample will be randomly inserted per magazine. Ideally, the item would have your company name on it, though.) Items should be sent to UPPERCASE before December 15. If you’d like to be involved, please confirm your participation as soon as possible to janine at uppercasemagazine dot com. thanks!
The recent calls for submissions (Feeling Bookish, Foxes) have been really well-received, so I hope you like the next one… Inspired by vintage matchbox labels, I’d love to see your design, typography and illustrations that pay homage to these small treasures of graphic design. Traditionally, the box label messages were public service announcements, recommending citizens “Eat Vegetables” or “Be Careful with Matches” or “Save For Happiness” or “Alcohol Will Sink Your Plans”. Or they celebrate more decorative topics like animals, national sports or fables. What is your modern take in subject matter for a modern matchbox label? Printed inexpensively, specimens from the 50s and 60s have lovely misregistration, overprinting and dot patterns. Feel free to emulate these effects in your design. The best ones will be published in the winter edition of UPPERCASE magazine (Issue #8, out in Jan/Feb 2011).
Submissions should 3″ x 2″ either horizontal or vertical and 300dpi. Please label the file with your last name and include your name, address and contact details when uploading it here. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30.
I didn’t have time to scan my collection (yet – see it in the magazine, issue 8), but Maraid‘s photostream is full of thousands samples of inspiration.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
