James Cropper bang on trend at Paperworld

James Cropper demonstrated its style credentials at the Paperworld exhibition in Frankfurt, with a selection of its papers being showcased as part of the Trend Show.

Paperworld presents the world’s largest range of stationery and office supplies, while acting as stimulus for the retail trade. The event combines the two major areas of product demand: commercial office products, which it calls ‘the visionary office’, and private requirements for paper and stationery.

As part of the show, Paperworld outlined development in its Trend Forum. For ‘the visionary office’, designers have identified a trend in modern workplaces they call ‘Work + Challenge’, while the stationery trends are labelled ‘Minimal + Excellent’ and ‘Spirit + Ambition’ – each with assigned colour schemes.

‘Work + Challenge’, which interprets the workplace as a comfortable and relaxed environment, will see the Buff and Red shades of James Cropper’s flagship stationery collection, Kendal Manilla, on display. They will join a selection of colours from the company’s Vanguard collection – a range of smooth papers and boards synonymous with colour, available in a kaleidoscopic choice of pastel and intense shades. Those picked out for the Trend Show include Bordeaux, Cherry, Celestial Blue and Dark Grey.

James Cropper recently expressed this trend in its work for the Off-Beat exhibition in Manchester, a reproduction of early self-publishing by underground artists, poets, philosophers, actors and musicians in the 1960s. The pack was produced using the muted ‘heritage’ colours from the Kendal Manilla collection combined with thermographic print, resulting in an inspired textured, high gloss print finish.

For ‘Spirit + Ambition’ – a lively, sporty trend which brings dynamic aspects into the modern home office – James Cropper’s Vanguard range is called upon, with White, Black, Blueberry, Red and Daffodil exuding the ‘digital meets analogue’ impression of this aesthetic.

Work by James Cropper that ties into the ‘Spirit + Ambition’ trend includes the re-launch of Sinclairs’ iconic red-covered Silvine Originals notebooks – a staple in the world of notebooks for nearly 100 years. James Cropper worked with Sinclairs to provide a perfect colour match to the 1960s covers, which is complemented by the brand’s midnight blue wreath logo. The yellow of Selfridges’ famous shopping bags – for which James Cropper provides the paper – also aligns with this trend, as does the company’s colour expertise from Black to White, which is demonstrated across a range of projects for packaging and print using these design staples.

Alison Rigg, Colour Expert at James Cropper, said: “Paperworld’s trends are truly inspiring and we’re thrilled to be part of the Trend Show. We’ve been producing speciality paper since 1845 and have built up a vast collection of beautiful papers and boards to suit a huge variety of purposes and styles. We also have the capability to produce exact colour matches, allowing the world-renowned brands and designers we work with to stay ahead of the curve and ensure their products continue to complement the current trends.”

The Trend Forum took place in the Foyer of Halls 5.1 and 6.1 at Paperworld in Messe Frankfurt.