CREATING WALLPAPER* BLUE
Wallpaper* blue is the brand colour for Wallpaper* Magazine, developed with creative direction from Sarah Douglas, during a fruitful collaboration with James Cropper.
With a reputation for offering great inspiration for designers, it was a welcome challenge for James Cropper to work with Sarah Douglas from Wallpaper* to bring to life the colour that would best represent the Wallpaper* brand. Her discerning eye and exacting specifications resulted in a new shade of paper, Wallpaper* Blue.
The hue - an unusual dark petrol blue - first made it's appearance when the specialist fashion, art and design publication specified a palette of 12 colours as part of the publication's redesign. Within this range of colours was an existing ‘petrol’ blue, which became the subject of further investigation by Douglas and Mark Starrs, resident technical expert in colour, at James Cropper's laboratory.
It’s been a really fruitful collaboration and I’ve loved meeting people who are so passionate about what they do. The new colour may look at first glance like a dark, almost navy blue, but it also contains a surprising amount of yellow, which gives it added richness and warmth.SARAH DOUGLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, WALLPAPER* MAGAZINE
Mark and his team of colour specialists, work with a range of techniques and testing methods to recreate not only a colour that can be reproduced within the mill production processes, but check that the colour definition is consistent under a range of different lighting conditions that you might expect to view the final product.
Working closely with the team, Sarah explored the possibilities of the existing blue, and ended up taking it in a subtly new direction. With yellow adding richness and warmth, the colour feels modern, yet has a certain austerity. It’s also a strong colour, that really reflects the strength of the Wallpaper* brand.
With it's contemporary, clean and timeless aesthetic, Wallpaper* Blue has already appeared as part of the publication’s stylish, sustainably made, paper stationery range. The stationery celebrates a subtle, understated design, with beautiful typography.
Brands like Wallpaper* have impeccable design values at their heart and James Cropper has the capability and versatility to really shine during collaborations of this nature.
Head over to the Wallpaper* website to watch a short film about the collaboration.
Sarah challenged us and knew exactly what she wanted, but translating that vision in laboratory conditions takes a different set of skills and expertise. I’m very proud that we achieved something that Sarah and all at Wallpaper* are so pleased with.MARK CROPPER, CHAIRMAN, JAMES CROPPER PLC
