KENDAL MANILLA HIT THE RIGHT BEAT
The Off-Beat exhibition, which featured at The John Rylands Library in Manchester, showcased a range of examples of early self-publishing, from the ‘International Underground’ of 1960s artists, poets, philosophers, actors and musicians.
These 'Little Magazines’, as they were known, were often printed in small low cost runs using a stencil-based forerunner of the modern photocopier known as a mimeograph.
The exhibition was commemorated by design studio Design LSC, with a series of printed materials celebrating the Off-Beat’s raw and retro appeal.
The papers used to create the reproduction prints, postcards and bookmarks were selected from James Cropper’s ‘Kendal Manilla’ collection in a range of weights and ‘heritage’ colours.
Kendal Manilla
“We often look to use papers in a way that challenges the norm. We chose Kendal Manilla because we felt it evokes a sense of that period, the colour working perfectly to complement the art and literature of the 1960s and 70s when academics and artists would take to the streets of London and challenge the order of the day. We wanted to push this idea further by using a ‘lost' printing technique from that era –thermography – which resulted in a textured, high gloss finish.”Luigi Carnovale, Creative Director at Design LSC
Jamie Bartle, stationery and publishing sector manager at James Cropper, added:
“Often considered the benchmark for stationery and filing, Kendal Manilla is typically used for files and indices, presentation folders and garment tags, so it’s great to see the paper being used in such an artistic fashion.
The commemorative Off-Beat pack perfectly demonstrates how, when used in the right way, the paper can elevate the everyday into the inspirational.”
Luigi Carnovale, Creative Director at Design LSC, said:
“The print technique is rarely seen these days, but the highly calendared finish of Kendal Manilla makes it a perfect partner for thermographic printing.
It’s a classic paper, but it still has a very modern appeal. The same effect could not have been achieved if, for example, we had used a more natural surfaced stock.”
Kendal Manila
A range of high quality boards firmly established as a benchmark for outstanding performance within the filing and stationery markets. This strong and durable board provides consistently excellent printing and converting results. It is used in the manufacture of document wallets, flat folders, expanding files, suspension files, indices, pad covers and tags.
