'Yeah! Let’s Do That' Getting into the Spirit of Play for Book Design
What better way to encapsulate “Yeah! Let’s Do That” than to follow the children’s lead? We really got into the spirit of play, incorporating cardboard, string, fabric, paint, card, bubble wrap and the great outdoors... we even baked a letter ‘T’ out of pastry!
The Whippet Up team use art and creativity as a way of working with people to improve wellbeing. They were looking to publish a book, "Yeah! Let's Do That", to capture some of the fun and joyful mess that they created with a group of under 5s and their parents over the past two years. They needed a cover design that would capture the spirit of the book perfectly, encouraging parents to play, make and invent with their kids. They also needed help with the layout, as well as creating a total cohesive feel and typographic style for the interior.
What better way to encapsulate “Yeah! Let’s Do That” than to follow the children’s lead when designing the front cover design? We really got into the spirit of play, incorporating cardboard, string, fabric, paint, card, bubble wrap and the great outdoors... we even baked a letter ‘T’ out of pastry! Each of the letters was inspired by activities throughout the book. The result is a bold title graphic that couldn’t be more apt for this project, nor less corporate! Finally, the scratch-built rocket, which appeared in one of the photos from Whippet Up, seemed too perfect not to incorporate.
“Yeah! let’s do that” was shouted back at the Whippet Up team whenever they took up ideas from the children. "We were artists on a creative journey," said Jane, "looking at how the imagination and creativity of under 5s could shape the way we work."
The book is packed with activity ideas for kids and adults to enjoy together, and we needed to create order out of that joyful chaos with a consistent style. Jane Cuthbert's illustrations are beautifully complemented by the custom lettering, and one of the fonts was even designed by a five-year-old and converted into a font, which we used in the book!
The book was published through Tees Valley Arts with the support of The Ragdoll Foundation, (who produced the Teletubbies!). The photos are all used happily with the permission of parents.
Whippet Up recommend us for 'Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness and Value' and had this to say about working with us:
“We would like to thank you for all your hard work in pulling the book together. It has been an absolute delight to work with you, your attitude, skills and creativity have shone through throughout the project. The book looks absolutely fantastic! I hope we get the chance to work together again soon and if anyone asks us for any recommendations for design and illustration work we will certainly point them in your direction.””
How Environmentally Friendly are our Products?
We are passionate about delivering the highest quality fine art prints and we are committed to quality. However, it's just as important to us that our print shop is as eco-friendly, and resource-saving, as possible. We take all the steps we possibly can to make this a reality.
We are passionate about delivering the highest quality fine art prints and we are committed to quality. However, it's just as important to us that our print shop is as eco-friendly, and resource-saving, as possible. We take all the steps we possibly can to make this a reality.
The Archival Paper that is used for our prints is made of the highest quality raw materials. The paper is ethically sourced from renewable forests and FSC certified, FSC certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. The individual paper can be traced back to the original forest. The paper we use is tested for UV resistance, so your artwork will continue to look amazing over time.
Our postcards and envelopes that the postcards come in are all FSC certified too, our stickers we use on our envelopes are unfortunately not from renewable resources, so have to be put into general waste.
The plastic sleeves that our prints are shipped out in are compostable. Compostable plastics are the next generation of plastics- they come from renewable materials and break down through composting. Compostable plastics are non-toxic and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass.
The envelopes we package our prints in are paper-based, with no plastic and are easily recyclable. We also use a water-based 'Fragile' stamp on our envelopes. Water-based ink is much more gentle on the environment than plastisol ink. It simply doesn't contain any of the toxic chemicals of its plastisol counterparts.
We tape our prints to the centre of the envelope to prevent any corners from being bashed. We use washi tape for this, which is an eco-friendly alternative to plastic adhesive tape. Washi tape is an adhesive tape made from traditional Japanese paper. It is biodegradable and can be made from different kinds of tree or plant fibre. The adhesive side is made from natural rubber adhesive.
A Dog's Breakfast Book Cover
Michael McGeary, The Memoir Man, came to us with a request to design the cover of a book he was producing on behalf of a client who had enjoyed a very successful business career: Mike Dawson, OBE.
Michael McGeary, The Memoir Man, came to us with a request to design the cover of a book he was producing on behalf of a client who had enjoyed a very successful business career: Mike Dawson, OBE.
Abby was delighted to get chatting to Mike right away about producing the cover design for his autobiography "A Dog's Breakfast". Having led a successful and much-varied life, underpinned by adventure, hard work, and a love of black labradors, he had come up with a strikingly original idea for the cover of his autobiography...all he needed was for us to bring the idea to life for him.
The cover would feature a black labrador eating breakfast, his bowl of biscuits spilling all over the floor, with the biscuits depicting various items from Mike's life.
Mike was brilliant to work with, and we both understood how important it was to get the cover right on what was to become a gift to span the generations. We wanted the cover to look playful, busy and exuberant. Abby was always smiling and chuckling whenever they chatted about the project's progress...Mike is a true character, with a warm and self-deprecating humour, and we wanted to get some of that charm into the cover design.
“Abby+Owen created exactly what was required and played a major role in me being able to provide a stunning final product. I hope to work with them again and have no hesitation in recommending their services.”
“Abby is a very talented graphic designer, she brings a fresh, clean and cheerful approach to designs of any nature. Importantly she can work within a tight brief or left to bring her own ‘take’ on a project, either way, she uses her own remarkable imagination. During my long business career, Abby is up there with the best. I am pleased to recommend her.”
We are delighted to have played our part in making this beautifully presented, professionally written book a reality. A big thank you to Sarah from Kinship, a husband and Wife Studio who created the perfect layout for the book, and recommended us for the cover design!
Do you have a book that needs a cover design, too?
Georgian Theatre Fundraiser T-shirts! 20% of the profits of our Georgian Theatre Products go back to Tees Music Alliance Charity
This T-shirt was part of a limited run during the first lockdown. Abby created it for the Tees Music Alliance as part of their fundraiser for the Georgian Theatre, one of our favourite music venues. From the start of our revamped online shop in May 2020, we now donate 20% of the profits from all the Georgian Theatre products on our webshop, including our giclee prints and postcards.
This T-shirt was part of a limited run during the first lockdown. Abby created it for the Tees Music Alliance as part of their fundraiser for the Georgian Theatre, one of our favourite music venues. Abby boldly re-imagined her illustration of the theatre as a line drawing, to create an amazing new t-shirt design depicting the iconic venue in all its glory. All proceeds went towards securing the future of the venue.
We hope to continue a supportive relationship with Tees Music Alliance, a charitable organisation operating for the benefit of musicians, their audiences, supporting industries and community groups.
From the start of our revamped online shop in May 2020, we now donate 20% of the profits from all the Georgian Theatre products on our webshop, including our giclee prints and postcards, to the Tees Music Alliance. As live music lovers, it's a small way of giving back!
Postcards and Postcrossers
As our wonderful stockists are sadly unable to sell our postcards at this time, we have made our postcards available on our website in batches of 4, 6, 8 and 12!
In our ever-digital age, let's consider the humble postcard for a moment- isn't there something selfless about them? Your grandmother had to live without the 'seen' notification we have grown so accustomed to, for better or for worse! What matters is letting someone know that you're thinking of them, and postcard is a perfect way to do just that. Besides, when was the last time you framed a Facebook message?
As our wonderful retailers Drake The Bookshop and Hartlepool Art Gallery are sadly unable to sell our postcards at this time, we have made our postcards available on our website in batches of 4, 6, 8 and 12! They are a great way of letting loved ones know you're thinking of them, and they're also ideal if you're looking for an affordable series of illustrations for your home, but you're running kind of short on wall space!
Postcards being delivered to Hartlepool Art Gallery
Postcards tell a story, and to illustrate this, we'd like to share one with you.
We were recently contacted by Markey, a resident of Seaton Carew. Enjoying a walk one morning, Markey spied a flash of coloured card skittering along the roadside, propelled by the wind. Curiosity got the better of him and, with a well-placed step, he was able to catch the curious item. It turned out to be an errant postcard; one of our Seaton Carew postcards to be precise- a little battered but no doubt quite relieved to have Markey come to its rescue.
But the plot thickens; Markey's hobby is Postcrossing, the act of sending a postcard off and receiving another back from a random person somewhere in the world. When he got in touch, we were happy to help him out with 20 more postcards- little pieces of Hartlepool to send out to Poland, Finland, Taiwan, the USA and Russia.
Whatever your plan for them might be, start your own postcard story today and check out our range.
Stockton & Darlington Railway Activity Pack
Stockton Council asked us to create a children’s activity pack for them to distribute to local schools, to educate and create engagement around the Anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
On the 27th September 1825, 195 years ago, history was made; the dawn of the railway passenger age. Stockton Borough Council, Darlington Borough Council and a wide range of partner groups and organisations are combining forces to embark on a spectacular celebration for the Stockton Darlington Railway bicentenary in 2025.
Stockton Borough Council asked us to create a children’s activity pack for them to distribute to local schools, to educate and create engagement around the Anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, as well as supporting them in the production of an animated teaser video!
Bespoke activity packs are a brilliant, cost-effective way of creating engagement, and supporting whatever message or story you have to tell. We’ve developed several activity packs now alongside Stockton Borough Council council, to celebrate local events and history. All our activity packs are beautifully bespoke and help educate and entertain younger audiences. We happily covered the design and creation of the pack, as well as advising on some of the content and activities, but none of this would be possible without Stockton Borough Council’s passion for delivering outstanding and engaging content which champions local events and history.
The front cover design, featuring our illustration of the beloved Stockton Flyer sculpture.
We were delighted to be a part of such a creative brief, and it was great to see how passionate creatives from different backgrounds were brought together to create something special. As well as working with us to develop and design the activity pack, the council worked with writer and theatre-maker Ruth Mary Johnson on a beautiful intro for the pack...they even commissioned a unique, original soundtrack to be created by a group of exceptional emerging young musicians, via the Apollo Arts Young Music Leaders programme.
Activities in the pack ranged from a poetry competition to an engaging wordsearch, elegant paper-craft activity, and a stunning colouring-in sheet designed by our dear friend and local children's book illustrator Anjalee Burrows! We also included a ‘design a dream carriage’ competition, which we’ll be judging ourselves.
The intro page we designed, featuring a beautiful introduction by Ruth Mary Johnson.
Facts page, featuring our illustration of the clock at Darlington Railway Station.
Poetry competition, to be judged by Richard Drake of Drake The Bookshop!
The colouring-in sheet was designed in collaboration with local Illustrator, Anjalee Burrows.
A Wordsearch featuring Detective Locomo!
An activity encouraging participants to respond with a first memory of seeing or being on a train.
A paper craft activity featuring the wonderful Stockton Town Flyer on its plinth!
We had great fun delivering this project!
Perhaps an activity pack could be a great way to enhance your event, mark a celebration or engage your audience? We can work with you to develop a story or theme that fits perfectly, and seamlessly incorporate your brand and messaging.