We recently completed a portfolio for Chloe Fields, a local design student. She wanted something that complemented her work and gave her sophomore design portfolio a polished look. We think the simplicity of the portfolio design really lets her work shine. And shine it does! This gal is going places. Have a look:
Nice work, Chloe!
Shop Custom Portfolios • Architect Portfolios • Custom Portfolios in our Gallery
Clamshell boxes (sometimes known as Solander cases) are book-form cases traditionally used to store precious books, manuscripts, maps, and are often used by archivists and libraries. Our clamshell boxes provide a stunning display element for your albums and books, and also protect their contents from dirt, dust, and light. We make them in all of our cloth colors, and you can order them with or without a personalized letterpress printed plaque.
An example of a custom clamshell box built to display fine letterpress invitations:
What are slipcases? Shop Clamshell Boxes {Contact us to inquire about custom-sized clamshell boxes.}
Our slipcases are five-sided boxes into which you can "slip" your album or book. They add a valuable layer of protection against dirt and dust, and can coordinate nicely with your book's design. Our slipcases come in five sizes, all the same cloth colors as our albums and books, and can be ordered with or without a personalized plaque.
Well then, what are clamshell boxes? {Contact us to enquire about custom-sized slipcases.}
Yesterday we had the pleasure of teaching bookbinding to a wonderful group from Wieden+Kennedy (graciously hosted by Yahoo). We made a sewn text block that attached to the decorative cover via ribbons sewn onto the spine. Here are some of the steps we went through to make the books:
Class members prepare materials.
Paper is folded into signatures (six signatures of four sheets each.)
Holes are poked with an awl into each signature where the thread will be sewn through.
Class members sew signatures with waxed linen thread.
A lovely example of the finished text block:
A decorative cover is scored and sliced to create the slots for the ribbons to go through:
Ribbons are then pulled through the book spine, and tied into knots or bows to hold the book together.
The class, with Michelle and assistant Kortni show off their finished books!
Have ideas for bookbinding classes you'd like us to teach? Let us know on our Facebook page or send us a message on Twitter.
A visitor came into our studio today and we showed them our work. "Does this come smaller?" Yes, we said, we can make that smaller. "Does this come with more pages?" Yes, we can put in as many pages as you like. It occurred to me that they didn't realize that we make everything from scratch. As Molly often says, "There is nothing before there's something." So I thought I'd take a moment to share our raw materials and our process. (To see more of our process, and photos of us riding a bicycle built for one, visit our friend Lauren's blog.)
Book board comes in large sheets and is stored on the very bottom shelf (a.k.a. the floor.)
We source parent sheets of paper and then cut them to the page size requested (these start as 22" x 30")
Hinging tape and thread hold things together.
Boxes and book covers are fully constructed before they're covered (this is a slipcase with a recessed plaque area.)
Bookcloth (or paper or leather) can be used to cover the books and boxes.
Holes are drilled in covers, and cut pages are sewn in by hand.
A completed album and slipcase (with space for the client to tip in their own plaque.)
Questions? Email us, visit our Facebook Page, or check out people we've worked with to learn more.