In a assured nod to the enduring energy of print, Glasgow-based Newspaper Membership has launched The Printing Press, its first-ever self-published newspaper. Recognized for serving to designers, manufacturers, and artists print their very own publications, Newspaper Membership is now telling its personal story by way of a medium it is aware of greatest.
“We’re all the time sharing the sensible issues folks print with us – often on-line, by way of our weblog and Instagram,” explains CMO Kaye Symington. “Our clients have some nice tales behind their initiatives, and it simply made sense for a newspaper printing firm to have a newspaper of its personal!”
Teaming up with their sensible design associate Euan Gallacher at D8 Studio, Kaye stated in addition they needed to point out what’s doable with the format: “Lots of people simply consider newspapers as one thing for breaking information, however there’s a lot extra you are able to do with them.”
The tabloid-style publication explores the inventive resurgence of newspapers as branding instruments and storytelling gadgets, which is music to our ears. Inside, readers will discover considerate options on how trendy manufacturers are embracing print, together with interviews with Papier’s head of brand name on narrative design, Cubitts’ in-house designer on growing a tactile, analogue marketing campaign, and Vocal Kind’s Tré Seals on reworking a museum exhibition right into a printed expertise.
Why the mighty turnaround? “There’s simply nothing fairly like newsprint,” says Kaye. “It slows you down in one of the best ways, particularly when there’s a lot competing in your consideration on-line. A newspaper is not attempting to go viral, which is refreshing.”
She provides: “Placing collectively a newspaper makes you assume in a different way. It is scrappy and democratic, which makes it an excellent house to mess around and inform tales extra creatively. And on the finish of it, you’ve got received one thing actual at hand somebody as an alternative of simply sending them a hyperlink.”
To have fun this almighty launch, Newspaper Membership goes past the web page with a placing nationwide advert marketing campaign. In partnership with Construct Hollywood, the corporate has put in billboards in Glasgow, Birmingham, Brighton, and Cardiff, all proudly showcasing the work of Newspaper Membership clients. These embrace vibrant items from artist Supermundane and unbiased homeware designer Sophie McNiven, highlighting the inventive vary of initiatives that come to life by way of their press.
In London, the celebration continues with a particular collaboration with Information & Espresso at Holborn Station. For 2 weeks, the kiosk has been remodeled right into a shrine to print — full with stacks of The Printing Press and complimentary espresso for the primary 20 early birds every weekday till 17 June.
The timing feels deliberate. As digital fatigue units in, social media continues to disappoint, and types search for contemporary methods to face out in a ‘post-search’ world, newspapers are experiencing a quiet renaissance. However they’re getting used not only for information but in addition as limited-edition catalogues, keepsakes for occasions, and props in picture shoots. It is this playful, versatile nature of newsprint that The Printing Press goals to discover and have fun.
Since 2009, Newspaper Membership has constructed its fame on making newspaper printing accessible to all — from main manufacturers like Adobe and Spotify to indie creators, college students and storytellers. This marketing campaign marks a brand new chapter: an opportunity to show the lens inward, shine a highlight on the inventive prospects of print, and reassert the enjoyment of ink on paper. As Kaye places it, “We would like folks to see that newspapers is usually a actually inventive format. It is likely to be a standard medium, however that is precisely what makes it stand out in a digital world.
“Generally the toughest half is simply understanding the place to start out with a brand new venture, so we hope this marketing campaign helps spark concepts and encourage folks to print one thing they’re enthusiastic about!”
As The Printing Press hits streets and kiosks throughout the UK, one factor is evident: print is not lifeless. It is simply getting began.
