More than 30 students in their second year of the Graphic Design, Product Design and Fashion courses submitted their ideas to cost, design and specify a piece of print work for the Im-print! Im-press! initiative.
The brief this year was focused on sustainable typographic paper matter using Extract paper make from recycled coffee cups and Foilco's zero foil to landfill foiling.
The winning submission was made by Nhelete Dos Santos, who came to the UK from Mozambique two years ago to study at Ravensbourne.
Dos Santos said she had been inspired by the versatility of paper.
“My first idea was an installation that projected a pattern cut through the paper on a wall or material. The idea used the concept of community. But in the briefing process, I was told it wouldn’t work due to machine constraints. So, I had to go back to the drawing board. That obstacle inspired my final outcome.
“It’s funny how in the creative process, it can take ages to think of something and it just clicks.I think if you have an obstacle to overcome you create something better than you expected.”
Her finished product was an envelope that has no glue and uses cuts and flaps to stay closed, with a design that completely reverses from inside out to outside in.
Each flap reveals “a thought-provoking message and inspirational text”, while the foiling involves natural shapes inspired by nature's curves, design and patterns. It is also embossed. The piece and how it folds is shown in the video below.
We Are Organisms: Folding Tutorial from Nelly Dos Santos on Vimeo.
Baddeley Brothers produced the envelope using GF Smith Extract Khaki paper and Foilco Gold 6220.
Nhelete said: “Baddeley Brothers were really helpful and informative. I learned more about the printing process than I ever thought I would.
“It’s such a long process and it's really hard work. Working with Baddeley Brothers was an eye-opener. I feel really lucky that I was able to do it.”
Baddeley Brothers director Charles Pertwee said: “It’s the fifth year we’ve been involved and that’s probably testament to how successful it has been.
“It’s really good to understand the trends and thinking of new young creatives – they really appreciate the fact that they are producing a tangible thing, and they have to think quite differently.”
East London-based Baddeley Brothers has just invested in a new B1-format VeloBlade digital die-cutter from Vivid, to expand its offering and give the business extra flexibility.
However, the student project was completed using its traditional equipment including a Kluge foiler and Heidelberg Cylinder for die-cutting and embossing, so that the students gained some additional insights about production methods.
“We did that deliberately so they gain an appreciation of the processes involved,” Pertwee added.
Ravensbourne University is located on the Greenwich Peninsula in London. It runs a range of digital media and design courses and has a community of around 2,600 students.
