Boss Print has unveiled its latest collaboration with design agency Sutherland. Following on from its nested Box of Boxes project and then the Robox interactive toy, printer and designer have come up with a pencil case that showcases the different skills each has. And it introduced the pencil case project via a Zoom call and activity on Instagram that designers were encouraged to be part of.
The latest idea kicked off pre-pandemic in 2019, resulting in production during June last year. The pandemic meant that it is only nine months later that it is coming into the limelight.
“We were waiting for the right time to launch it,” says Boss managing director Fenton Smith. Previous collaborations have resulted in a launch at Fedrigoni’s studio space in Clerkenwell. This has not been possible, resulting in a Zoom call where Jim Sutherland and Rebecca Sutherland explained their methods of working and enthusiasm for the project for an audience of well over 100 young designers.
“We have worked with Boss on projects for more than 20 years,” says designer Jim Sutherland. “The pencil case idea is to create something that people will use.”
He styled a logotype from shapes that are closely associated with pencils. Rebecca Sutherland, an illustrator, turned these elemental shapes into the four characters for each side of the box. These were to be foiled on to Imitlin, a high strength textured paper that Fedrigoni supplies and which resembles a book cloth.
“We chose the pencil case to straddle the virtual and physical world,” says Smith. The online event attracted an audience of more than 100 and a number of those taking part will receive a pencil case. Around 250 registered to be part of the event and competition, resulting in some useful contacts for the business to follow up. Smith intended that the launch event would then trigger a spate of social media content as those selected will show off their prize on social media channels. “We would love to see them celebrate,” he adds.
And they did. There were videos of the pencil box in pride of place on the desk, of the pencils being extracted and stories about the experience. “There have been reviews on Instagram and it is getting a lot of attraction,” says sales and marketing manager Bonnie Lo. “It shows that people are getting excited about print again and are wanting to get their hands on something that’s physical. We are linking that print with the digital world.”
The positive comments on Instagram – “This inspiring collaboration has produced a truly special piece. It will take pride of place on my desk.” – being typical, will magnify the message well beyond the immediate possessors of the pencil box. Many also mention the print and foiling involved.
Smith continues: “We hope that other designers will see this happening and that we can be involved in the conversations that follow. This is not like a piece of direct mail that will be discarded. This is something that people will want to keep.”
The quality and effectiveness of the finished box is testament to the collaboration between the printer and design team, about the selection of the papers and foils to be used and how the 2D concepts can be brought to three dimensional life.
“We started by trying to find the essential elements that make up a pencil,” says Rebecca Sutherland. “We hope we have come up with something that adds joy to people’s lives.”
