DESCRIPTION Bath Artists' Studios Program CLIENT Bath Artists' Studios DATE June 2010 DESIGN CREDITS Ben International PRINT CREDITS Emtone Print TYPE CREDITS Monotype Bell Compacta LT bold

QUANTITY PRODUCED 3,000 PRODUCTION COST £520 ($788) PRODUCTION TIME 10 days DIMENSIONS: WIDTH × HEIGHT × DEPTH A5: 148 mm × 210 mm (5.82 in × 8.26 in) PAGE COUNT 16 PRINT METHOD Offset PAPER STOCK Challenger, uncoated, 120gsm NUMBER OF COLORS 1 Spot (Metallic PMS 876) BINDING Saddle stitch

Sometimes it is the small tweaks we can make to an existing design that will have the greatest impact on the revised or updated version. Ben International had worked with Bath Artists’ Studios before, and when asked to rework their seasonal program the analyzed the existing work and found ways in which to improve beyond the graphics.

We didn’t much care for the existing format, which didn’t quite offer enough space for all the content and felt a bit cheap. We made a nicer 16 page A5 format with greater image content, which we felt was befitting of an artists’ studio complex. Dropping from two to one colours meant we could produce a much nicer document for the same amount of money as they were currently spending on print. It also meant we could add some nice little touches like a more tactile stock, and some rather lovely brass stitching.

We also proposed the addition of a foreword and a featured artists section in each edition, so that the programme becomes a document that its recipients will want to browse through and hopefully keep.

The many type styles from the old templates had become confused or lost over time, so we provided a stripped down hierarchy of information that will be super easy for the BAS staff to implement now that we’ve handed the files over. They’ll be producing the forthcoming issues, each printed in a different single spot colour, which will over time build into an instantly recognisable and eye-catching series of documents. This first is printed in a special metallic, 876 U, and the series will feature such other mouth-watering treats as Rhodamine Red and 7467 U. Mmmm… Pantone references.

A nice improvement not only on the visual aspect of the program, but surely on the implementation of future issues to be done in-house.