Clients

John Lewis has an in-house team that work across both their department stores and their Waitrose grocery stores. They spend over £20 million on print and related marketing deliverables. The Partnership has been expanding over the last few years and when a new store is about to be opened they need additional resource to manage the additional work load. I have worked in-house with the team to manage the production and installation of all the point-of-sale materials. This includes window and wall graphics, printed panels, framed prints, cut vinly lettering, light boxes, to name but a few items. This involves managing the flow of artwork out of the studio and then the flow of proofs back in. The organisation of the teams to do the installation, ensuring all the health and safety issues are duly addressed. The work had been across department stores and the newer, smaller ‘at Home’ stores.

Laterally I have worked in-house with the team across local marketing, catalogue production, Direct mail and high spec literature for special events.

Interim Design Studio Manager 2014

This short contract was based at Tate Britain in Millbank. The opportunity came about to work in-house with the Design Studio team to cover between one person leaving and another starting.

I had responsibility for organising the work-flow through the studio to meet deadlines for printed collateral for exhibitions, artwork for magazine ads, 16 sheet posters and other outdoor sites. I also worked with external suppliers, getting quotes, trafficking and checking proofs to clients and back to the printers. It also required maintaining internal admin systems and allocating costs to budgets.

A good opportunity to work in-house again as part of a team, and work on some very interesting projects

Paul has worked on the Heineken Report and Account and their Sustainability Report for 9 years now. It is designed in London but printed in Holland. This has enabled Paul to make some useful contacts in Holland and has built up a great understanding with Heineken’s printer.

It is produced in both English and Dutch, so not so easy to check! As each issue has been produced the process has become simpler as we both understand each others needs and requirements.

This is another demonstration of a long-term relationship.

The brief was to Project Manage the production of 18 items in 18 languages from agreed design concepts to completion.

The challenges were to manage the flow of work through the studio. To check the accuracy of proofs sent to the client. To manage the process of receiving copy/sending proofs.

To track sign off of all artwork. To liaise with various companies involved in the production of materials as diverse as mouse mats, balloons, shelf talkers, printed literature and direct mail items. To pass items on press. To liaise with the dispatch company to ensure deliveries were not only on time, but received to the client’s exacting specifications.

I have worked with Centrica plc on their Annual Report & Accounts since 2002. Initially through the design agency and then directly for the company from 2004 until today. Over the years regulations on corporate reporting have changed. This has had quite an impact on the production of the company’s Report & Accounts. We used to print 1.3 million copies of the Summary Financial Statements and 50,000 Full Reports. Today we print 26,000 Summarys and 14,000 Full Reports. This reduction has needed managing in terms of the appropriate method of production to suit the present requirements.

The mailing of voting cards and statements still remains in excess of 900,000. So the project has required constantly managing to give the company the most suitable solution to fulfil its obligations.

Careful management of the Shareholder data resulted in the inclusion of the Consolidated Tax Voucher within the main mailing that realised significant savings by avoiding a second mailing for this part of the project.

We continue to work together to ensure we are delivering the best possible solution for the client.

The brief
Cover for the maternity leave of the Interactive Communications Manager and manage the production of the Annual Report and Accounts.

The challenges
To co-ordinate the flow of information internally from the Finance, Secretariat, Legal, Corporate Communications and Health, Safety & Environment Departments of the company. Orchestrate the typesetting of the documents internally and supply proofs to the necessary departments.

Work with the incumbent design agency to produce a document that reflected the position of the company. Work with the printing company to ensure a look of high quality and consistency over two different printing processes.
Print runs: 370,000 copies of SFS, 60,000 Full Annual Report.
Passing on press.
Organise the production of all other documents – Proxy cards, Notice of Meeting, polywrap.
Oversee the mailing to shareholders.

When the gallery holds a new exhibition, it usually offers a catalogue and various other items from postcards to tea towels to jigsaws to accompany the event.

I worked on a short contract at the gallery to help oversee the production of items for the Canaletto exhibition and various other titles. This was a great opportunity to enjoy doing some really in-depth, colour critical work. Trying to get the very best you can out of four colour process to match to original works of art is quite challenging, and also immensely interesting. Proofs were viewed next to the original painting prior to the gallery opening to the public using daylight temperature viewing lamps. The National Gallery produce a wide range of items from postcards to coffee table books.

Late in 2014 Paul was awarded a contract to manage the production and mailing of Glaxo Smithkline’s Annual Report and Accounts.

The project involved the total management of all aspects of the publication. From advising on, and buying paper, to employing an artworker to ‘pull together’ the final artwork from different authors and producers. To organising the data management of the shareholder list, production of proxy voting cards, and all the enclosing and freight to the US.

This is a large and complex project that suits Paul’s wide experience in a multifaceted publication. A good knowledge of Stock Exchange and Company Reporting regulations are critical to the management of the many elements of the project, to ensure the time critical delivery was achieved with the minimum of fuss.

At the time of writing, the 2015 Accounts are in the planning stages with new considerations to accommodate different company objectives on the deliverables and quantities.

We printed 14,500 full Annual Reports and 500,000 Summary Reports.

This project fully illustrates how my early involvement in a project can add real value to the finished article. The original plan was to digitally print the book due to its low print run. However, with a keen and willing printer we produced a job that bears no resemblance to the original. The use of the drip off varnish transformed the piece into something that really stands out.

The book has been received well and has sold many copies.

Production Notes

Below are some production notes that give some background information.

The book was printed on a Heidleberg CD 74 in 4-colour process. We replaced the process yellow with an enhanced yellow containing an amount of fluorescent yellow to boost the neon effect of the images.

The reproduction utilised Satin Screening with an ultra fine stochastic dot at 15 microns.

We employed a matt and gloss drip off varnish to lift the images from the black
background that helped enhance the reader’s focus on the images.

It was printed on Amadeus Primo Gloss 170gsm that offers the very consistent and smooth surface required to use the drip off varnish technique.

The case is covered in Winters Buckram Embossed Neferta Black 870 and foiled in a Foilco Green 5600.

We manage the production of a wide range of the marketing items for Tideway. From A5 leaflets to newspapers and newsletters, from wall signage to 3D displays. We manage some projects from the initial brief to the finished item such as the Annual Report and Accounts. We operate as a ‘bolt-on’ production department for their communications team, drawing on our many years’ of experience and contacts to add value and a seamless service to their department.

It was an honour to be selected as a judge to help choose the best entries for this year’s awards. It involved examining and discussing all the submissions with the other members of my team. We had a rigorous checklist to help us arrive at what we believed to be the best examples received.