We were invited to participate in with Wallpaper* magazine's Handmade 2011 issue, where designers collaborate with manufacturers to create bespoke one-off products. Our selected partner was Emform, a German stationery manufacturer. Taking their range of desktop accessories as a starting point, we decided to emphasise the products’ simplicity and celebrate each item’s function. Each product was first powder-coated white, with subtle screen-printed interventions added to mimic the item’s end use. Cut tape was applied on the side of the tape dispenser, circular pieces removed from the hole-puncher, and pencil squiggles printed onto the inside of the pencil pot.
The following year, we were invited to create a special cover for the Handmade issue. Forbidden from using any digital tools to create our cover, we chose to experiment with type and the notion of reproduction, creating a simple image whose hand-drawn irregularities are only visible on close inspection. A metal printing plate was then created from this drawing and used to create a letterpress print.
