When a collaboration unites two stellar American brands, and throws international artists into the mix, you know the result is going to be very, very good. The New Look of Letterpress range lives up to its lofty name by marrying the sumptuousness of Mohawk paper to the sophistication of Chronicle Books design.
The collection consists of three ranges of notebooks and notecards, each strong on their own and offering a chic new take on the age-old printing medium. I am partial myself to the notebooks — a letterpressed cover elevates them above their flat-printed counterparts, and anything that comes in a set of two is that much more adorable.
Illustrator Masako Kubo, based in Japan and New Zealand, designed this sweet nature-inspired range. The more you look, the more you see.
Stockholm artist Klas Fahlén designed his range in a color palette that’s completely American, but the aesthetic feels very Bauhaus, with subtle humor thrown in for good measure. I love his hands and sleeves!
Finally, Briefly Noted is gender neutral and typographically driven, with strong color accents thrown in. The result is simultaneously retro and modern.
All the paper was manufactured in Mohawk’s Cohoes, New York, plant, while the letterpressing was also done in New York — in Syracuse, on Boxcar Press’ Heidelberg models. True paper geeks may want to know that the cover of the journals and the notecards use the Mohawk Via Felt Bright White 110# Cover, while the journal interiors and notecard envelopes use Mohawk Britehue 60#text in various colors. Those unexpected bursts of color hiding inside the notebooks are so lovely!
Each notecard set is $18.95 and includes 10 cards in two different designs. Notebooks are $16.95/pair. The line isn’t being released until March 25 — that’s next Monday — so it’s not available for purchase just yet.
But since Chronicle is so generous with their samples, I actually have one of each of the six products I’ve shown above that I’m happy to share with TPC readers. So, are you feeling lucky this St. Patrick’s Day? If you have an American or Canadian mailing address, just comment below on which is your favorite and why. First come, first served. I’ll be in touch with the winners!
