Mohawk
As Mohawk celebrates the 75th anniversary of Strathmore Writing Papers and their 10th anniversary as steward of the legendary Strathmore brand, the company announces the introduction of four new colors to the Strathmore Paper line, a new Strathmore swatchbook, and ongoing pop-up exhibits to showcase the Strathmore Archive and honor the longstanding heritage of the brand.
Mohawk will soon introduce new Strathmore “Heritage Colors,” which are reproductions of original shades curated from the Strathmore Archives, a treasure trove of over 100 years of rare, historic and beautiful Strathmore paper samples and promotions that were uncovered by Mohawk last year. The Heritage Colors will be unveiled next week at the HOW Design Live Conference in Chicago.
“As further evidence of what’s old is new again, we’ve reached deep into the Strathmore Archives to discover four timeless, iconic Strathmore paper shades that celebrate color, texture, and the enduring legacy of the Strathmore brand,” says Chris Harrold, Vice President of Business Development and Creative Director, Mohawk. “We’re thrilled to introduce the Strathmore Heritage Colors to attendees at HOW Design Live next week, and we believe the shades will have broad appeal to a new generation of designers and fine paper enthusiasts.”
The colors will be included within a new and improved Strathmore Writing Text & Cover Swatchbook that will be available in May.
Strathmore papers have been crafted to the same exacting standards since 1892 and used by designers and printers for over 120 years. The original Strathmore paper swatchbooks date back to 1898 and were manufactured at the Mittineague paper mill in West Springfield, Mass.
Since acquiring the Strathmore brand in 2005, Mohawk has continued to manufacture this iconic portfolio of papers. The new Heritage Colors will be manufactured by Mohawk at the company’s historic Waterford, N.Y. fine paper mill.
Attendees of the HOW Design Live Conference (May 4-8, Chicago) and The National Stationery Show (May 17-21, New York City), will have the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the line.
Mohawk worked with Wyville USA and Rohner Letterpress to design and produce a limited collection pack of notecards and matching envelopes to showcase the allure of the Heritage Colors. Each notecard set features unique printing processes (engraving, letterpress, foil stamp and thermography) and a beautifully illustrated thistle, which represents enduring Strathmore quality.
The thistle has been used as a brand icon since 1894 when Strathmore founder Horace Moses travelled to Scotland and became enamored with the blooming thistles found throughout the Valley of Strathmore. The beauty of his discovery made such an indelible impression that Moses adopted the Strathmore name and the thistle as the symbol for his craft.
Strathmore Archives at HOW Design Live
To honor the heritage of the Strathmore brand and its impressive, historic collection of printing, Mohawk will present a special pop-up exhibition of The Strathmore Archives located in the main exhibit hall of the Hyatt Regency Chicago during HOW Design Live Conference exhibit hall hours.
Additionally, on Monday, May 4 at 1:15 PM, designer and design historian Paul Shaw will host a HOW Design Live conference session, “Paper is Part of the Picture: Strathmore Paper and the Promotion of Paper from the Arts & Crafts Era to the New Deal.”
Shaw’s session will explore how American paper companies, from 1900 to 1930, slowly shifted from selling paper as a commodity to promoting it as an essential design element. Strathmore Paper, one of the two firms leading this effort, relied almost exclusively on well-known designers, illustrators and typographers to show printers how paper was more than a substrate, but an element on a par with illustrations and type.
This talk will trace Strathmore’s advertising and promotional efforts during this time with a focus on two key campaigns, “Paper is Part of the Picture” and Strathmore Town. Among the designers and illustrators whose work will be showcased will be Will Bradley, Frederic W. Goudy, Fred G. Cooper, T.M. Cleland, W.A. Dwiggins, Helen Dryden and Walter Dorwin Teague.
Further special events and pop-up exhibits are planned to celebrate the Strathmore Archives throughout 2015, with details to come.
New Strathmore Swatchbook
The new Strathmore Writing Text & Cover swatchbook highlights the finest selection of stationery, letterpress and printing papers available in the world. Handcrafted with a distinctive touch and sophisticated palette, Strathmore papers add an image of luxury to all printed communications.
Fourth in a series of nine new Mohawk swatchbooks, the Strathmore Writing Text & Cover swatchbook has been designed to make the paper specification process clearer, easier and more inspirational for designers, printers, stationers and paper enthusiasts.
This new swatchbook begins with a Quick Spec section which provides a quick, organized overview of colors, finishes and weights available within the paper grade. Following is a Browse section, which allows users to dive deeper into the specification process to identify finish, shade and weight. Each waterfall within Browse contains information about available colors and weights, including one sample of every shade available within each finish. A Details section contains in-depth paper information and specific printing resources.
The Strathmore swatchbook was designed by Hybrid Design of San Francisco and produced by Fey Printing, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
The Strathmore Writing Text & Cover swatchbook will be available in May. To order a copy, paper specifiers can contact their local paper merchants or place an order with MohawkConnects.com.
PaperSpecs readers, enter to win one of 20 copies of the brand new Mohawk Strathmore Writing Text & Cover swatchbook today! Hurry, contest ends May 8th!
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