Though clients may specify it and we all know we should use it, some still find the idea of 100% recycled paper the design equivalent of receiving socks on Christmas. To demonstrate just how outdated a notion this is, Rolland Enterprises created The Paper Loop, a handsome, award-winning promotional piece with a few tricks up its eco-friendly sleeve.
“The design challenge was two-fold,” admits Rolland’s Thierry Trempe. “Creating a look that would be slick and prestigious, to give readers the impression that this was a well-established magazine; and creating a printed document that would testify to the quality and versatility of Rolland papers.”
Let’s just say if ever there WERE any question of their quality and versatility, The Paper Loop quickly put them to rest. Designed by Alezane, this magazine fully lives up to its remit to “create a distinctive promotional document under the guise of a magazine for paper aficionados, which would contain relevant information about Rolland, the company’s various papers, but also about topics that are important to the company that is protecting forests, respecting the environment, today’s paper, the future of the industry, and more.”
In the process, Alezane and printer L’Empreinte pushed the limits of what we’ve come to expect from a magazine, even one published by a paper mill. Highlights include:
Cover: Made slightly longer to ensure that it covered the inside pages; a gatefold on C2 (which had to be temporarily held with a glue spot) with a special die cut; and embossing.
Screen vs. Paper article: A French fold glued on 4 edges, set back, and with a cut-out door to resemble an open book with age-yellowed pages. (Seriously, take a look at this one – so effective!)
Center spread: Slightly set back in the middle of the magazine, with a precise die cut (imitating laser die cutting) of the dots forming a maze to be able to see the forest, which was printed with a mixture of fluorescent inks to enhance the picture’s luminosity.
After all of that, it’s no wonder that Thierry’s biggest lesson learned from this ambitious project was “The importance of bringing everybody to the table: designer + printer + binder + die cutter, etc.”
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