Neenah paper have recently published a lovely and useful website, www.thebeautyofengraving.com, of information about the history of engraving and how this impacts on the craft today. You can viewthe history of engraving here.

This is accompanied by a large and stunning gallery of examples which you can see here.  Much of the work is letterhead and identity material and should provide even the most jaded designer with inspiration! This demonstrates how type and image can be made distinctive through methods of making and the paper it is made on. You will really miss out if you don’t browse this gallery! Neenah are also show-casing the history of fine papers (here).

Neenah paper are also inviting submissions of work that uses engraving, especially if it is made on Crane paper. They also have a list of engravers that can help you get your designs made and you can also send off for a sample of Crane paper for your next project.

The paper companies are always fantastic sources of benchmark design and if you are looking to make or understand the notion of “quality” you could do worse than explore here. Most of the companies also send samples to students so it it worth getting to know them. Picking up on our previous post about texture in illustration I really want to emphasise the importance of the often overlooked element of the tactile in graphic design.

The images here have kindly been supplied by Neenah paper