YearBook 6
An ode to experiments.
What this YearBook is all about.
This YearBook takes a deep dive into experiments.
And their importance to us if we want to do our best work. Ever.
There are those experiments that should never have worked.
But did.
There are those that were almost guaranteed to work.
But didn't.
Regardless, they have changed how we do things.
I love that.
That's why I wanted to do a whole book on them.
Experiments that changed creativity.
Experiments that changed business.
Experiments that changed productivity.
This YearBook will get you to RETHINK EVERYTHING.
The experiments will get you to rethink. Everything.
Why quantity will produce more than quality?
How to win the trust game?
How to defeat the zero risk bias?
Why perfection makes you less human?
The myth of 8 hours of work a day?
Why you should quit more books?
How risk makes it safer?
The simple way to write better?
Why does the first hour without a phone matter?
Print is not dead.
This is a digital world.
It is a narrative all too commonly told.
Our attention is measured in seconds.
Only a few years ago, it was measured in minutes.
For every new way, the old must die.
Therefore, print is dead.
But I do NOT believe that.
Not for a single attention-starved second.
Sure, average print is dead.
It got what it deserved.
I love that most brands abandoned print.
My gut tells me to do the opposite.
Because.
Print is alive.
And kicking.
The thud it makes when it hits your doormat.
The smell of the paper used.
How it feels when you pick it up.
The ideas it shares with you that make you think differently.
How you can dip in and out, when you feel like.
No wonder the best gets collected.
That space on your bookshelf is the ultimate test.
To make it there, and to stay there, is how we will be measured.
YearBook 6.
Only 3,000 were printed.
No reprints.
Ever.
Details.
Let’s start at the beginning. I always judge a book by its cover…
For the softback cover, we have an up-cycled, eco-friendly uncoated paper from Favini. Made from off-cuts, it has a natural and pulpy look but is unexpectedly smooth to the touch. You really have to get your hands on it.
The Hiut Indigo Pantone ink sits beautifully on this paper stock. I try. I fail. I learn. set in bold Helvetica Now Display. Bam!
But the hardback option is where things start to get really special…
Case-bound with indigo GF Smith Colorplan paper and debossed hot-foil-stamp type and logo detailing.
Each book also features inset single-colour sections. First, there’s The Culture of Experiments at Hiut Denim Co., set in Pantone red ink on Nude uncoated FSC-certified Fedrigoni paper. Then later there’s a section from our Guest Experimenters, set in Pantone
black ink on Celeste (Light Blue) uncoated FSC-certified Fedrigoni paper.
In total, there are 216 printed pages. With content from creative contributors from all over the world. From Annecy in France to Barcelona, California, Copenhagen, The Netherlands, Tokyo and beyond. All section sewn and bound together.
Now here’s where we get extra geeky…
Firstly, this isn’t digital printing. This isn’t even your standard offset lithographic printing, this is waterless offset lithographic printing.
You know how much we like to save water, well it goes beyond the No Wash Club.
Now I have a way to explain waterless printing, but it involves a glass of water and lots of hand movements, so for now, let’s cut to the chase…
The specialist plates used allow the printed dot to be held more securely, preventing any unwanted movement of ink and minimising dot gain. This creates a sharper image in ultra-fine definition. By eliminating the flow of water, colour stays consistent throughout the process and the vibrant four-ink colour saturation is not compromised.
So not only is it far better for the environment, the waterless print process produces superior colour and increased image clarity.
Picking up every last detail of Andrew Paynter’s gorgeous photography.
With photography by Andrew Paynter and featuring original artworks by Kelly Anna, Hikaru Ichijo, Rick Berkelmans, Hollie Fuller, Cecilia Castelli, Jérôme Masi, Nicolas Burrows, Mr. G and more.
With additional articles from Bronwen Foster-Butler, Lucy Gannon, Charles Ross, Holly Budge, Afdhel Aziz, Irfon Watkins and Shaun Russell.
Words —
David Hieatt
Afdhel Aziz
Bronwen Foster-Butler
Charles Ross
Holly Budge
Irfon Watkins
Lucy Gannon
Shaun Russell
Illustrations —
Cecilia Castelli
Hikaru Ichijo
Hollie Fuller
Jack Gilham
Jérôme Masi
Kelly Anna
Mr. G a.k.a. Neil Gardiner
Nicolas Burrows
Rick Berkelmans
Photography —
Andrew Paynter
Print —
Park Lane Press