2002 was a year for large design projects. The first one started October 2001 when we were asked to produce a marketing brochure for the East Mainland of Orkney. The East Mainland Community Councils were the instigators of the project and there was considerable input from individuals from the areas regarding the words and also the photography. Many pictures were supplied by local amateur photographers. A total of 50,000 full colour 24 page brochures were delivered in April.
Two airshow programmes have been produced again this year, one of 36 pages, the other 48 pages. They are for Southend and Southport Councils respectively. Both events were well attended and the brochures were almost sold out in both cases.
JP Chalmers, a pioneer in the motion picture industry early in the last century, was an Orcadian born in Tankerness. He emigrated to the United States and founded a publishing company, his main publication being Motion Picture World. He was a gentleman, well respected throughout the industry and was on first name terms with all the American movie actors and moguls. Sadly, his life was cut short at the age of 42 when he entered an unmarked door while attending a convention in Dayton Ohio, thinking it was the projection room, and he fell down a lift shaft.
Seabridge was commissioned to produce a memorial to this great man and it now hangs in the new Kirkwall Airport lounge at the entrance to the departure gate. To support this memorial, on 22nd November a travelling exhibition was unveiled at the Pickaquoy Centre. It is due to travel the country and it has also been requested to go to America.
One project has dominated the studio for at least eighteen months. Starting in February 2001, the Westray Buildings Preservation Trust asked Seabridge to produce a book on the buildings of Westray. Consequently, over 900 photographs were taken over the following 18 months and processed in colour and black and white. The research was undertaken by members of the Trust, delivered in handwritten format which had to be edited and re-edited and then put into a pleasing layout. The design of the pages had to be in such a way as to retain the interest of the reader, not just in simple columns.
Following the publication of the 160 page book in early November, a full colour exhibition will be mounted in the Westray Heritage Centre, opening in April 2003. The printing of the inside pages in black and white, was done locally by The Orcadian printers, with the binding and book jacket produced south. This book is proof that though Orkney is a remote community, large scale projects such as this can be undertaken and produced in the isles.
Six double-sided full colour leaflets and an A4 ring binder were delivered to Langley, a tile company based in London. These are the culmination of a long consultation process prior to producing these leaflets. More lea.ets will be designed and printed in 2003. They are targeted at architects and interior designers throughout the country. The company supplied the bathroom tiles seen on the television programme Big Brother.
Increasing numbers of visitors to Orkney have resulted in increased sales of souvenirs. The demand for more attractive packaging is now evident, so the Westray bakery commissioned Seabridge to redesign the packs of their famous shortbread.
Cleaton House Hotel now has a new six-page brochure ready for the new 2003 season. The design and content of the brochure reflect the quality the hotel guests expect to enjoy.
An ongoing project is a marketing catalogue for Lewis’s Medical Supplies, a company located to the south of Manchester. The initial photography was started in late 1995, with the total number of photographs now reaching over 800. Photography started conventionally on .lm but pictures are now produced digitally.
Following a visit to the company’s premises in September 2001, the design was begun and it has now, in November 2002, reached the half-way stage. There will be a total of 72 pages in the catalogue, each page containing six or seven photographs with a description, code number and sales message.
From early April, we have been helping with The Westray Skiffs Project, sponsored by The Princes Trust. A Westray Skiff is a small boat unique to the island and used in the past for fishing. Six teenagers from Westray and Papa Westray have been building a skiff under the instruction and guidance of two adults. The progress of the build has been documented by one of the lads, in both digital photography, digital video and digital word.
Most Saturday afternoons for over six months, he has spent three hours in the Westray studios writing up the week’s progress reports, under Seabridge’s guidance, using computer publishing programs new to him. This will eventually result in a 60 page document which will be sent to the Prince’s Trust. Each week the report is sent from Seabridge and published up to the web, via Northstar New Media. The progress can be seen on www.westrayskiffs.co.uk
Prince Charles is said to be very pleased with the progress of the project.
The environmentalist Martin Gray was commissioned by the Westray Development Trust to prepare a report on the flora and fauna of the island. Seabridge took the report, made it into an interesting typographical design and published it to the world wide web. It is available for download from www.westray-orkney.co.uk