Community Playthings catalogue project overview

We established a relationship with Community Playthings after they contacted Navig8 for print buying and management services. Initially we were given small projects, but as their confidence in our service grew, we were commissioned to design and manage their 164pp product catalogue, both UK and international editions.

What happened:

There were two overriding parts to the brief, 1; print 35,000 copies of our 164 page catalogue and make sure none of the mistakes the printers made last year happen again this year. 2; take our designs and illustrations (produced in-house) and design a way of incorporating our illustrative style with our products and furniture.

Why it was good:

Last year’s report was printed in the UK by a print management company and it wasn’t printed very well. If you ever see Community Playthings furniture, the first thing that hits you is its quality. These products are crafted with care, they are made to last, they have to be, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to guarantee a nursery toy for ten years.

After extensive research we chose a printer from Navig8’s stable that is based in Hong Kong. The print company has an impressive client list including Thames and Hudson, Phaidon, Vogue, Dunhill and the V&A. The catalogue was printed in the Shenzhen plant in main land China and Navig8 was there, through the night to press pass the job.

What happened next:

The quality is outstanding – really – the colours are consistent in the solids across the entire extent of the document. The perfect (notch) binding is crisp, strong and sharp and the textured cartridge sits nicely next to the silk art paper.

Navig8 has been asked to produce the Spanish, French and Italian compact versions.