We reached out to Boston University recently to find out more about the handsome @SED (School of Education) Magazine they produced on Finch Paper. Our interview followed a slightly different path as we had the chance to talk with both the designer of the piece, Garyfallia Pagonis, and the print buyer, Ryan Agate.

First, our conversation with Garyfallia Pagonis:

Finch Paper: You’ve been a graphic designer at Boston University for more than 15 years; what are some changes you’ve noticed in regards to marketing within the education industry?

Garyfallia Pagonis: There is now a strong shift towards branding of the University. In this way BU can better position itself – or rather “package” itself – as a top-notch university with diverse, cutting edge educational and research opportunities attracting top-tiered students. Given the economic environment and tuition costs, students are also pickier about what universities they are going to choose, so better communication and/or marketing is needed to attract that population.

Finch Paper: Has the student audience changed significantly?

Pagonis: I think so. They are more aware of what is happening in the world, more technologically savvy and tend to know what they want from a university.

Finch Paper: How do you maintain excitement in your job?

Pagonis: I get excited and challenged when I am given responsibility for a difficult and high-profile job, such as the @SED Magazine.

Finch Paper: When you are designing, do you contribute to the paper selection discussion?

Pagonis: Sometimes. Other times cost dictates paper selection, other times the client will suggest that they prefer an uncoated vs. a coated stock. Our print buyers do a great job of selecting uncoated or coated paper that is cost effective for the client but does not sacrifice print quality.

Finch Paper: Did the Finch Paper FSC certification come into play for your design?

Pagonis: Yes, we strive as a University to lessen our carbon footprint, reduce waste, recycle to help our environment. We try very hard to use paper that is FSC certified.

Finch Paper: What is your favorite aspect of designing within the education industry?

Pagonis: Getting to know the different programs within BU, the students, staff and professors – there’s never a dull moment.

After talking with Garyfallia, we spoke with Ryan Agate, print buyer for Boston University Marketing and Communications. Ryan also has a background in design.

Finch Paper: I notice that one of your specialties is sustainability. Does BU have a stance on sustainability or environmental footprint?

Ryan Agate: BU is very committed to the environment as a whole, and every printed piece that comes through MarCom is printed on a sheet that has FSC or SFI Certification, or contains some amount Post Consumer Waste. We have a website (www.bu.edu/sustainability/) devoted to promoting sustainability to the community, as well as track the University’s efforts.

Finch Paper: Did you choose Finch Paper based on your objectives for sustainability?

Agate: As a big fan of the Finch in the Forest blog, it certainly plays a part in the choices we make when it comes time to quote a job. I’ve used a post from April 29, 2010 ( “Cutting Trees (Sustainably) Saves Forests” series) often when showing people around the University that we choose paper that is made responsibly.

Finch Paper: Do you print on Finch Paper often?

Agate: I use Finch fairly often. The Production Director, Charles Alfier, and I have placed all of our commencement materials on Finch Opaque — it gets chosen often. With @SED Magazine, we’ve printed on Finch Fine for years. I’ve always loved the magazine and its simplicity. We ran it web offset at a large quantity, and recently they decided to shorten the run slightly. We found that running the job on Finch Opaque on a co-cure sheetfed press not only saved us — and therefore, the client, Boston University’s School of Education — a pretty good amount of money, but the quality improved. Finch Opaque held the co-cure inks better than we could have imagined.  I personally call the job “high-def printing” because it looks that good. We also use text weights for School of Theology’s Alumni magazine, Focus.

Finch Paper: Do you tend to use more uncoated than coated paper?

Agate: BU chooses a mix, and it really depends on the project. All our stationery and Commencement materials are uncoated, some mailings and two of the alumni magazines as well. I feel that we tend to use uncoated stocks when we want to add an element of class to the job, but that may more be my personal preferences speaking than the actuality.

Finch Paper: What do you enjoy most about working with Boston University?

Agate: The people I work with are always so great, and have so many interesting and fun ideas. Being able to bring them to life is something that’s really satisfying at the end of the day.  Working with the students and seeing them get excited about how great a printed piece looks when it delivers is another perk of working at Boston University.

Finch Paper: You have a background in design; in that capacity do your personal preferences influence your design?

Agate: I wouldn’t say I influence design much here. We leave all of that up to the in-houses designers. Once in a while I might offer a suggestion or two, but really, they do such a good job, it’s hard to find ways to add to their design. My expertise with paper is where I add value, providing the best sheet to fit their design.

Finch Paper: Where do you find inspiration online and in day-to-day life?

Agate: I read a lot of blogs about the industry and a few trade magazines here and there, but really it comes down to samples and having them around me and just getting excited about running a job on a certain stock. Printing on Finch makes it easy to get excited.

After receiving samples of The Sage Colleges Overview Book we reached out to Sarah Statham, Art Director for The Sage Colleges, to find out more about the piece.

The overview book was printed on Finch Opaque, Bright White, Vellum, 80 lb. cover and 80 lb. text.

Finch Paper: You have been with The Sage Colleges for eight years and before that you were in Georgia. Do you find there to be significant differences in the way the two areas approach design?

Sarah Statham: In Georgia I worked for a large, urban state university. I currently work for a small private college in New York, there are many differences including being a one-and-a-half person design shop compared to working alongside seven designers. The great part is that my current duties range from selecting an interior paint color palette for the college to designing admission viewbooks.

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It’s no surprise that a solicitation for great design on Finch Paper would lead to many impressive projects being brought to our attention — some more memorable than others. A Travel + Leisure mailer featured on Under Consideration’s FPO blog recently, printed on Finch Opaque, Smooth, Bright White, 100 lb. cover, certainly fits into the “memorable” category.

The mailer was created by Jill Sabato, art director at Travel + Leisure. Jill told Lauren Dickens at FPO, “The goal of this mailer was to promote the Annual Travel + Leisure 2011 Design Awards issue. Typically for this project I like to create something that is fun and not the traditional ‘sell sheet’ to grab attention and to make the experience more interactive. I aim to have the piece double as a keepsake that clients will hold on to and maybe even keep on their desk.”

We contacted Jill to continue a conversation about her approach to design. (more…)

For a company like Sierra Guitars, the need to communicate personality, quality and passion is huge. Finding harmony between design goals and production budgets can be a dicey matter, but with the value of Finch Paper, it’s easier to hit the high notes.

The Sierra Guitars 2010 product viewbook was printed on Finch Fine Smooth, Bright White, 100 lb. Text, and was a component in their submission into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Addy Awards “Mixed Media” category, for which Sierra Guitars was awarded a bronze.

We reached out to Tim Richerson, print and production coordinator for Musicorp, to find out more about the project.

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There are papers that are made for color and automobiles that are meant for speed.

The pairing of Finch Paper and Acura’s ZDX made for a design that travels from zero to sexy in the turn of a page.

The oversized brochure features an outer mailing wrap with a massive blind emboss of a question mark. The mailing wrap was printed on Finch Opaque, Vellum finish, 80 lb. cover by Primary Color, while the 20-page brochure is a self-cover printed on Finch Opaque, Vellum finish, 100 lb. Text. The combination of the great design by RPA & Associates and the gorgeous photography makes it impossible not to want to experience the ZDX firsthand.

“As the first car conceived at the new Acura Design Studio in California, the creation of the ZDX presented a unique opportunity. Rethink the steps by which a vehicle progresses from lines on paper to a finished product. Keep what works. Alter what could work better. Streamline some processes and expand others. Designers were given absolute freedom. Collaboration among different fields of expertise was maximized. In the end, the ZDX emerged as the most refined Acura yet and the new benchmark for all Acuras to come.”

This statement mirrors how Finch Paper feels about the design process. It is our hope that our uncoated paper can be a bit like the Acura Design Studio, and allow designers to work without boundaries to achieve things previously unimagined.

They say clothing makes the man, we say design makes the message. The design on this Haggar piece says, “You’re going to look fine.”

Designer: Adam Hallmark, Creative Director, Haggar Clothing

Project: Haggar 2010, New Orleans

Paper: Finch Fine

Printer: Ussery Printing

How long have you been designing? 15 years professionally

Is designing for one specific client different from working as a freelancer or a part of an agency? As Creative Director for Haggar Clothing – it’s easier. I don’t have a client to answer to. At an agency or studio you need to please the client and often the best ideas aren’t received as well as you would hope. As a freelancer you often have to please the agency you’re freelancing for and ultimately the client as well. As far as designing for one specific client, it’s sometimes a struggle to keep things fresh while adhering to a brand standards. But if you’re the one that created the standards, you give yourself a little creative license. (He who makes the rules can break the rules, right?)

Are there unique challenges to designing for a clothing line? Technically, yes. We have to photograph the product to look as close to reality as possible, and since body shapes vary, we have to do some pinning and tucking to make the fit better. But not so much as to be deceptive. Stylistically–a big yes, since the intent of the look book is to impress editors and stylists so that they will to use our product or write nice things about it. We have to make the product look impressive enough so it doesn’t get discarded in the massive pile of other brands’ collateral pieces.

How did you determine the color scheme? The location dictated the color scheme. The worn, rich color of preservation hall in New Orleans made for a great backdrop for our images.

What made you decide to use uncoated paper versus coated? Since the location was weathered, an uncoated sheet seemed the perfect choice. A natural shade helped enhance the images.

Why Finch? The job was printed digital and we wanted a soft white shade. The printer, Ussery Printing in Dallas, ran some press proofs and Finch was the unanimous winner. The images looked phenomenal on the sheet.

Do you have a design pet peeve? Not that I can think of at the moment. I’m sure that there are several.

A favorite site for inspiration? lovelypackage.com

We’ll admit as makers of uncoated white paper with a focus on quality and affordability, we are not real thrill-seekers. When the Sunday Slacker quarterly newsletter, printed on Finch Fine, Ultra Smooth, 80 lb. text, arrived we were all taken with the gritty images. The entire publication marries passion and knowledge, making for a genuinely entertaining read whether you are a closet ’40s fan or a Sunday gearhead.

Sunday Slacker purrs on Finch Fine.