Colophon Foundry publishes an illustrated newspaper for its bespoke projects

London-based Colophon Foundry has just published Bespoke Catalogue 1, a physical reiteration of six of its projects. “We showcase our projects on our website, but wanted to have a physical item that reacted more specifically to a number of bespoke projects,” explains the foundry. “We also want to showcase new projects such as our first stage of work for Tesco (more will follow in the next catalogue). This new platform allows us to dig deeper into the project, for example commissioning illustrations that represent the work.”

The 40-page catalogue is printed on salmon pink newsprint and Colophon asked illustrator Jay Cover to provide the visuals for the catalogue, feeling that his “loose but graphic style” would add texture. The illustrations give depth to the catalogue, and aim to provide a wider context of the production of the bespoke work taken on for Colophon’s clients. “Each project has a definite process and outcome, so it felt right to present each client and their activities through an illustration,” says the studio. “It also celebrates the diversity of our client base, which is something we relish and enjoy.”

The idea of the catalogue is to allude to the potential of the typefaces on display and “give an idea of each project’s extent”. “We focused on both macro (showcasing a singular character) and micro (running text) moments throughout, but also specific pieces of each project. For example, within the project Nasty Gal we showcase the stylistic sets we developed for them,” says Colophon. The foundry is already working a second edition, which will be published over the coming months.