It's a trend that is becoming as prevalent as going to the bathroom itself. More and more companies are designing decorative and novelty toilet paper.
By now, most designers and web surfers are familiar with the brands shown above by Renova, Paper & Design and Paper Sensations, but I recently came across On A Roll designs by Worldwide Co.
The designs are a little more clever than just seasonal colors, pattern or butterflies and Santa Claus. And with bright graphics and colorful imagery, they'd make a great gift for just about anyone.
Thanks to an interview in Don't Panic, I've discovered the paper crafts of Zim and Zou, aka Thibault Zimmermann and Lucie Thomas.
The French Graphic Design studio proposes a contemporary approach of design thanks to a mix of different fields such as paper sculpture, installation, graphic design and illustration.
Their latest project, Back to Basics, uses bright colorful paper crafted into icons from the 80's such as Polaroid cameras, giant clunky Motorola phones, floppy disks, Sony Walkman, casettes and more.
The UK's Baddeley Brothers is an engraving and printing house that was established in London in 1859. Known for their elegant craftsmanship, they manufacture high quality, engraved stationery and envelopes.
Recently, they teamed up with Studio Glithero who filmed the design presses and envelope folding machines at Baddeley Brothers as they created 5 specially designed paper airplanes for this year's handmade issue of Wallpaper* Magazine.
The magazine commissioned the work for its annual 'Handmade' issue, which features creative products from the world's best designers and manufacturers, as well as the Wallpaper Handmade exhibition at the Brioni Palazzo in Milan.
The Airplane Shape The paper size is optimised at just under A4 at 249mm x 206mm. The shape is based on the classic dart design. The plane is made up of seven folds plus the valley fold which is the middle and first fold. A further customisation of the plane can be made by bending the rear tips of the wings upwards.
Baddeley Brothers has also printed the invite and envelope for the exhibition opening, bringing its craftsmanship and techniques to a European audience of designers and art-lovers.
The following text and video are from Wallpaper* magazine: Paper planes, by Studio Glithero and Baddeley Brothers
The duo behind Studio Glithero have created a niche for themselves as self-documenting designers, creating beautiful objects, as well as films to show exactly how they did it (watch it here).
We were cock-a-hoop when they signed up as collaborators for Handmade this year, and even more so when they suggested working with London-based letterpress printers Baddeley Brothers. But even we were surprised how far they flew with our simple fleet of paper planes idea, creating not only five stunning designs, exquisitely die-stamped and embossed by Baddeley Brothers, but also this short film that might leave you crying into your cappuccino.
Studio Glithero Founded by Sarah van Gameren and Tim Simpson, who studied together at London’s Royal College of Art, Studio Glithero is known for its time-based installations, which give birth to unique products and stunning films focusing on the creative process.
Baddeley Brothers Since 1859, and through five generations of the original family, Baddeley Brothers (currently Chris and Charles Pertwee) has been a skilled purveyor of stationery and traditional printing techniques, from copperplate to foil letterpress, all produced at its east London workshops.
