Review by Paul Ryding

Print is dead. Long live online content. We have put up with the common book for long enough, needlessly taking up valuable shelf space and coffee tables. And as for the newspaper, that costs money and whittles away our planets natural resources. Online content is cheap, free and can be viewed on your iphone with the latest app and leaves as much of a carbon footprint as boiling a kettle. Now is the time to bury the extravagance of CMYK for good and embrace the cold logic of RGB.



This is what the new-media zeitgeist would have you believe, that the idea of printed media is no longer worth the paper it is printed on. The reaction to this notion can be seen in any independent bookstore housing a wide selection of hand-made books and ‘zines sold for the purpose of promoting not only the artwork inside, but also the idea of the book itself as the artwork.

One such name that crops up time again is NoBrow Press, a small publishing and screenprinting studio based in the heart of Shoreditch. Releasing their own eponymous bi-annual publication (now into its second issue) as well as other contemporary illustration books, they have been slowly growing to be one of the most successful independents on the market.



With a great focus on imagery rather than text, many of their publications are a retort to what is traditionally expected from a book. Operating with an ‘invite only’ basis, they showcase a good mix of contemporary illustration, both alternative and commercial. So who better to ask how the print industry is doing and how best navigate your way into it?

When I arrived at their studios, the first thing I noticed was the overwhelming smell of “printed book”. Co-founder Sam Arthur tells me this is a result of their printing process. “We often use spot colours on uncoated paper and as a result the paper tends to absorb more ink than a conventional book might, hence the pungent smell. We love it though, it's all part of the joy of something printed and tactile.”

After collaborating on a number of commercial animation projects such as the Live Earth indents in 2003, both Sam and fellow printed empheria enthusiast Alex Spiro decided to set up a unique publication geared towards illustration, graphic arts and a return to the celebration of the print medium. With a 2-year business plan and a number of investors in place, No Brow issue.1 “Gods & Monsters” was released in May last year in limited edition and was met with critical praise.



Capitalising on this success, issue.2: “The Jungle” was released shortly after and stepped up production values with an intriguing colour process: “For NoBrow 2 we used three spot colours and when they overlap it creates secondary colours. BlexBolex (the cover artist for this issue) selected the pantones and we then briefed them out to all of the other people taking part. It has the feel of something CMYK but it’s more vibrant and has something you can’t quite put your finger on. We like the fact that the colours tend to tie everyone’s work together.”

Aside from their own book, they have also been publishing books written and illustrated by their contemporaries, most recently being a solo-comic book by French illustrator McBess. What makes this so unique is that it comes with a 45’ vinyl recorded by the author’s band to play while you read it. The effect is almost like reading a silent movie with musical accompaniment.

With such a prolific output in 2009, I ask what is in store for this year? “We have more comic books on the way in 2010 plus some limited edition vinyl toys as well as a whole raft of new screen printed limited edition books. We also want to open the studio up as a shop front”. And for those wanting to start up their own publishing house in such trying times? “Take your time to get the materials and printer that you are happy will do the right job for you. Expect lots and lots of paperwork if you want to sell the publication via shops”.



With Borders bookstore suddenly going into administration last year and Rupert Murdoch now wanting to charge for online newspapers, there appears to be a call for change in the air as to what we now want out of our books and how we want to read them. NoBrow appears to be answering this call and suggesting that if we are to value our pictures and words being massproduced, then they need to be less disposable. They need to be more about touching and handling a unique object that, in the case of the NoBrow book we can also smell, and in their McBess comic, hear.

NoBrow are currently taking submissions for their next publication via Flickr.
Please click on the following link for further information:
nobrow.net/flickr-competition