SUMMER CATALOGUE 2021
DESIGN FOR TODAY
www.centralbooks.com This catalogue highlights the current books which are available via Central Books, who are distributing our books to shops and galleries. Do visit their website https://www.centralbooks.com/publishers/DESIGG/ for all trade orders. Individual orders can be placed via our website https://www.designfortoday.co.uk/shop
DESIGN FOR TODAY Five Years & Counting
THE 2020 V& A Illustration Award Welcome to the new catalogue from Design For Today. It’s now five years since our launch and we’ve survived fire and now pandemic! It’s such a thrill to announce that our edition of Hansel & Gretel, A Nightmare in Eight Scenes, and illustrated by Clive Hicks-Jenkins, with words by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, has won the prestigious 2020 V&A Illustration Award. Quite amazing! We are proud to print responsibly and all of our books are printed in England and Belgium using sustainable materials. Our editions are small, bridging the gap between artist’s editions and mass market books. We recognise our responsibility to respect human rights and the environment and work with partners who share this vision.
LITHOGRAPHY
Illustrated by Bernard Cheese A 20 panel concertina book
DRAWN TO THE STONE
ht by Clarke or Puffin, Faber Curwen and e examples of bing, for Harold ic Reproduction
The appreciation of Stone Lithography is returning, both as a counterbalance to today’s digital technology but also, as the legacy of the artist/lithographers of the 20th Century gains wider recognition, inspiring artists and printmakers to experiment too.
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OGR AP
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Y
Bernard Cheese was one of the foremost illustrators and lithographers of the last century, and, alongside his printmaking, taught lithography at The Central School of Art and Design.
D R AW N TO T H E S TO N E
Bernard Cheese
as ‘a quiet out the unusual he humanity playing games. t The Royal n La Dell, who et, sketchbook was at The son, and together itain murals, in printmaking making at St s and then at the w of the Royal n many public
D R AW N TO T H E S TO N E
This little illustrated introduction to stone lithography was designed by Bernard Cheese, one of the finest lithographers of his generation, and arose from trying to describe lithography in words (very hard). It is accompanied here by examples of markmaking by Hilary Stebbing, who attended The Central in the 1930s and lithographed some of the most stunning children’s books of the mid-20th Century
H IT
Lithography by Bernard Cheese is an illustrated introduction and guide to the world of stone lithography. On one side is an illustrated guide to the process of stone lithography, drawn by Bernard Cheese. On the reverse is a more detailed explanation of the process with an historical overview, and also with added illustrations of the textures achievable, lithographed by Hilary Stebbing in the 1940s
Illustrations by Bernard Cheese
A perfect introduction for anyone curious as to the mysterious art of stone lithography!
Textures by Hilary Stebbing www.designfortoday.co.uk
ese & Hilary Stebbing
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Published 20 June 2021 8
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Concertina format 10 panels, each 95mm x 130mm
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ISBN 978-1-912066-95-7 £10
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SCREEN PRINTING AT HOME A 20 page RISO book by YukFun Screen Printing at Home is our first RISO book, something we’ve been wanting to publish for some time, as we love the textures and the uncertainty of precise allignment and feeling of D.I.Y. The book is designed and written by YukFun, the exciting Brighton-based partnership who design, make and print their work. This is an illustrated guide to D.I.Y. screen printing, using what you already have at home, and also a guide to what you will need in order to print on your kitchen table. It is not intended to be a definitive and technical guide (there are plenty on the net) but more of a D.I.Y. guide and introduction to anyone who was thinking of trying out screen printing at home. It’s also, of course, a beautiful example of riso print and imaginative design. Paperback, 20pp, 200mm x 150mm ISBN 978-1-912066-73-5 £10
ABBAT
MORDERN TOYS FOR MODERN New & revised edition 2021 Paul and Marjorie Abbatt were pioneers of the modern toy in Britain. Their bright, colourful and practical wooden toys and play equipment heralded a new age of toy manufacture, bringing a modernist approach combined with an informed understanding of play and its crucial role in development. Abbatt Toys : Modern Toys for Modern Children is the first book-length study of the Abbatts and their work. Filled with images of their pioneering designs, the book explores how, inspired by their visits to several schools in Austria during an extended honeymoon, the Abbatts returned to London and established Abbatt Toys in 1932. From wooden trains and two-seater rocking ‘Funboats’ to brightly-coloured tray puzzles, climbing frames and ‘Hideouts’, the company made and sold toys which were designed to last and to leave plenty of room
T T TOYS
Soft cover 210mm x 210mm 144 pages ISBN 978-1-912066-74-2 £25
N CHILDREN by Alan Powers
for imagination and experiment. ‘The right toy for the right age’ became an Abbatt slogan. The company’s memorable logo (a boy and girl in silhouette, holding hands) and its spacious Wimpole Street showroom were designed by Goldfinger, and the Abbatts commissioned talented young designers such as Freda Skinner, James Gardner – later to become one of the chief designers for the Festival of Britain to work on their collections. The Abbatts were internationalists too, importing the best toys from Scandinavia. In the post-war years they were sponsors of designers such as Antonio Vitali, also stocking like-minded manufacturers such as Kiddicraft and Escor Toys. Paul and Marjorie Abbatt’s pioneering work in promoting active play, and our understanding of child development, had a significant impact on nursery education through their writing, catalogues, talks and researches. This fascinating book is an essential read for anyone with an interest in British Modernism, the pioneering European educationalists, the history of the toy, or simply fans of beautifully designed wooden toys.
Alan Powers is a writer on mid-century design, and a university teacher. He has written about many key figures of British modernism, and is the Chairman of Trustees of Pollock’s Toy Museum.
ALONG A concertina picture book by Louise Lockhart Along The Pier is a joyful ten panel concertina of the seaside stalls & attractions that you can find in our wonderful seaside towns. Fish & Chips, Bucket & Spade, Ice Cream cones, and more! On the reverse of the concertina is a seaside panorama of the beach, pier and harbour, just waiting for that mantlepiece, or even framers. Along The Pier is printed in glowing spot pantones, no digital printing here, and in England too.. This is the long awaited follow-up to Up My Street, the first book Louise designed and one that we’ve had so many requests for that it’s going to be re-issued in a new cover and design!
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Concertina each panel 200mm x 130mm 10 double sided panels ISBN 978-1-912066-96-4 £14.95
G THE PIER! Published 20 June 2021
B ROA DWAY M A RK ET
BROA Newly Published!!
N AT S KO S EK I
Broadway Market is an eight panel concertina of shops and market stalls. Beautifully displayed in an illustrated folder along with cards and diecut figures to play with.
D E S I G N F O R TO DAY
LET ’ S GO TO TH E MARKET AN 8 PANEL FOLDING BOOK & MATCHING GAME
Natsko grew up in Tokyo, and studied educational psychology at Keio University in Tokyo before moving to England. Her work is inspired by architecture, and people from different ages and cultures. Her timeless illustrations are in great demand and her clients include: NHS Foundation Trust, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Hermès, Scandinavian Airlines and Transport for London.
ADWAY MARKET Illustrated by Natsko Seki
Concertina 150mm x 130mm 8 double sided panels diecut figures and card game ISBN 978-1-912066-55-1 £14.95
The Bird House
Hilary Stebbing’s
by Clive Hicks-Jenkins Published by DESIGN FOR TODAY
The Bird House by Clive-Hicks-Jenkins
Circus by Marion Elliot
The Bantam Picture Book project celebrates the autolithgraphed childrens books published during the darkest days of WW2, at a time of paper shortages and rationing. The Bantams were the brainchild of Noel Carrington who commissioned the cream of the available illustrators for these little books. They were printed on thin paper, roughly
stapled, and few have survived, but their quality shines. These two books are in identical format to the originals. The Bird House a joyful text-less collection of birds, real and imagined from award-winning illustrator, Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Circus is a witty tribute to the art and illustration of the circus. It was made using collage and hand lettering by Marion Elliot.
Available now!
Paperback, stapled, 16 pp, 130x100mm £10 each, housed in a paper folder
Hardback, 16pp, 145mm x 235mm, ISBN 978-1-912066-60-5, £14.95
EMMA LEWIS
CHUFF CHUFF Here are the children on a school trip away. Everyone’s happy there’s no lessons today!
Here are commuters, off to their jobs. Laptops and mobiles are never switched off.
www.designfortoday.co.uk
“BING-BONG! All aboard!”
SI W E L A MME
Find your seat and enjoy the ride! In this joyful 16 page concertina pull out book, revel in a rollicking, rhyming train journey that takes you and its passengers from the city station, through glorious green countryside and to faraway places beyond… Illustrated by the award winning Emma Lewis.
FF U HC FF U HC WHOOOO-EEE-OOOOOO!
Here is the driver who sits in the engine, in charge of the lo-co-motives direction.
k u . o c .y a d o t r o f n g i s e d . w w w
NEAR THE BEAR NORTH An ABC by Mick Manning
Near The Bear, North is a unique alphabet book of pochoir prints, hand stencilled in layers of stippled colour, a craft tradition popularised in the Art Deco prints of the French Atelier’s of the 1920’s and the Curwen Press. The prints were inspired by Mick Manning’s explorations of the North, the untamed wilderness of Scotland and Scandinavia and the haunting beauty of its wildlife. Mick Manning grew up in Haworth, Yorkshire and graduated from the Royal College, then devising the Illustration course at The Glasgow School of Art. Since 1998 Mick has been concentrating on his books, paintings and pochoir prints. Hardback (Sussex bound) 240mm x 280mm ISBN 978-1-912066-63-6 £14.95 Suitable for all ages
a few specials now available!
Sardines A L’Huile by Glynn Boyd-Harte A special facsimile edition of one of the most sought after autolithographed books of the 20th Century. Glynn Boyd-Harte became of the most in-demand, and certainly of the the most talented, of the illustrators and artists who rose to prominance in the 70s and 80s. Originally published by Warren Editions this is published in an edition of just 600 copies, silver blocked, and bound in Ratchford cloth.
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Hardback 240mm x 280mm ISBN 978-1-912066-54-4 £65.00 600 copies
Available to pre-order now Published 28 June 2021
HANSEL & GRETEL by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage & Illustrated by Clive Hicks-Jenkins V&A 2020 Illustration Winner! “Not a sugary dream, but a nightmare in eight scenes: make no bones about Poet Laureate Simon Armitage’s contemporary retelling of the tale most familiar in the Brothers Grimm version. Hansel and Gretel’s plight becomes that of child refugees, whose parents’ agonising decision is to abandon their offspring to give them their only chance of surviving war. Armitage took his cue from the darkly imaginative illustrations by artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins, who has now translated the original visions from the puppet show, Armitage’s words are the constantly shining white pebbles guiding the piece; his final verbal riff on light and dark will be even better savoured on the published page.” - Rian Evans, The Guardian Hardback 96pp 230mm x 230mm ISBN 978-1-912066-62-9 £25.00
PRINTER’S ABC Illustrated by Diana Dăgădiţă
Available now!
A brilliant new illustrated book, created using letterpress, linocut and screenprint. A Printer’s ABC is an illustrated guide and introduction to the mysteries of letterpress. Each letter illustrates a collection of tools and terms of the printing trade. Diana has recently gradutated from Solent University and we are delighted to be publishing her first book.
PRINTER’S ABC Diana Dăgădiţă
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Printers ABC Cover.indd 1
978-1-912066-57-5
781912 066575
Design For Today
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Hardback 40pp 200mm x 200mm ISBN 978-1-912066-57-5 £12.95
An illustrated collection of tools and terms from A to ... Goose.
14/08/2019 10:08
WHITE HORSES Illustrated by Eric Ravilious & Alice Pattullo
Ravilious’ lost picture book! The tale of Eric Ravilious’ and the ‘lost’ Puffin Picture Book is well known. Sadly, a combination of bad timing and war put paid to the projected Puffin and for many years the dummy was thought to have been lost or destroyed. The working title was either Downland Man or White Horses, and centred on the wonderful downland watercolours that Ravilious completed in a flurry of activity in late 1939. Now, at last, the ‘lost’ Puffin has been recreated, using Ravilious’ original watercolours and with the black and white drawings completed by contemporary illustrator, Alice Pattullo. Paperback 32pp 220mm x 180mm ISBN 978-1-912066-61-2 £15.00
The Print Shop The Print Shop is a celebration of print and 40 Years of Calverts, the Printers Co-op based in the heart of East London’s Bethnal Green. It illustrates the story of a book as it progresses from scribble, to dummy, to selecting fonts, paper size, bindings, colour, and then printing and finishing. Each panel of the concertina is printed using a different print and finishing process. Some panels are embossed or blocked and there are little inserts too. A mini riso-book, tipped in paper samples ... and more!
Concertina 115mm x 1320mm ISBN 978-1-912066-68-1 £10
by Alice Pattullo
Paperbound 100mm x 700mm ISBN 978-1-912066-69-8 £4
A Little Book of Things to Be by Alice Pattullo An exquisite mini concertina of just 10cms in height by 70cms long. It’s a mid-century careers guide, a collection of trades and figures to delight and amuse. Lithographed in 4 spot colours by Alice Pattullo at Calverts, East London. The perfect little gift.
THE HAND BOOK
Of hopes and dreams by Sally Kindberg gaze at your hands ... and dream! Share the hopes and dreams of many different characters as you unfold the pages of Sally Kindberg’s Hand Book. Meet an astronaut, an Arctic explorer, a pantomime horse (the front half ), a scientist, a cook, a magician, a spy, a birdwatcher, a queen, an alien, a hairdresser, a tiger, an artist, a ghost, a sailor, a surgeon, a mind-reader, a gardener, a fossil-hunter, an optician … Be inspired by the images around each character and invent all sorts of stories about them, delighting in their adventures. What are your own hopes and dreams? Anything is possible!
Concertina 150mm x 100mm 12 double sided panels ISBN 978-1-912066-64-3 £5
We are thrilled to have re-published Quiz, by Enid Marx. It is by far the scarcest of her wartime lithographed books, mainly because of it’s small size and ephemeral quality. This reissue is spot lithographed in East London, as was the original, and comes with the little envelope so it can be posted off much in the same way as the Quiz of 1942.
Paperback 8pp 40mm x 95mm with accompanying envelope ISBN 978-1-912066-70-4 £5
Welcome to the
Welcome to the Motel California is a celebration of the art of the matchbooks of the Californian motels of the 1950s and 60s. These iconic motels thrived in the postwar heyday of the automobile as ‘tin can tourists’ headed out on highways such as Route 66 to discover the vastness of America. Signage was everything and these wonderful designs were replicated on matchbooks, freely available at the bar and reception. Today, most of these iconic motels have vanished, but we’re able to glimpse this bygone era through their matchbooks which have survived, and now avidly collected. The book features an introductory essay, followed by 29 full page screenprints of matchbook covers by FRANTICHAM. It is quarter cloth bound and printed on uncoated 170gsm Munken Lynx Rough paper in an edition of 1250 copies. Hardback, 32pp, 255mm x200mm ISBN 978-1-912066-56-8 £16.50
DESIGN FOR TODAY
FOREIGN RIGHTS AVAILABLE
OUT OF PRINT
Joe Pearson
Please contact for details info@designfor today.co.uk
As Time Passes By Madelena Matoso
info@designfortoday.co.uk www.designfortoday.co.uk instagram : designfortoday 30 Victoria Road Topsham Devon EX3 0EU Please contact for details, samples and orders. For Trade Orders, please contact Central Books
The Squeeze Book By Alex Barrow Captain’s Alphabet By Jonny Hannah Up My Street By Louise Lockhar t Brick House by Alice Pattullo A Bloomsbury Souvenir by Alice Pattullo Animal Parade By Clare Youngs Hilary Stebbing’s Bantam Picture Books 3 Stories Esther Cox
ephemera, objects of curiosity, books to read and touch