Graphic Design That Works

Job:12-84823 Title:RP-Graphic Design That Works (LDW)

175# Dtp:120/163 Page:222

Text (DS)

carter richer and stark

Carving Out an Identity

As a fairly new company, Carter Richer and Stark

needed a way to establish themselves in the industry

as highly skilled artisans. After researching the client’s

competition, the design team came across a stream of

very slick and glossy brochures. “I really wanted to

focus on the craftsmanship of their work and not the

commercial aspect,” says art director Gary Beelik.

“Because it was going to interior designers, architects,

and city planners, I wanted the piece to be modern

yet traditional.”

Wanting to highlight the beautifully detailed work of

Carter Richer and Stark, the design team sent in a

photographer to capture the carvers actively working

in their creative environment. At the time, they had

landed a major contract for St. James Cathedral, one of

the older and more traditional-style churches in

downtown Toronto. “Because they were just finishing

off these pinnacles for the cathedral, we decided to

feature them in the brochure,” notes Beelik.

Throughout the accordion-folded piece, cross-section

line drawings and schematics of the project were

lightly displayed in a blue-gray. “We also took found

images and drawings that they had in their studio and

scanned them into the computer,” Beelik adds. Using

Adobe Illustrator, the drawings were cleaned up and

carefully placed into the layout that alternated from

large to small black-and-white imagery.

CLIENT:

Carter Richer and Stark is a group

of classically trained craftsmen

specializing in stone carving and

conservation masonry.

FIRM:

Soapbox Design Communications

ART DIRECTOR:

Gary Beelik

DESIGNER:

Jim Ryce

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Alison Wardman

COPYWRITER:

Brian Richer

ABOVE: The small-format promotion

piece has a sophisticated and

worldly quality to it. The front

cover and back panel, printed in a

soft stone blue, feature a rosette-

like pattern found in a book on

European stone carvings. The

square-flapped envelope repeats

the same pattern.

Graphic Design That Works

222

216-229 84823 12/12/05 8:19 AM Page 222

Job:12-84823 Title:RP-Graphic Design That Works (LDW)

175# Dtp:120/163 Page:223

Text (DS)

W)

22

What Works

By focusing on the craftsmanship and artistry of stone

carving, the eye-catching and elegant brochure not only

established Carter Richer and Stark in the architectural

design industry, but it also generated work in their

primary area of expertise—the conservation of historic

sites. Because the brochure took on a modern

approach, it appealed to the client’s target market—

interior designers, architects, and city planners. “It got

them a huge contract with the provincial government

to restore the Whitney block in Toronto,” concludes

Beelik.

The simple two-color brochure used stochastic printing,

a process that uses frequency modulation to generate

randomly placed dots. Differing from the traditional

dot screen, stochastic printing provides richer color

with halftones that give the appearance of continuous

tone. “The detail is phenomenal,” shares Beelik. “Even

the tinted areas look like they were printed in a solid

color.” The small brochure was delivered in a specially

designed envelope to its target audience.

ABOVE: The interior panels

nicely juxtapose image with

text to detail the fine work of

Carter Richer and Stark.

223

216-229 84823 12/12/05 8:19 AM Page 223