G . F Smith collaborates with design students on vinyl covers exploring the intersection of sound and colour

When it comes to colour, G . F Smith certainly knows its stuff. The paper manufacturer’s Colorplan range – a carefully crafted selection of 55 coloured papers – is a stalwart in many a designer’s practice. What’s given the company its place as the leading maker and curator of the world’s finest and most distinctive papers is its continued exploration of the multifaceted nature of colour, and the many ways it interacts with other senses, emotions and feelings. For its most recent project, G . F Smith joined forces with the music and sound design agency Father and graphic design students at Manchester School of Art to create a soundscape and a set of 12” vinyl covers responding to Colorplan’s vast array of hues.

“The project was born out of a fascination with the deep emotional impact that both colour and sound have on people; they’re two sensory experiences that, when combined, can evoke powerful emotions and memories,” says Benjamin Watkinson, global brand designer at G . F Smith. “The idea to explore this intersection came from thinking about how colour isn’t just something we see, but something we can hear and feel – and music and sound can amplify those emotions.” As a starting point, G . F Smith commissioned a soundscape that responded to the Colorplan collection, and Father was the perfect fit, thanks to the agency’s understanding of both visual communication and sound design.

From the get-go, Father was intrigued by the brief. “As a studio we’re always on the lookout for projects that will allow us to demonstrate the role sound can play in shaping and influencing our experience of the world and highlighting sound’s role as an essential component in design,” says co-founder Joe Farley. Rather than leading from a scientific angle, the agency instead decided to create as “artistic” a musical response to the colours as possible, reflecting how the paper is used by creatives and makers. They divided each of the 55 colours into groups, and assigned each an instrument, then recorded performances of the instruments for each individual colour. “Everything was played in the same musical key, so every performance can be arranged together to create music, in the same way you can use colours and paper in various combinations to create a piece of design,” says Joe.

To realise the physical design, G . F Smith turned to university students for a very specific reason – their lack of inhibition when it comes to the traditional boundaries of design. “We knew they would bring a raw creativity that might not be found in more established professionals,” says Benjamin. G . F Smith also believed their participation would offer up a “glimpse into the future of design”. With the focus of the project, it was a natural conclusion that the students’ final designs should be printed on vinyl covers. Vinyl has, of course, had a massive resurgence in recent years, something Benjamin puts down to people reengaging with physical materials in the face of a world increasingly dominated by digital platforms. “By focusing on vinyl,” he says, “we’re celebrating this intersection of design and sound, and vinyl sleeves are a timeless medium for doing that – they allow us to explore colour and sound in a beautifully tactile form.” The vinyl designs were all produced by Pressision, one of the UK’s leading creative printers.

Each of the ten students that G . F Smith selected as winners showed a unique approach to the brief, using interesting methods and visuals to realise their vision – such as abstract explorations of synaesthesia, for example, or a minimalistic approach realised through simple gradients. For Joe, one stand-out was Bradley Sansom’s type-centric approach, delving into the data that lies behind the colours in Colorplan. “He created an infographic-like representation of the CMYK colour model values for each paper that felt like it celebrated how a composition (whether sonic or visual) is greater than the sum of its parts,” Joe explains. Another is Connie Woodisse’s design, which Joe is drawn to for the way it “invites the listener to explore the soundscape using the shapes that she created as a visual guide through the music”.

Overall, says Benjamin, “what struck me most was [the students’] willingness to take risks – to explore the unconventional and push boundaries, resulting in work that felt fresh and highly personal.” And Joe, reflecting on the project, thinks it will be key in guiding people to consider the connections and relationships between different creative disciplines, and how such a vision might produce more insightful communication, and unexpected outcomes.