After receiving samples of The Sage Colleges Overview Book we reached out to Sarah Statham, Art Director for The Sage Colleges, to find out more about the piece.
The overview book was printed on Finch Opaque, Bright White, Vellum, 80 lb. cover and 80 lb. text.
Finch Paper: You have been with The Sage Colleges for eight years and before that you were in Georgia. Do you find there to be significant differences in the way the two areas approach design?
Sarah Statham: In Georgia I worked for a large, urban state university. I currently work for a small private college in New York, there are many differences including being a one-and-a-half person design shop compared to working alongside seven designers. The great part is that my current duties range from selecting an interior paint color palette for the college to designing admission viewbooks.
Finch Paper: Have you adjusted your approach to design as a result of moving to the Northeast?
Statham: I work directly with suppliers which has allowed me to explore and research paper options and specialty processes like UV coating.
Finch Paper: What is your favorite aspect of designing within the higher education industry?
Statham: The audience ranges from tween prospectives to our alumni. This allows for a lot of diversity in look while maintaining our brand throughout.
Finch Paper: Do your personal preferences influence your design?
Statham: Yes. I like minimalism – and I think this is reflected in many of the pieces I produce.
Finch Paper: Do current events regarding the environment impact the choices you make as a designer?
Statham: Of course, the environment is an important topic. I often select FSC-certified and recycled content paper.
Finch Paper: Had you ever printed on Finch Paper before?
Statham: I recently printed the Sage College of Albany and Russell Sage College viewbooks on Finch. Both books have heavy coverage and I like how the paper held the ink. I also used a UV coating on both to make some text and images pop from the paper. This worked nicely on the uncoated sheet.
Finch Paper: Do The Sage Colleges have a stance on sustainability or environmental footprint?
Statham: We replaced our office lights with CFL’s and office paper is recycled–as mentioned all of our Alum publications and annual magazine are FSC-certified.
Finch Paper: Where do you find inspiration online and in day-to-day life?
Statham: I like to look at Illustrators’ websites like Gina Triplett, Brian Cronin and Katie Ridley. Also, getting outside and riding my bicycle helps to stir up creative energy.
Many thanks to Sarah for participating in this Q&A and for buying local. Since The Sage Colleges are located nearby, Sarah’s choice in Finch realized a smaller environmental footprint for transportation as well as the paper’s manufacture.
