In issue number eight of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly, we explore the material selection process of London-based designer and craftsman Sebastian Cox, who carefully and thoughtfully hand selects timber for his creative designs largely based on his emotional connection to the raw materials.

The theme of issue 08 of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly is “Feel” — not only physical touch, but also the special thing that happens when multiple senses conspire to take you down the same path. What types of feelings/emotions do you hope your works evoke  for the people who buy them?

I want people to feel engaged with nature and connected to a certain place and time when they buy my furniture; provenance, tradition and heritage are important elements of my work.

I also want people to feel familiar with the piece; like they know it and understand it. More-so, I want them to have a feeling of familiarity that challenges the typical ‘familiar’ and makes them think differently about the next piece of furniture they buy, what it’s made of and where it comes from. Something which takes them way beyond the things they already have in their homes or the instant gratification of experiences online.

How do you select the wood for each product? Is there are feeling you get (physical or sensorial) when choosing the materials?

Once I’m in the timber yard looking through boules of timber, the selection process is heavily led by my own emotional connection to my material. In promoting the breadth of British hardwoods that we have available to us I have a much greater level of affection for timber which is particularly characterful and expresses the variety which makes British hardwoods so spectacular.

Timber like that, with colourful detailing, flecking, pipping, defined grains, knots and shakes, elicits a great feeling of excitement within me because those features are true manifestations of the beauty of my material and it’s those features that drive my creativity and the designing process.

How do your own feelings come through in your work?

My passion for the material is clearly shown through the way we use them in the workshop and in the design process; we use them in a sensitive and considered way. Everything we produce is embodied by the love of the maker. We enjoy what we do and we’re proud of the work we produce. I believe that a little bit of that feeling is embodied in everything that leaves the workshop. So much so, we tried to capture this in the piece we created for Clerkenwell Design Week, with artist Laura Ellen Bacon, called the Invisible Store of Happiness.

But, how?

Introducing A Maker’s Field Guide to Texture and Color, an ambitious and comprehensive new printed tool from Mohawk, designed to serve as a hands-on resource for the creative community.

The Maker’s Field Guide will engage, inspire and educate designers and brand owners, while demonstrating how high quality materials, such as textured and colored papers, can transform printed communications from good to great.

“Paper is a powerful tool, on par with copy and design in its ability to deliver, enhance and create memorable impact. Just as food delivers more than simply nutrition, the flavor and presentation of a meal plays a role in how we enjoy and remember the experience,” says Chris Harrold, Vice President of Business Development and Creative Director, Mohawk.

Created by Hybrid Design of San Francisco, CA, this comprehensive resource will be the definitive guide to using texture and color to amplify printed projects, underscoring the importance of using materials as a powerful communication tool.

In the spirit of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly (also designed by Hybrid), the Maker’s Field Guide contains thoughtful content and compelling design and showcasing everyday printing techniques on a variety of distinctive colored and textured papers to demonstrate the beauty and printability of Mohawk’s expansive Text & Cover portfolio.

Featuring stunning photography by Kennett Mohrman and David Prince; extraordinary illustrations by Lab Partners and Olimpia Zagnoli; and printed examples featuring a variety of makers and creatives that have been featured in past issues of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly, A Maker’s Field Guide to Texture and Color will truly become a must-have for anyone who loves working with paper and print.

Designed to appeal to distinct audiences – printers and designers/communicators – the Maker’s Field Guide features customized wraps providing specific information to help each audience maximize its contents.

Content was developed to entice readers to consider new ways to select and use materials to maximize the power of print, focusing on three primary strategies:

Materials: The power of materials as a key component of communication
Texture: Time-tested strategies to get the most out of textured paper
Color: Strategies to heighten the impact of printed projects by using colored paper

“Equal parts inspiration, education, and conversation, the Maker’s Field Guide aims to equip printers, communicators and designers with practical strategies and powerful demonstrations of how persuasive uncoated textured and colored papers can be when fully understood and utilized,” continued Harrold.

The design of the Maker’s Field Guide rivals the inspirational content contained within. The tool features a wide array of printing techniques including offset printing, foil stamping, and embossing processes on 32 distinctive colored and textured papers drawn from nearly every Mohawk paper grade, including: BriteHue, Carnival, Via, Loop, Options, Superfine, Strathmore and Via, as well as papers from The Curious Collection.

The Maker’s Field Guide was skillfully printed by Sandy Alexander, Clifton, NJ, using four color printing, 2nd black, 4th white, match blue, match red, match brown, match purple, match pink, match orange and match gold.

For more information, visit mohawkconnects.com/makersfieldguide.