About
Unicalendar 2018 – An Emoji Inspired Letterpress Calendar
$5,805
87
The Unicalendar is a luxuriously printed single-page letterpress calendar and foil sticker pack inspired by worldly celebrations and exotic emoji. It is designed to display an entire year at a glance, substituting bold iconography for popular holidays and unusual events.
About the 2018 Edition
The 2018 Unicalendar is a 12”x24” letterpress print designed by Josh Williams (it me!) in Saint Helena, California. It is printed by the inimitable Studio On Fire in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Each print features four ink colors applied in two separate passes through a Heidelberg Cylinder press, and (BONUS ROUND!) includes a set of 80 super rad “double foil” emoji stickers so you can make your copy one-of-a-kind. Your print will be impressed with a seal of authenticity, then SIGNED and numbered in an open edition. It will be delivered to you in a fine art tube in time for the holidays. More below, READ ON!
The Holidays
To help you stay on top of important dates, 56 Unicalendar days feature a unique emoji-inspired holiday icon. The diverse selection of holidays represent a cross section of both popular and obscure world celebrations. Have no worries, my friend, the included legend will help you out with some that may be unfamiliar (shout out to Croissant Day!).
About the Emoji
Each emoji-inspired icon is created from scratch using a 32-pixel grid as if it were designed for your modern smartphone — only these icons are being transferred to a photopolymer plate thanks to the incredible power of ultraviolet light. Then they're pressed lovingly into 300gsm (thick and heavy, mate) paper using a rich, black ink. Think of these like new school old school icons.
"Double Foil" Emoji Stickers
Each of us have special dates that hold unique significance in our lives. To keep track days that matter every 2018 Unicalendar includes 80 “Double Foil” Emoji Stickers designed to match your letterpress print. Every sticker is pressed with a holographic foil base and is topped with a black foil icon.
Use these to mark up your Unicalendar with events and occasions important to you, your family, or team. You’ll find decals for celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries as well as for life events like completing a race or welcoming a new family member. There’s also a small section for you to add notes for your Additions and Achievements. At the end of the year, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind artifact to keep and enjoy.
As a backer, you’ll get to help me choose the final selection of emoji that will be included on the sticker pack.
The Gradient
The Unicalendar gradient is produced using a “split fountain” process and features Pantone 213, Pantone 2090, and Pantone 3125 — hues chosen specifically for this year. They’re also a subtle nod to the saturated color fades found in many of my favorite apps. Reproducing a fine-art quality gradient on a letterpress is no small feat, and is a key reason why I chose to partner with Studio On Fire for this edition.
Reward Tiers
Let's talk about the goods!
About the Press
Studio On Fire is a best-in-class craft letterpress printer located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their expertise, capabilities, and attention to detail made them the ideal production partner for the Unicalendar.
About the Designer
Josh Williams (me again!) is an independent designer living in Northern California with his wife and three kids. He has been designing icons for both screen and print, for clients large and small, for over 20 years.
Special Thanks
- To Ben, Jeanine, Kelsey, Travis, and the crew at Studio On Fire for your help bringing this project to life
- To Ruchi, Andrew, and Jim whose feedback inspired the stickers
- To Alex and Jeff, who helped me navigate the waters of video production and Kickstarter
- To Erik, Paul, Tim, Keeg, Majd, John, and Brian, for your enthusiasm
- To Rach for a ceaseless supply of ideas and support
- To Jan for watching the kids
- Music by Super Duper
Risks and challenges
A calendar as a timely artifact. In preparing for the 2018 Unicalendar project, we knew careful planning would be necessary to ensure delivery of the highest quality product by the end of 2017. I began work on the 2018 edition in March, the files were proofed in May, and Studio On Fire completed an initial printing in June. After the completion of this Kickstarter we will do a final letterpress run in September. We will also complete the double foil stickers at that time. This will allow us to package and ship in late October and November, in time for the holidays and the New Year.
International fulfillment is our largest unknown. We’ve shipped a couple initial copies to friends abroad, and the customs process for each country is a little different. Sometimes it can take a week, sometimes three. We’ll do our best to have everything to everyone in a timely manner.
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Funding period
- (30 days)