THE ORPHANS CALENDAR - NOW THE YEAR CAN BEGIN
Every year Orphans produce a calendar. Sometimes it is ready in time for the New Year! In recent years it has built quite a following with our customers, many of whom anticipate it's arrival and are eager to see if it is a notch up on previous years. So here at Orphans we've realised that the pressure is back on us. We can't just serve up 12 landscapes of Herefordshire scenery. The Orphans calendar needs that extra spark of originality.
Three years ago friend of Orphans, ever-youthful Arthur Davis, ex-printer, historian, raconteur and very talented artist, produced a series of stunning illustrations based on our theme of 'children's books'. We added quirky captions and Amy pulled the designs together. A much admired calendar.
With the bar raised, the 2015 vintage was based on 'Brand Masters', a fond look at those classic old brands like Oxo and Ovaltine, their advertising messages way back when and how they have somehow carried on to the present day. Happily, Simon's tidy designs proved another winner.
To bring us up to the present the 2016 calendar is a daft collection of 'Essential Dates' for your diary. How essential? Well, January 21st is 'Squirrel Appreciation Day' and May 9th 'Lost Sock Memorial Day'. This time the captions, previously printed in 6pt type, have been increased a point or two so they are for the first time legible which is why I'll happily compliment Rachel on her marvellous design work. More importantly it seems to have met with the approval of our discerning customers.
There's no deep marketing rationale for the calendar. This just seemed a nice place to say how much we enjoy producing it and we're glad it's enjoyed equally by many customers. And so we'll wait, as ever, until the first week in December when we remember it's time to concoct the next 12 months!
