Exceptional design isn’t just about the finished product. It’s created with sustainability in mind – from inception to completion. At PRINT, we celebrate design that’s mindful of the environment around us – built to last, with minimal waste or negative impact on natural resources. 2024 PRINT Awards paper and packaging partner Monadnock exemplifies this ethos in their work, with proof visible on every page.
When he decided to portray the remarkable story of The Lobstermen of Little Cranberry Island, award-winning photographer Tadd Myers committed to a design and production process as sustainability oriented as its subject.
Myers’ 40-page book marries words, images, and carefully selected paper to depict the inspiring heritage of a community and the industry that has supported it for generations. Founded in 1978, The Cranberry Isle Fishermen’s Co-Op comprises 28 independent fishermen and one woman from Little Cranberry Island, Maine. The Co-Op delivers its daily catch live or cooked and vacuum-sealed, marketed as Little Cranberry Lobsters, to restaurants, distributors, specialty stores, and individuals across the country. Though the 200-acre island has only 85 year-round residents, one grocery store, one pier, and one restaurant, it boasts an abundance of rugged natural beauty and a strong commitment to preserving its lobster legacy through careful environmental stewardship.
In this spirit, the Co-Op has collaborated with government agencies in establishing trap limits, size limits, and safe-guarding egg-bearing females. All lobsters are Marine Stewardship Council certified, sustainable, and traceable. In March 2019, the Co-Op began the process of solar power installation, projected to cover 110% of its energy needs and reduce its carbon footprint by 22,073 pounds every year.
After learning about the Co-Op’s multi-generation lobstermen members and sustainability bona fides, Myers was determined to tell their story. The Lobstermen of Little Cranberry Island showcases a selection of 24 stunning images culled from thousands that Myers and his team captured over a week of shooting on board the lobster boats and on the island.
Myers has spent the last two decades working with clients including American Airlines, Apple, Chevrolet, Harvard University, New Balance, Sprint, The United Way, Titleist, and Walmart, and in 2020 he was named one of the world’s best advertising photographers by ARCHIVE Magazine.
When conceiving this project, Myers kept an eye on sustainability at every step.
“This is my fifth and largest book project, and I wanted to make a piece that was not only beautiful but also deeper in concept,” says Myers. “Once we started talking about this book with the Co-Op leaders – who are incredibly enviro-conscious in how they source their lobsters – I was determined to find a printer and papermaker, also based out of the Northeast, who were equally sustainable in their approach and values.”
He selected Villanti Printers (doing business out of Milton, Vermont), the first printer in that state to receive Forest Stewardship Council certification, and the ninth in North America. Founded in 1959, the third-generation, family-owned business unites a “Culture of Craftsmanship” with on-going sustainability investments, including the installation of one of Vermont’s largest rooftop solar arrays, VOC-free inks, and a comprehensive recycling program which includes all wastepaper, bindery scraps, plastic, wood, metal, and more.
The promotion was designed by Jeff Barfoot and Geoff German, who were creative collaborators at the time. Both have continued to impact the design world; Jeff Barfoot is now Co-CEO and Chief Creative Officer at *TraceElement and Geoff German serves as Creative Director at Squires&Co.
“Designing a promotion like this is easy when you have images like this to showcase. The key is to not overcook it. Let the amazing images be the hero, pepper in some fresh typography, add a conceptual support element (we loved the idea of using the rubber band to play off of the lobster claw bands) and don’t let the design get in the way and spoil it,” says Barfoot, reflecting on the creative process.
Myers knew from the project’s outset that he wanted to showcase the Co-Op story on uncoated stock. “I loved the idea of uncoated — it fits the imagery,” he says. “If you were only worried about perfectly toned and contrasted imagery you’d go with coated, but then you lose the feel. Everything I saw I was shooting I was seeing on uncoated stock.”
The path to paper led Myers to Monadnock Paper Mills, the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States, and its Astrolite PC 100® uncoated fine paper. Based out of Bennington, New Hampshire, the over 200-year-old mill’s longevity matches its high sustainability profile. Astrolite PC 100, like all Monadnock materials, is FSC Certified (FSC C018866), manufactured carbon-neutral (VERs), and made with 100% renewable Green-e certified wind-powered electricity (RECs) under a third-party certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.
“Tadd’s book is such a testament to his creative chops, ability to tell a story through great photography, and insight into how printing and paper can help to tell that story on a deeper and more meaningful level,” says Julie Brannen, Director, Sustainability Solutions for Monadnock. “We couldn’t be more pleased to help him achieve his sustainable vision along with our two long-term partners, Clampitt Paper and Villanti Printers.”
The meaning invested in this project’s design is mirrored in a quote from Co-Op member and Captain Steve Philbrook in The Lobstermen of Little Cranberry Island, which is both available to view online and for purchase at Myers’ website.
We are bound by the ocean on this island. It creates a spirit of cooperation and neighborliness that brings us all together. It gives us a shared purpose and shared goal of making this business work. You definitely feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself when you are on the ocean.
Steve Philbrook