Collaboration Winter & Company

'Don't judge a book by its cover'

A common saying. What this means is that the content of a book is just as important as the cover. We certainly agree with that, but a good cover can definitely make all the difference when it comes to a book’s success. At NPN|Graphius, we love creating beautiful things, which is why we pay close attention to the cover. 

We don't do this alone, by the way, but in collaboration with Winter & Company. They are our right hand when it comes to unique and special cover materials, setting standards in creativity, appearance and quality.

About Winter & Company

Winter & Company has been around for a while. And that's actually a huge understatement. In fact, the company was founded back in 1892 and has since grown into a global enterprise. Their spirit for innovation has always been a guiding principle in their work. You can still see this today in their consultative and investigative attitude and in the huge variety of unique, creative and high-quality cover materials.
This allows designers to maximize their creativity to create beautiful, unique products.

At NPN|Graphius, we work closely with our clients. Simply put, we operate under the motto “Nothing is impossible.” Our partnership with Winter & Company is an essential part of this. Together with the client, we search for the perfect material to ultimately create the most suitable cover. Winter & Company plays an advisory role in this process and continues to surprise us and our clients with the latest innovations in cover design.

Beyond appearance

When you want to develop a good cover for your book, its appearance may be the first thing you think about. Of course, it is important that this appearance matches the content and the idea the designer has in his or her head.
Still, it is good to look beyond just the look. After all, the feel also does an awful lot. Is the material hard or soft, flexible or rigid, heavy or light? That all affects the complete picture. In the design process it is therefore important to actually hold the materials, to experience them.

Saskia de Roos of Winter & Company is happy to support us in this. She has enjoyed working for the company for 27 years now: "No day is the same and that diversity is what drives me. I'm on the road a lot and our client portfolio ranges from a relatively small manual bookbinder to very large, modern design agencies. I really enjoy that variety and, of course, I also love all the beautiful materials we sell. I am a particular fan of our coated materials. They really stand out from the standard picture. They are very beautiful, strong and their possibilities are almost endless."

Common Ground with NPN|Graphius

Saskia believes it is important to involve both the designer and the final producer (the printers and binders) in the process. However, she tries to start with the designer. After all, a designer often has the biggest voice when it comes to decisions.

“I really enjoy expanding my network with designers, sitting down with them, and inspiring them. I see clear common ground here with NPN|Graphius. They, too, think in terms of possibilities and are open to experimenting with unique materials. Not every printer is willing to do that. They’re often a bit hesitant to try new things.”

“I also think NPN|Graphius is very knowledgeable, and they’re just a really great group of people. We’ve been working together for almost 20 years and know each other inside and out. The relationship is personal, and communication is direct. That makes working with them a real pleasure for us!”