ARTOMATIC produced some key pieces that were notable for the attention they brought, the disasters they averted or the things we learned. We nurtured a unique culture from the start–to solve problems irrespective of cost and to embrace innovation and creativity at every level. It got us into trouble when things went wrong and clients didn't always understand that when we said it couldn't be done, it couldn't. Here are both the high and the low points of our production career from 1993 - 2003.

ARTOMATIC's history is closely entwined with the music industry–we've produced a number of special editions in CD and vinyl over the years. Here's some plus some we didn't make but wish we had

We'd always produced a fair share of invitations mostly from design companies, but it seemed to suddenly escalate when we opened the Library and the ARTOMATIC+ facility in Clerkenwell as more PR companies and others became exposed to our capabilities and thinking. What we did notice was how ceratin looks and techniques quickly came in and out of vogue and this arena was the most fast-moving in terms of collective thinking. Here's a selection...

The CD was gift to packaging designers and producers–it was small, often carried valuable material though it had no intrinsic value in itself and it was delicate. Thus it offered considerable scope for creativity and invited a range of materials beyond the cheapest. We produced a lot when they first appeared and here's some that merit a second look

We had done a lot of prep work for the digital age. We had already spent the eighties and nineties trying to convince people that printing wasn't all about four-colour reproduction. When the digital age dawned, it suddenly gave us a fresh purpose. We encouraged our clients to use more expressive materials and different techniques and create items with a more emotive, rather than literal value to them. Sometimes, we succeeded.

At times, it seemed like all we produced were transit boxes in corrugated cardboard. The repetition with with we made them made me wonder about how we worked with people–should we steer them away from doing the same thing? Was it merely the same thing to us and not to them? Was it any of our business what they chose to have?

Press releases were a rare opportunity for indulgence–quantities were often small and the target audience are typically the most over-mailed and under-attentive and so it needs to be special just to get across their desk.

Artomatic wasn't deeply enmeshed in the world of advertising and direct mail–other than the OpenUp exhibitions and its long-term involvement with Royal Mail. However, it did amass some interesting examples of the medium–a few of which it produced

Perhaps ARTOMATIC's role as producer-of-last-resort was most obviously tested in stationery and business cards. It produced a few notable items when budgets allowed but collected a few more to show how it should be done. Here's a selection from that selection

It always struck me that either restaurants, their designers or ARTOMATIC were slow to engage with the very obvious benefits of being creative with materials and printing techniques. But, some nice ones did get produced. Similarly, we were never heavily involved with producing some of the tags and addenda that's necessary to creating fashionable brand experiences. Maybe because both of these industries tend to stay in their own worlds. We did do a few nice moving cards though...

Inevitably, we produced a lot of Christmas cards. Most were from design companies who'd obviously been planning and thinking about it for a very long time. A few suddenly realised it was Christmas and would walk in the day before the last posting day. We also got sent some nice ones too...

We rarely produced books in their entirety but sometimes we were lucky enough to get involved in producing the covers, and usually because the publishers wanted something interesting.

It was quite surprising how regularly we produced catalogues, which reflected the growing need to add a more emotional alternative to on-line competitors. Rarer were opportunities to work with magazines and when we got them, we relished them.

Everything else that wouldn't fit in any of the other categories–which, frankly could be all of it, since what we were asked to do veried so much, it was always hard to pin it down. See for yourself.