The Song Project

posted by Emma Fisher November 6, 2014

We came across The Song Project completely out of the blue, and it struck a cord firstly with it’s eye-catching riso-printed postcards and secondly when we found out a bit more about the story behind the project. All designs are available to buy in aid of Niamh’s Fund. A charity recently set up to raise money for a little girl called who suffers from a rare form of cancer. We spoke to Pui and Nerys about how the project came about and how their using print to raise money for a very special cause.

How did the song project come about?
Nerys: Pui and I were discussing various design projects and thought that we would try to get everyone one in our design studio to put together a design project and give everyone the ability to unleash their hidden talents.
When we learned about Niamh’s Fund, we thought what better opportunity than this. Those who have participated have loved designing something unique and knowing it is for such a good cause has spurred us on. It has been a complete joy to work on!
Pui: Nerys and I both work at the M&S packaging design studio. We heard about a little girl called Niamh, who goes to the same school as the Head of Packaging design director’s son. Niamh has a rare form of cancer and needs to raise £100k to gain treatment. We thought that it would be good to create a charity design project involving the designers in the studio, to create an item that we could then sell and raise money for Niamh. Nery’s thought of the theme ‘Songs’ as this is an abstract, fun and generic theme that could be interpreted in any way. We received thirty postcard designs, all very different and we decided to keep the designs anonymous too. The Song Project available to buy in two different postcard sets, A and B and can be purchased via http://thesongproject2014.tumblr.com or email thesongproject2014@gmail.com

What where your reasons for choosing to create the series through riso printing?
Nerys: I had bought several design prints which had been printed using this process and Pui had used it before on her print work and the quality is beautifully raw and the colours are so saturated. The limited color palette we set the designers (3 colours) was a really good creative challenge and the use of tints and block colors were great!
Pui: We decided to go with riso printing, as its known for its lo-fi printing effect. Also I had used riso printing for other prints I had done before and I found this to be economical. I love the way it prints, the textures and the colour effects make each print different, not the same. Making it unique and charming.

How and why did you choose to run the project for charity?
Nerys: It seemed the perfect timing as Niamh needs so much money for her next stage of treatment. She has had 70 rounds of chemotherapy and treatment already and her next stage of treatment is going to cost £100k. Having gone through chemotherapy myself in the past I know how hard this can be on your body and spirit and the thought that this little girl has gone through so much in her life, is humbling and of course there could be no better charity than hers.
Pui: Nerys and I had a chat over the summer about collaborating on a charity project, and we thought involving the designers in the studio would be perfect for The Song Project. And we heard about Niamh’s fund, to raise funds for her treatment. It seemed apt to create this project for this cause.

Is this a one off project – because it looks fantastic and we would love to see what you do next?
Nerys: We have had such positive feedback for this project that it has set out creative minds thinking…
Who know what the next project will be? T-shirts, a limited edition calendar, tote bags, posters…the possibilities are endless. Watch this space!
Pui: This was going to be one project, however we’ve had great feedback and future potential ideas on this. We may create an annual project like this, based on the idea of limited editions.
It was really good fun to collaborate with so many talented designers who are our friends too.