a very satisfying, and challenging, commission

Lippincott, a graphic design firm with offices in NYC, recently renovated their space and was looking for unique tableware to compliment the new decor. I was lucky to have been chosen to create their custom set of dishes. The challenging part of the project was that certain items requested by Lippincott were not yet part of the gleena line. The lucky part was that I have been wanting to create the same pieces for a while, but have not had the time, and needed this extra push. Here are the new pieces designed for the project:

The condiments tray holds two salad dressing bottles, and bowls for ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc. Lippincott orders lunch from a few catering places which deliver sandwiches with condiments in small plastic containers. The porcelain bowls easily fit the plastic containers, hiding them in a much nicer presentation.

The labels on the side of the bottles are set in Lippincott’s corporate typeface, Stymie.

The coffee accessories tray holds a milk pitcher, a cylinder for spoons (or stir sticks), and a container for sugar/sweetener packets.

The word ”sweet“ is stamped into the bottom of the sugar packet container.

The 10-inch lunch plates are decorated with the Lippincott logo.

The 7.5-inch dessert plates are decorated with graphics provided by Lippincott. They are clever collages of the logos the company has designed over the years. My image transfer process was definitely pushed to the limit with these graphics. Solid, even coverage is impossible with a transfer from a laser printer, and it was wonderful that the client embraced all the quirks of this low-tech, handmade process. Each plate ended up being unique, creating a sculptural presentation.

The soup/salad bowls are stamped with a letter on the front, and a corresponding client’s name on the inside lip.

The staff that sets up the lunches wanted to handle the food as little as possible. A 12" in diameter salad serving bowl fits the salads delivered in a plastic container, again making for a nicer presentation, with no food handling and easier clean up.

The mugs are decorated with the home cities of the firm’s partners, making for a nice conversation starter at client meetings. Lippincott logo and motto are applied to the bottom of each mug.

The staff was a little bit concerned with the durability of my dishes, they serve lunch to a client almost every day. This will be a good test of porcelain (my own formula, mixed in the studio). I think it is extremely durable, and I hope Lippincott is amazed by its strength!