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See the prints and hear the stories. Michael will be giving two guided talks tomorrow (Saturday 15 September) at our 11 Years show. Morning talk will be at 11am, the afternoon at 2pm. There's no need to register, you can just turn up.
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In our fourth collaborator interview we get to know a bit more about Progress Packaging, who have produced our limited edition 11 Years tote bags. In the hot seat is Simon Farrow...
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How did you come to work with Build?
We have worked with Build on several packaging projects over the years, most recently promotional launch packs for Moodstream. We knew Michael through TDR but really got to know them after working with Generation Press as a supplier.
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What is it you like about the studio?
It is always nice dealing with fellow Northerners in London, make us feel at home when away. They are always a friendly bunch to work with, we like the fact that Build are creative, but always seem to introduce some fun in to their projects.
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What are you looking forward to seeing (apart from the Build 11 Years show) at the London Design Festival?
Probably the Pop exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey. This charts design and trends in the music industry over the years. Hoping to see this and the Bowie retrospective at the V&A.
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What is your favourite piece of your own work and why is it your favourite?
It is an old piece of work but probably the beautiful laser cut carrier bags we made for Yauatcha. These were designed by MadeThought and were one of the first jobs we did. We had been trying to cross over from more regional work and this job gave us real credibility in London design circles, as well as looking lovely to boot!
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Where are you based?
We are based in Huddersfield, nicely located on a valley's edge surrounded by countryside (sorry!)
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Three words that sum up you + your attitude to what you do?
Creative, professional, approachable.
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How did you get started?
After working for soulless manufacturing companies, who liked to say "no" to creative projects, we set up Progress to cater to this market. We worked from home for a few years producing for regional agencies while we honed our list of processes, suppliers and printers. Most of our business is now with design groups within the London area but we still produce most of our products in the North of England. We are really lucky to enjoy what we do and to work with some fantsatisc creative clients.
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What kind of music do you listen to whilst at work?
We would love to be all serious and say we are too busy to listen to music but at the moment our background is The Shins' Port of Morrow - it is Friday afternoon after all!
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What project has given you the most satisfaction?
Recently we have been working with Rapha on packaging for their cycling gear. We have really enjoyed producing some lovely pieces for them, as their attention to detail and material mirrors ours. It is also great to work with a company who is growing so successfully in these tough times.
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Thank you Simon and everyone at Progress - you can visit their site here.
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Build—Blood, Sweat & 11 Years opens on Tuesday 11th September until Sunday 16th September at the Dray Walk Gallery on Brick Lane. Further information can be found here.

Number three in our series of sponsor interviews is with friends of the studio, Generation Press, who have produced our reprints of Modern Life is Rubbish and Symbolism, our beautiful show catalogue and private view invites. Answering the questions below is Paul Hewitt.
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• Please tell us a little about who you are and what you do...
• WE ARE Generation Press - we are commercial printers with a desire to do the best work we possibly can, as consistently as possible.
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• How did you come to work with Build?
• I think we were a recommendation from Blam (designer of the Trainspotting posters).
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• What is it you like about the studio?
• The pork pies.
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• What is your favourite piece of your own work and why is it your favourite?
• That’s easy, a joint collaboration with Build; Not For Commercial Use –Why? Integrity and collaboration.
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• Where are you based?
• Poynings, New York, Milan.
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• Three words that sum up you and your attitude to what you do?
• Passion, patience, collaboration.
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• How did you get started?
• Fourth generation printer, I was literally born into what I do, despite a few years after my apprenticeship trying to be a chef, it soon dawned on me that I could be a better printer than a chef!
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• What kind of music do you listen to whilst at work?
• The sound of the presses.
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• Describe your style...
• Modern, with a liberal sprinkling of minimalism.
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• What project has given you the most satisfaction?
• The next one…
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Thank you Paul, Graham, Kevin, Anand, Kate and everyone at Generation Press - you can visit their site here.
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Build—Blood, Sweat & 11 Years opens on Tuesday 11th September until Sunday 16th September at the Dray Walk Gallery on Brick Lane. Further information can be found here.

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Due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to unfortunately cancel the auction due to take place this Sunday. Instead we have decided to make a number of the NFCU prints available for sale at the gallery and on our online shop site. These prints are individually numbered (out of a edition of 200 only) and are being sold as individual pieces.
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We have one complete set of prints (5 in the set) carrying edition number 7 of 200 of each print in the set. This set is only going to be for sale through the auction site Ebay. The link to the auction will go live on Sunday, and will be an 11 day auction.
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The prints are now highly sought-after and they are still strictly not for commercial use - all proceeds from their sale will go to our chosen charities.
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These charities are Impact India, Guide Dogs for the Blind and Sightsavers. We chose these charities because visual communication is key to us as a studio- so we decided to help those who are less fortunate in this respect and who are not able to enjoy the visual world that we often take for granted.
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Five of each of the following prints are available to buy straight away:-
NFCU- Manifesto (A1/2 colour litho + Foil block)
NFCU- Symbiosis (A1/4 colour screen-print + Foil block)
NFCU- Testcard-1 (A1/9 colour litho + Foil block)
NFCU- Dendrochronology (A1/5 colour litho + Foil block)
NFCU- Statement (A1/1 colour litho + Foil block)
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To celebrate the opening of Blood, Sweat & 11 Years we are giving you the opportunity to find out a bit more about our sponsors and collaborators.
The second interview in the series is with Chris Romer-Lee from architectural practice Studio Octopi.
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• How did you come to work with Build?
• Build sent us a book on Brockmann and Betty. Build then designed our website.
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• What is it you like about the studio?
• Your use of the humble hyphen in all correspondence.
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• What are you looking forward to seeing at the London Design Festival (apart from the Build 11 Years show)?
• The 1960’s sorting office on New Oxford Street, the setting for this year’s designjunction.
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• What is your favourite piece of your own work and why is it your favourite?
• Park Avenue South was the most complex and crafted piece the practice has worked on to date. The project’s manipulation of light and views continues to influence our work. Favourite? We can’t have favourites really.
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• Where are you based?
• Burrows Mews, Southwark
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• Three words that sum up you + your attitude to what you do?
• As a practice we’re obsessed by place & craft.
Attitude? Oh its always upbeat, we look outside our industry for inspiration.
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• How did you get started?
• The desire to make things the way we wanted.
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• What project has given you the most satisfaction?
• Recently we completed ad agency 18 Feet & Rising from concept to completion in two months. That was good for the practice, but not our health.
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• What kind of music do you listen to whilst at work?
• We’ve had The Futureheads’ new album Rant on loop.
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• Describe your style...
• Contextual.
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Thank you Chris, James and everyone at Studio Octopi - you can visit their site here.
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Build—Blood, Sweat & 11 Years opens on Tuesday 11th September until Sunday 16th September at the Dray Walk Gallery on Brick Lane. Further information can be found here.
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Park Avenue South images courtesy of Lyndon Douglas Photography.

In the next two weeks we will be giving you the opportunity to get to know the individuals and companies who have made Blood, Sweat & 11 Years happen. Some are longtime collaborators with the studio, others we hadn't even met before. But they are all great people, and we are chuffed that they are on board.
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Number one in the series are Aldworth James & Bond, a carpentry company run by Nik James and Del Bond. AJ&B have been working with us and architects Studio Octopi to create a unique table for the 11 Years show - make sure you come along next week to see!
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• Please tell us a little about who you are and what you do...
• We make amazing things for amazing people! We are carpenters and joiners so we mainly work in wood, but we’re happy working with any material as long as the project is exciting and the client is up for it.
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• How did you become involved with 11 Years?
• We heard Build were looking for a furniture maker to produce a piece for their 11 year show - we threw our hat straight in.
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• What is it you like about the studio?
• Well creative. Brilliant people. Great fun to have a beer with.
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• What are you looking forward to seeing (apart from the Build 11 Years show) at the London Design Festival?
• Bodies of Work at the Roca Gallery. Designs by Pernilla Ohrstedt and Simone Brewster should be ace.
Aldworth James & Bond completed the interior fit out for this year’s Designers in Residence exhibition at the Design Museum. Freyja Sewell is exhibiting and her work is brilliant. We love the Exercise in Simplicity stool. Beautiful. Simple. And made totally from bamboo.
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• What is your favourite piece of your own work and why is it your favourite?
• The next one....
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• Where are you based?
• Castle AJ&B is based in Greenwich. We overlook Deptford Creek and the Laban Centre.
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• Three words that sum up you + your attitude to what you do?
• Love love love.
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• How did you get started?
• We started making furniture from a tiny garage in Blackheath. It was cold. Tiny and cold.
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• What kind of music do you listen to whilst at work?
• Oddly, in the workshop, Big Joe loves Heart FM, he is so tough no one else is allowed to touch the dial.
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Photo courtesy of Sakiko Hohashi

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• Describe your style...
• We style ourselves how the client needs and wants us to be styled. Though we are always energetic and smiling.
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• What project has given you the most satisfaction?
• That is a tricky one. We are not sure we can pick one. Every project gives something different. We always like to be stretched to find new ways of working, so the harder the project the better.
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Thank you Nik, Del, Tim and everyone at Castle AJ&B - you can visit their site here.
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Build—Blood, Sweat & 11 Years opens on Tuesday 11th September until Sunday 16th September at the Dray Walk Gallery on Brick Lane. Further information can be found here.