ALPHARETTA, GA - The just released Future Classic promotion by Neenah celebrates the relationship between destination and design. To create the promotion Neenah asked seven emerging artists to creatively interpret the cities they live in, through design. The result is the artistic treatments of six classic cities compiled into one book.

The title, Future Classic, is derived from two things: “Future” represents Neenah’s mission to discover the next class of great design cities and the local artists who are making their marks. And “Classic” indicates the iconic Neenah CLASSIC® Papers that were used throughout the promotion. The promotion, designed by Washington, DC-based Design Army, fuses the two concepts together.

“We simply asked the artists to interpret their surroundings, the only parameters being that the finished piece had to either fit into the 8 x 10" book or be able to be photographed. It’s so interesting to see the way each of the artists approached the design project, the types of artistic treatments they used, what about their cities inspired their design, and the different ways they used the CLASSIC Papers,” said Pum Lefebure, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Design Army.

Looking for independent creatives with a variety of skill sets, the team at Design Army scoured design blogs, college websites and their own social networks to find emerging artists from varying geographic areas. From a portfolio of about 30 designers they then narrowed it down to the final seven. 

The Artists, The Cities

Emily Brown, Portland, OR: As a cut-paper artist and designer living in Portland, Brown combined a die-cut sleeve with a die-cut and embossed insert to create an invitation to the summer solstice. The die-cuttings stem from Brown’s passion for cut paper, and the invitation is inspired by her love of the outdoors and the city of Portland’s connection to green space.

Kate Zaremba, Washington, DC: Hand cut pieces of CLASSIC papers and hand drawn icons combine to create a collage of Zaremba’s favorite art spaces around the city. From the Kennedy Center to Comet Ping Pong, a place to eat pizza, play ping-pong and see bands, Zaremba provides a visual listing of 14 must-visit creative places.

Sarah Jacoby, Philadelphia, PA: Growing up in and around Philadelphia, Jacoby was fascinated with the tradition of the Mummers, so she hand crafted a Mummers mask — a very large one — by cutting and layering hundreds of pieces of CLASSIC papers. “I was so inspired by the material that I went nuts. My natural inclination is to make things that are complex and small — I couldn’t do that here,” said Jacoby.

Faun Chapin & Meg Paradise, Oakland, CA: Partners in crime and founders of the design and branding studio Guts & Glory, Chapin and Paradise chose to represent Oakland’s musical roots. Using their design mantra “if at all possible, use gold foil” the duo showcase recognizable hip-hop artists like Tupac, En Vogue and MC Hammer in foil-stamped line art illustrations in the background. The spinning record on top was produced with raised UV printing to create the unique surface texture of a classic vinyl record.

Jay Fleck, Chicago, IL: Simply put, this illustrator and designer thinks that Chicago is the best city in the world. Working with what he sees as the quintessential and essential aspects of Chicago, Fleck designed a Chicago-style hot dog transit map. With opaque white and metallic silver lithography plus yellow and metallic red foil stamping, the very specific ingredients of the perfect hot dog are mapped out.

Russell Shaw, Atlanta, GA: This multidisciplinary designer thinks there’s something special that happens when you sit down around a table to a meal with others, so he’s designed what he calls “Atlanta on 30,000 Calories.” The grommeted pamphlet maps out the perfect tour of Atlanta eateries though a seven-day walking/eating route through seven neighborhoods. Starting Monday at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and ending Sunday at Kimball House, there are a total of 47 hot spots recommended for dinner, drinks, dessert and even a round of cornhole. 

“Neenah understands the value of great design, and we want to be out there discovering and supporting the creative communities. This was an exciting promotion for us, to see what geographic elements inspired the designers, and how they would evolve their concepts. To see all six pieces produced so beautifully on the various CLASSIC papers and create this finished book of pure creativity was a pleasure to be part of,” said Neenah’s Senior Brand Manager, Kathy Kemps.

Contact your local merchant to get a copy of Future Classic. And visit www.neenahpaperblog.com to for exclusive bonus content about the promotion and each of the artists.