In 2023, creative paper company G . F Smith and sound design studio Father came together to create an extraordinary piece of music inspired by the magic of colour. The 55 colours of the Colorplan paper range have each been translated into a sound, and the resulting soundscape is used to create Portal, a 12″ vinyl album exploring the music of colour.
In 2024, G . F Smith turned to the students of Manchester School of Art and challenged them to create a record sleeve for the work – to channel their own thoughts and feelings about colour and sound into a design that reflects on and responds to the composition – to create the art of the sound of colour.
Manchester School of Art was selected as the ideal collaborator for the project both because of the emphasis its Graphic Design course places on experimentation, imagination and independent thinking and because of Manchester’s own rich historical relationship with the UK music scene.
The ten winning designs, each printed on a G . F Smith Colorplan sleeve, will be showcased at our exclusive Colorplan Vinyl launch event in Manchester ahead of Record Store Day on April 20th. The exhibition will show the journey of colour and sound throughout the project, which began with over 200 student submissions, with an exclusive documentary film screening covering the project from its launch to the final design production at Pressision in Leeds.
The Colorplan Vinyl Launch Party is on Thursday, 18th April at SOUP on 31-33 Spear Street Manchester M1 1DF United Kingdom. Join to celebrate the soundscape by Father and the collaboration with the next generation of creatives.
