Founded in 1921, Barnard & Westwood is steeped in tradition. With almost a century of trading under its belt, the company has a rich history of producing high-end stationery and bespoke one-off items for companies and individuals alike. Established around London’s King’s Cross it is located at the heart of the capital and has always held its sense of ‘Britishness’ at the forefront of its identity.
Barnard & Westwood is not your average printer. In the modern world we live in, many have come to associate ‘printing’ with an almost effortless process of pushing a button on a computer screen and after a series of clicks and whirrs inside a plastic box, a printed sheet emerges. A short tour around Barnard & Westwood’s London workshop very quickly dispels this preconception. The company boasts an impressive array of printing and finishing processes, from lithography and letterpress to die stamping, foil blocking and traditional bookbinding.
‘With so many skills under one roof we are able to combine multiple techniques to create truly standout products,’ says director, Alasdair Abrines, ‘be that for an event invitation, business card or bespoke one-off presentation box.’
Much of the factory machinery dates back to a bygone era of solid cast-iron parts with presses churning away to a mechanical soundtrack. It’s safe to say the presses were built to last
Although the company has made significant investments in modern digital technology, much of the factory machinery dates back to a bygone era of solid cast-iron parts with presses churning away to a mechanical soundtrack. It is safe to say the presses were built to last.
Despite the challenges posed by the current political and economic uncertainty, the business is going from strength to strength and has a growing export market. ‘Our attention to detail and exacting standards clearly appeal on a global scale,’ says Abrines. ‘We have a growing international customer base which opens us up to fascinating projects and material combinations that we wouldn’t otherwise necessarily have considered.’
In the age of fast information, confidentiality is key. ‘The relationships we have with our customers are built over many years. The trust this creates between customer and supplier is one of the real joys of the job and is something we do not take for granted.’ Barnard & Westwood works with a diverse range of customer, on the more traditional side of which sit national institutions such as Westminster Abbey, The Royal Academy of Arts and Buckingham Palace (the business holds Royal Warrants for both Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales).
In recent years, Barnard & Westwood has strived to push the boundaries of what is achievable through combining traditional printing and finishing methods with the latest technology and materials. This in turn has brought with it a wave of exciting new clients including leading fashion brands, food and drink labels and design agencies.
