Once upon a time, I let my fold-freak-flag fly.
Have you seen Trish Witkowski’s Sixty Second, Super Cool, Fold of the Week videos?
If not, go watch them now.
There are only 372, so far.
I’ll wait.
You’re back? Great.
I briefly met Trish at a design conference many years ago, where she spoke of her passion for folding as she launched the Sappi Standard for Folding and Scoring (still have the book!). Her ability to deliver research, data, and inspiration all in one entertaining dose is both a skill and talent, making me a huge fan.
It is because of Trish that I can quickly identify a swinging accordion-fold from a gate-fold and just how expensive an iron-cross can be to print. She picks up where design school ends, educating a generation of creatives without ever talking down to us from a mathier, overly scientific place. She’s even helped my printer fall in love with me because she’s my secret weapon for learning exactly what paper weight needs a box fold and when to use an uncoated sheet with varnish instead of a coated sheet.
From her witty shirts (a new one each week!) to her Gilmore-esque rapid fire delivery, each episode runs about 2 minutes (60 seconds are dedicated to the fold itself) and includes all the technical information possible for each piece, such as how its laid out for assembly and what type of machines are used, even what paper and ink were selected. It’s like a design multivitamin every Thursday!
You can subscribe to her youtube channel, purchase her tools, and learn more about Trish herself. I highly recommend all three. I could type on and on about this, but instead I’ll end with a Trish-ism, “think finishing at the beginning!”