Your Print Specialists (YPS) are collaborating with our favourite award-winning designer again, Beth Travers, owner of BOBO1325.
BOBO1325 is a design studio specialising in the interior market, predominantly hospitality, founded in 2017.
BOBO1325 won the FESPA 2020 Gold Award in the Printeriors category for her interior print design work with Leila Lily’s, Newcastle. All Beth’s featured textiles in Leila Lily’s were created using dye-sublimation print, a like her Epson SureColor SC-F500 from YPS, while the wallcoverings were produced with digital print technology.
“Inspiration comes from anywhere...Things that I think are an injustice, like mental health and climate change...Things like that are really ugly, but I turn them into a really interesting starting point and start a conversation, and I think that's important.” - Beth Travers, BOBO1325
Beth’s designs are intricate works of art that contain a range of depth in both colour and topic. YPS reached out to Beth in early 2020 after previously meeting through a mutual connection. Initially, we discussed collaborating on a project relating to Sign & Digital UK 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic Sign & Digital 2020 was postponed and subsequently so was our project with BOBO1325.
In 2020 Beth received an Epson SureColor SC-F500 & PixMax 50x50 heat press from YPS to aid her design process, and to see her projects come to life on textiles & ceramics in her Manchester studio.
“Setting up the Epson was actually really easy... I don't believe in reading the instructions, I just go for it. But I had it set up within an hour and a half and then that was it, I was playing!” - Beth Travers, BOBO1325
Since receiving her Epson printer Beth has come to familiarise herself with dye sublimation and is using it to benefit her design process. This has changed her relationship with print in general. Previously Beth would create her designs and would need to wait for the samples to come back from the printers. With her SC-F500, Beth can hold her designs in her hand and see the colours printed on a range of substrates within moments. This allows her to make changes immediately without the need for a third party.
“Using the Epson printer within the design process has become integral...it's such a great tool to have just at my disposal” - Beth Travers, BOBO1325
We visited Beth’s Manchester studio in September 2021 and she demonstrated to us how she uses the Epson within her design process and how it helps Beth’s clients visualise her designs when printed and also on a larger scale.
“Having the Epson SureColor SC-F500 in my studio is really helpful for when I have clients coming in and I need to create tactile boards and samples for them, so for instance if they're talking about glassware or they're talking about tiles I can have ceramics done and I can have tiles done and they can see the product” - Beth Travers, BOBO1325
While visiting Beth’s Manchester studio, we also visited the Yotel, formerly Qbic hotel and Motley restaurant, which is wall to wall BOBO1325. Beth’s designs can be seen on the soft furnishings, furniture and wallpaper in the lobby and restaurant. Her work can also be seen in the hotel bedrooms. Seeing the end result of a BOBO1325 project was inspiring, from designing in her studio with her Epson to aid her, to being in the Qbic lobby, which was full circle.
“The design achievement I am probably the proudest of would have to be a tie… So we have the FESPA award that I have for Leila Lily’s. That was really really special because I never thought I'd win an award because I'm such a small business, I'm just one person. The second thing would be the Qbic hotel in Manchester... it's a really humbling thing to just walk into a space, and just be like `I did this, I created this, this is my head, welcome!” - Beth Travers, BOBO1325
We’re honoured to have changed Beth’s design process and be a small part of her projects. We look forward to working with Beth on more BOBO1325 x YPS projects.
“It’s all just down to the Epson kit that really aids design and really aids creatives” - Beth Travers, BOBO1325
