An Item From the CP Swap Meat

Segura’s “Crop” catalogs

ID SM0290 (photo)
Arrived 8.1.07, AM (in person)
From Carlos Segura, Chicago, IL
Description Two photography portfolios
More info Segura Inc.
Swapped for TBD
Status at CP

At the turn of the millennium, stock photo catalogs had become bland and expensive to manufacture and mail. Before online browsing was possible, it was in a stock-art company's best interest to send catalogs as frequently as possible, featuring as many (literally) thumbnail-sized images as could fit on a page. As the industry migrated to the web, it was clear to designer Carlos Segura that direct mail remained essential, but its approach needed to change.

"We wanted to create materials that would not only tackle our competition, but also compete with the everyday onslaught of sensory input we get all day. There is very little room to 'carve' out a place in our 'experience.' We all remember the best 'car,' the best 'movie,' the best 'computer,' the best 'experience.' And we wanted to be in that league." With this attitude, Segura, Inc. designed several lavish "Crop" magazines for Corbis, all of them oversized and lovingly-designed with inserts, foldouts, and other surprises.

In a sea of dictionary-sized clip-art books, "Crop" was an instant hit that brought market share to Corbis and design awards to Segura. Designers loved them and hoarded them, and each has become a highly-collectible piece of design history. Carlos cleaned out his closets for the Swap Meat and sent us the remaining small quantities of Crop's fifth issue as well as the Corbis Assignment and Representation Services catalog.

Swap Meat Exclusives: Available For Purchase:

Segura's "Crop 5" for Corbis (more images and information) is the fifth in a series of groundbreaking stock art promotional kits for Corbis. It contains a 19.75 x 26.75" main catalog with three 16-page inserts (Celebs, Reuters, and DC Comics) printed in a variety of methods on more than a dozen different papers. All elements are packaged in a screenprinted 20 x 27" corrugated plastic portfolio case with a built-in handle. Only ten portfolios are available, each includes a signed letter from designer Carlos Segura. $500.

Segura's "Corbis Assignment and Representation Services" box (more images and information) features examples of work by renown editorial and commercial photographers available for assignment work through Corbis. All exterior components (O-ring, cover, case, carrier, box and base) were printed by Chicago's Rohner Letterpress. The 14 x 20" box is hand-made with special textured materials. The internal catalog (which is manually "book-bound"), was stochastic-printed at Sioux Printing, using various processes including 4, 5, and 6-color, grey-scale, half-tones, duo-tones and double blacks. It measures 13.75 x 20.5x1" and has 112 pages, printed on several papers. Only twenty boxes remain, each will ship with a signed letter from designer Carlos Segura. $300.

While supplies last, order both the "Crop 5" portfolio and the "Corbis Assignment and Representation Services" box for $700.

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