Paper playground: Hybrid Design encourages endless combinations with Mohawk’s Mosaic paper range — The Brand Identity – Home of the Greatest in Graphic & Brand Design

Hybrid Design and Mohawk reunite once again, as part of their long-term collaboration to bring the best out of the NY-based fine paper mill’s portfolio. This release, which they describe as Mohawk and Fedrigoni’s “love letter to colour and texture” is a vibrant showcase. Featuring four dramatic textures and 28 sophisticated colours, Mosaic’s swatch book, designed by the San Francisco-based studio, continues its (literally) unbound approach. Each card is marked with an expressive printed shape and coloured in a pair of hues that truly sing.

The swatch book is playful in both appearance and function. True to its name, it invites designers to mix and match colours and textures across various designs – offering a delightful hands-on experience for imagining the look and feel of future print projects. “We wanted to capture the joy and playfulness of the coloured paper and convey how it can spark creativity,” Design Director Olivia Ward explains. “Riffing off the name of the grade, Mosaic, we envisioned the cards being arranged and rearranged to make different patterns.”

Individually, they inspire curiosity. As a collection, the colours and designs are so appealing you’ll want to frame and hang them on your walls. Ultimately, though, it’s all about getting familiar with Mohawk’s extensive offering. “There is something inherently satisfying in pulling out an individual card and experiencing it as a full object,” Creative Director Caleb Kozlowski tells us. “It is complete in itself with a unique colour, texture and pattern.”

In contrast to traditional swatch books, which lock papers into one context, individual cards echo the real-life application of the paper and encourage a more tactile, interactive experience. “You’re forced to hold it in your hand,” says Kozlowski of the unbound format, highlighting that loose cards allow designers to combine papers or see how it looks against other backdrops and materials – how they’ll live out in the world. “I am almost afraid to admit that I’ve been known to cut out pieces of swatch books for easier comparison in the past. We were hoping to replicate that process less destructively.”

And, when you’re ready to put the cards away after extensively mixing and matching, Mosaic comes with its own stylish box, adorned with a unique pattern. Kozlowski describes their approach to the packaging design – “This new collection of printing and packaging papers was engineered for folding and scoring, so we really wanted to showcase this offering by creating a box that feels like an elevated package. It was a fun exercise to think from a packaging perspective. It opened up new dimensional elements, such as the exposed shoulder, that we had not explored before with our work with Mohawk.”