I AM PAPER – Europapier’s 8th edition Design Papers Collection!

Europapier is back with the 8th edition of its famous Design Papers Collection – a treasure trove relaunched every two years to spark fresh ideas for creatives everywhere. Think of it as more than just a catalogue: it’s your passport to the magical world of paper. Inside, you’ll find the finest special papers from our assortment, ready to help designers, artists, and brands pick the perfect canvas for their boldest, brightest, and most inspiring projects. This isn’t just about paper — it’s about touch, texture, and the emotions that come alive when ink meets page. More than a catalogue, it is an invitation into the tactile and fascinating world of paper — a world where touch, texture, and emotion come alive.

This year’s concept, I AM PAPER, places the focus entirely on the material itself, celebrating paper not only as a medium, but as a creative partner in transforming ideas into reality. Paper is being given a voice, and at Europapier, we make sure it resonates loudly by bringing it to our customers. Paper is at our very core and the element which instils life into our business. Into our passion. We celebrate paper in all its forms and are humbled by our role in propagating this medium, which has accompanied mankind for thousands of years.

New Box Design

This time around, we’ve completely rethought the box design, switching from a laying box which is held together with a magnet, to an impressive stand-up-right box, with an elegant and imposing form, which we see taking the spotlight on every creative’s desk. Our chosen medium for the box was this time none other than Koehler Eco® Clay 120 g/m², while the middle part showcases Koehler Eco® Mud 120 g/m². At the same time, the removal of the magnet presents us with a more sustainable solution, when it comes to recycling the collection after they have served its purpose within the creative and printing community.

“During the planning and design of the new collection, one thing became very clear again. Paper is the truffle of the communication media. It impresses with its multifaceted nature. Natural, chalky, rough, or velvety soft, surface-structured, reflective, transparent, metallic, provided with alternative fibres, coloured in pale, dark & deep or neon shades, to name just a few characteristics. This variety has been carefully curated in the new Design Collection.

“During the planning and design of the new collection, one thing became very clear again. Paper is the truffle of the communication media. It impresses with its multifaceted nature. Natural, chalky, rough, or velvety soft, surface-structured, reflective, transparent, metallic, provided with alternative fibres, coloured in pale, dark & deep or neon shades, to name just a few characteristics. This variety has been carefully curated in the new Design Collection. Every other year, we are striving to include the most exciting industry developments, in order to support creatives & paper lovers everywhere and to spark creativity for new, inspirational projects. And nothing is more rewarding to us than seeing those projects come to life!”

– Sandra Schmidt, Business Lead Design Papers

Design Concept by 101

The most unmissable aspect of the 8th edition of Design Papers is the new look. This time around, we’ve had the pleasure of working together with the full service agency 101 from Vienna. 101 shows an insight into their uniqueness: it’s a place where concept meets clarify and collaboration, they don’t merely work for clients, but with them, rooting every project in a strong conceptual core.

Their work (previously here) is guided by clarity and courage, where concept and intuition weave together to form visual identities that speak with authenticity. With a style that balances bold simplicity and refined detail, 101 creates worlds that invite, inspire, and endure. Their vision is not just to design for brands, but to breathe life into them — building stories that feel human, timeless, and true.

I am paper brings the focus for paper as home for words and ideas.

101’s “I AM PAPER” journey

How was your first experience bringing a Design Collection from Europapier to life?

We loved the challenge of bringing the essence of paper as a canvas for ideas to life – by telling a story that plays with the question: What would it be like if there was no paper?

How does this project differ from other campaigns? What made your hearts beat for it?

It’s about paper. About one of the oldest, yet still most beautiful, media to convey ideas. A medium we ourselves use all the time. A haptic, analog, slow medium that feels good. Creating a campaign for something our profession could not exist without was a strong motivator, one that made our hearts beat a little faster.

How did you arrive at the “I AM PAPER” concept? What parts of the brief guided you in this direction, and how did the magic happen?

We focused on the essence of paper, its DNA. The starting point was the thought: If there was no paper, there would be no books, no letters, no posters, no newspapers – and no analog way to write down ideas, stories, and emotions. Paper is a medium of creativity and a medium of connection. These are the themes addressed in the copy, which is written from the perspective of paper itself: paper speaks for itself, aware of its own identity – and to those transforming it creatively. We also loved the client’s wish to keep the design minimalistic and high-quality. With this briefing in mind, we developed the “I AM PAPER” campaign.

What thoughts and feelings did the design trigger for you, and how would you describe it to our readers?

We chose a philosophical and intellectual approach, focusing on the essence of paper itself. This focus is reflected in both the copy and the design. We wanted the design to be sophisticated and reduced to the maximum – in line with the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of Wabi-Sabi: “Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry.” To make the message strong, we decided to use bold metallic-blue letters set against a very subtle and serene background that communicates both highest quality and understatement.

“Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry.”

Production highlights

Also this time the complexity of the project offered us new challenges to tackle. Twelve months have passed since the first steps were taken towards the final collection, and they have been turbulent, inspiring, nerve-wracking, heart-warming and intense. They were marked by decisions on the product range and associated discussions with suppliers, timely paper orders – and deliveries, intensive exchanges with the printer and the agency, and last-minute changes, some of which were significant. But at the end of the day, you are rewarded by the collection. Now, having conquered it all, we are simply thrilled with the absolute best step in the production process: sharing the design collection with all of our customers and conveying appreciation to the whole team involved.