A limited-edition hardcover preserving a beloved pottery's legacy — community stories, curated photography and the final production catalogue, in one collectible volume.
The Clay That Connects Us is a limited-edition Morris & James coffee-table book — customer stories, memories and journeys gathered at the close of the pottery and preserved in one carefully made volume.
Rather than telling the story from the inside, the book reflects Morris & James as it was lived: in homes, gardens, kitchens and everyday life across New Zealand and beyond. To complete the record, it includes the final Morris & James production catalogue, kept as a reference for future collectors.
We shaped the project end to end — the book's design and art direction and the pre-order campaign that carried it to the community.
Our work
The book
Preview
Cover design
With the pottery closing, we wanted the community that built Morris & James to help shape its final chapter. As part of the presale, three covers were shortlisted and put to the people who pre-ordered — confirmed purchasers voted through a secure link over a limited window, and the most popular design won. It felt special to see the community involved right through to this last creative decision.
52.4%
The showroom's much-loved mosaic display table, in signature glazes.
25.8%
A glaze close-up by long-serving showroom manager Rowan Halkyard-Mills.
21.8%
Our own graphic concept put forward — Morris & James pot shapes, logos and colours inspired by the glaze palette.
Identity
The original Morris & James identity maintained, and expanded.
Logo — kept original
The traditional Penny Farthing mark, Matakana, est. 1977 — retained, not reinvented, because it already speaks Morris & James.
Colour — from the glaze
Drawn straight from the signature glazes — Hollyberry Red, Royal Blue, Rose Pink, Sunflower Yellow and Sorbet Green.
Type — from the gate
The display lettering takes its cue from the hand-painted “Welcome to Morris & James” shopfront signage.
Inside
How the glaze palette and the lettering carry through the book.
Unboxing
A short reel made to share the moment the first copies arrived — cut for social and the launch landing page.
The object
FormatFull-colour hardcover
Size250 × 290 mm
Extent240 pages
EditionLimited — 500 copies
IncludesThe final Morris & James production catalogue
CoverSelected by community vote
More of our work
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