Andreja Jukičić

Bookbindery Firšt

Bookbinder

©Karlo Jukičić

Books with a twist

Andreja spent her childhood playing in the bookbinding workshop
She took over the family business in 2000
She takes inspiration from designers and tradition

Bookbindery Firšt is a family business with more than 35 years of tradition, awarded a traditional craft certificate by the Committee for Traditional Crafts of Croatia in 2013. The workshop is run by the craftswoman artisan Andreja Jukičić. After finishing her schooling in graphic designer, she took over the business from her father Zlatko in 2000 and established her own workshop with the help of her husband and two sons. The large workshop in Zagreb is equipped with all the necessary tools for machine and hand production of special book binding and for repairing old books. In the bookbinding process, Andreja uses only high-quality graphic and binding materials and is widely recognized by partners, printers and customers for her speed and quality of delivered books.

Interview

©Karlo Jukičić

©Karlo Jukičić

Who are your main clients?: We do business with many designers and artists. We also work with libraries, colleges and state institutions. We also collaborate with leading printing houses in Croatia with whom we have managed to complete many large and demanding projects.
Which type of products are the most challenging?: There are all kinds of books with special types of binding, according to the wishes of clients. With such books, the most important thing is the production of samples and mock-ups, where you immediately notice the functionality and quality of the product.
What special materials do you use in your work?: There are many different requests, especially for highly aesthetic design and art books and restaurant menus, for which we use and combine materials and binding techniques that are not specific to the graphic industry such as wood, glass, metal, plastic and magnets.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: We produce contemporary products in collaboration with artists and designers who are our sources of inspiration and innovation. But in the process of making, we are, besides machines, still relying on hand bookbinding techniques and pay special attention to detail.

Andreja Jukičić is a master artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2000