Musgrave Pencil
Drafting Set
PROJECT OVERVIEW
We stumbled upon Musgrave Pencil Co. and instantly fell in love with their rich history and commitment to American craftsmanship. Their story and quality inspired us to dream up a collaboration that felt both personal and purposeful. We came up with our version of a drafting set that included a red cedar box, (24) No. 2 lead pencils, acrylic ruler, notepad and mini-print. Edition of 300.
Project Credits
- (Art Direction / Design) Don Clark
Since 1916
Musgrave Pencil Company was founded in 1916 by Col. James Raford Musgrave. He situated his new facility in Shelbyville, Tennessee, where there were many cedar rail fences, which were perfect for making pencil slats. Because of its straight grain, light weight, ease of shaping, and ability to resist rot, Red Cedar was the preferred source of wood for the pencil industry, dating back to the 19th century. The largest crops of these desirable trees grew in the Eastern half of the United States. Musgrave cut the cedar fences into pencil slats and exported them to European pencil manufacturers in burlap sacks via the port of New Orleans, five hundred miles from land-locked Middle Tennessee.
It's not often you get to work with a legendary design firm like Invisible Creature. Don was interested in learning about every aspect of Musgrave's manufacturing process. The result was a beautiful pencil set that was wildly original in design and execution, packed with delightful details at each stage of the unboxing, and sold out within days. It is sure to be a treasured collector's edition for anyone lucky enough to have snagged a set.
Nicole Delger
Musgrave Pencil Co.
THANK YOU
Nicole Delger and Girlie Press