Chris Pennings and Misha Glisovic developed Format Framing, the ‘sister’ brand to Chris’ fine-art framing service Fini Frames, mostly because they were surprised it didn’t exist already.
From their backgrounds in the art industry, Chris and Misha saw a gap in the market for an accessible and affordable printing service and take care of everything from the initial image upload, to delivery upon completion.
Here’s how it works: users upload their desired image into the Format Framing server and choose a frame using the FrameBuilder tool. Chris, Misha and the team will then take care of the printing (a range of quality paper stocks are available), mount your print and carefully cut, join, paint and assemble your frame from locally sourced Victorian Ash. After that, the final product is delivered to your door. How easy is that?!
The service provides four tiers of standard sizes at affordable and accessible pricing, taking into account the needs of both artists and art buyers. In fact, most of the people in their Cremorne workshop are practising artists themselves. ‘Printing was usually done by the artist and the hassle of framing (plus often the shock of the cost) was left up to the buyer,’ Misha elaborates, ‘I saw a great opportunity to help artists by taking care of the whole process and allowing them to sell framed works online.’
For Chris, Format Framing responds to the way we all approach photography in the digital age. ‘I am particularly passionate about the fact that practically everyone is now carrying a camera around in their pocket,’ he explains, ‘I really wanted to encourage people to get some of those images off of their screens and onto their walls.’
We asked Chris and Misha to give us a few insider tips for fantastic framing.
HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT FRAME
Keep It Simple
Don’t let the framing overwhelm the artwork. A good framing job should complement the work, not be the focus.
Consider The Space
Think about the colours and finishes of other pieces the work will sit next to… but everything doesn’t have to be match matchy. Just because you have natural blonde timber floorboards doesn’t mean the picture you’re framing should also be framed in the same finish.
Visualise With Online Tools
Use our online FrameBuilder to upload a few different options, and compare the results before you commit.