Letterpress Diary Day 2 : Thursday 9th

 When its Appropriate Use it when its not Don't

Today went allot more smoothly than yesterday. I was straight away back into my rhythm and managed to set this poster fairly quickly. This is a statement that Martyn from The Beautiful Meme said in the interview which I think really sums up letterpress for graphic designers. A good designer chooses the right medium for the message. This was fairly easy to set apart from a few loose blocks which I managed to rectify.

I only used one typeface for this poster but experimented with upper and lower case type. I am really happy with how this has turned out. The composition works well and the statement is bold and appropriate.

Unique Tactile Exciting

For this poster I wanted to use some of the random italic font to highlight the unique tactile qualities of letterpress as much of this type looks worn and is allot different to any of the other type I had been working with. Because this type was italicized I had to use tape in order to position the blocks together. This stopped the lettering from moving about in the chase. One problem I did have with this type was finding the write letter forms. The box of type was so mixed up it took around 40 minutes to find the correct letters for the job.

Once I had managed to tape up the italicized font and lock it in place the rest of the lettering was fairly easy to assemble. I wanted to showcase how different the lettering can print with letterpress so I used 3 different typefaces to produce this poster. I am really happy with the print, I feel like the aesthetics and texture of the poster represents the statement.

 

Here you can see the range of stocks I used. I printed each of the posters on some colour stock as well in the style of Anthony Burrills posters which really bring the statements to life. They look bold and eye catching and highlight the characteristics of letterpress.

Letterpress Teaches Core Typography Skills

I had trouble finding the right letters to produce this poster. I wanted to use the serif typeface for the 'letterpress' however I could only find a b instead of a p. I decided to stick with the grotesque typeface instead and decided on a different composition.

Here you can see the type set in the chase. This piece took quite a while to set as there were so many loose letters. I had to pack the chase loads in order for it all to lock in.

Once I had finally set the type I realized that I had put the 'C' in backwards in the word 'CORE'. This was pretty frustrating as it had taken so long to lock in place but luckily no other letters fell out once I had corrected it.

Overview

Today went a lot smoother than yesterday, I managed to get 3 posters printed in the same time as it had taken me to do 2 posters the previous day. I definitely found my rhythm today and found setting type allot easier, it also helped that I had plenty of bits of card and paper pre cut from yesterday. I also found it easier when positioning my paper on the chase, producing much straighter prints.

Apart from positioning letters the wrong way I didn't really have any major problems. Luckily I caught that mistake before I had started printing. I am really pleased with my progress so far and have already exceeded my expectations.

Letterpress Diary Day 1 : Wednesday 8th January

I started setting my type on the 8th of January, prior to this I had been working out what I wanted to say on each of the posters, I had to produce statements which were short and to the point. One of the issues I had was working out what type I could use as there was a limited amount of letters with certain typefaces. This meant I had to use a mix of typefaces. After a short tutorial with Neil I began to experiment with the letters to create my posters. The next few posts document my experience printing.


Today letterpress leaves an impression on the page and the viewer

The first poster I decided to do was a bit of a challenge, I got a carried away and realized during setting the type I should of gone for something a bit easier to start with. I found I could get a pretty uniform composition if I lined the chase up with a cutting mat. From here I began to piece together my statement using 2 different typefaces to emphasis the 'Impression'. I found this process really therapeutic, but also quite challenging. It was a different experience having to work backwards in the chase. On quite a few occasions I had the letters the wrong way round which became a pretty time consuming errors once the type had been locked in place. Another problem I encountered was loose type. Not all of the blocks were even in size which meant that many letters would drop out of the chase. In order to solve this problem I had to cut many slithers of paper and mount board to pack the type.

After the long process of setting the type it was time to ink up the lettering. I found that the consistency of the ink improved the more it had been rolled about and left to heat to room temperature as at first the ink was quite sticky. printing became allot smoother once the ink was in a fit state.

I made sure I only used the weight of the roller to apply the ink in order to avoid over inking. I also made sure i regularly rolled it back through the ink to make sure I even applied it onto the type. As time progressed I got into the swing of things and could prepare the type much quicker.

Here you can see the type inked up and ready to press.

Last minute touches



Even spreading of ink

 

Once I was ready to print I placed my stock in the chase as neatly and as central as possible. This is something that I found rather difficult, it was really hard to make sure it was neatly aligned without being able to see the inked lettering. I slowly got better at this, but as I changed to a new poster I found I was back to square one.

Once the paper was all set in place I had to pad the press in order to get an even amount of pressure. This was just a means of trial and error, the more padding used meant a larger impression and a little padding meant a light impression. This differed depending on the different types of stock.

The next step involved pulling the press to print the poster. I used the Colombian pull press to create the posters which is virtually the same relief printing process than what would be carried out on an actual letterpress machine. Due to colleges lack of resources I was unable to use the real letterpress machine however I still learned the same skills of typesetting which are crutial to graphic design.

Once I made the impression I rolled back the press and removed the padding.

One of the hardest parts out of the process was removing the stock from the chase as it often moved and smudged on the document. It was really difficult to pull it off in one smooth motion and found that it was sometimes better to wait slightly before removing the page. This differed depending on the stock, the coated lino stock was brilliant, the ink remained quite tacky which meant it stuck to the lettering allowing it peel off with ease.

Time = Money

After producing a rather difficult poster I decided to do the easiest to finish off the day. This took a lot less time than the previous poster which took around 2 hours + to set. For this piece I had to make some custom furniture out of mount board in order to pack the chase. I also improvised with the equals sign using 2 'I's' to make it. This poster turned out to be a lot less hassel than the previous.

Here you can see some of the prints drying on the rack. I printed on 4 different types of stock to get a variation of how the ink works on different surfaces.

Overview

Today went really well overall. It took me a while to get into the swing of things and to learn the little things which make the job easier. I would say that one of the biggest problems I had was finding the correct type to use and then making sure they stay locked in the chase without falling out. I spent so long cutting bits of card in order to make everything hold together. This didn't always go to plan, as when I jammed a piece in one place and tightened the chase back up it would make another letter fall out somewhere else.

I progressed my printing skills throughout the day working at a much faster rate towards the end of the day. I produced around 30 posters for each of the designs, there were quite a few poor prints but this is expected for my first time on the job. I definitely think tomorrow will run allot more smoothly as I have definitely found my pace.

Letterpress Visual Research

Now I have carried out all of my research for my dissertation I will start on the practical element taking into consideration what I have learned over the past few months. By getting involved with letterpress and testing out the traditional process I will learn the fundamental rules of typography. It will hopefully help to give a better understanding of the issues surrounding type setting. The process will also help with my understanding of typography the grid and layout. I will produce a series of letterpress posters which will have key statements I have composed from the research I have carried out so far. I think it is important to try and keep the statements as short as possible and to the point as the posters need to have a strong impact and be readable. I have summarized points which my primary sources have made in order to condense the information. I will document my experience with setting type and the benefits that the experience gives me. This form of action research will help to put my theory into practice and also highlight my results from the theoretical aspect of the project.

I will research letterpress artists and their work in order to get an idea of the visual style I could use. I am looking for something with a strong visual identity which has a strong impact on the viewer. From the primary research I carried out it was brought to light that Anthony Burrills work would be good to look at as his work consists of core typography and he is one of the leading letterpress designers in the country producing very inspirational famous pieces of design. Another person I will look into was Alan Kitching who I saw at the Leeds Festival print talks last year. Alan works with letterpress and does lots of large wood block typography prints which suit my project well.

Anthony Burrill

Anthony's work is a brilliant example of letterpress design, he explores the use of typography throughout his work. He works primarily with core typography and produces many short inspirational typographic prints which have a strong visual impact and showcase the imperfections and handcrafted qualities that letterpress offers. The composition of his posters are well balanced have maximum impact. He generally uses a combination of 2 typefaces and sometimes just one. This mix of serif and sans serif fonts helps to break the piece up and adds some variation to the typography, it also helps to create something that is much more unique and different to printing the words all in one typeface at one particular size. I think using black ink for the lettering works best for the type of work I am doing and this will also stay true to the traditional visual style of Gutenberg in terms of colour. The design needs to function as a piece of letterpress.

Alan Kitching

Alan's work is truly inspirational, and showcases beautifully set type in a contemporary manor. Alan's work is much more experimental and involves layering and an excessive use of colour in many of his designs. I absolutely love his visual style and the colours and composition of his work, they are have a very strong impact on the viewer and it is clear how far he has pushed the boundaries of letterpress. He definitely has a much more modern style of working with letterpress. However for the type of posters I am producing I think it will be more appropriate to concentrate more on the message and the readability rather than taking some of the attention away by using a range of colours and a crazy composition as beautiful as Alan's work is.

Mikey Burton 

Mikey Burton is an illustrator and designer who works with various mediums including letterpress. His style of letterpress is much different to Alan and Anthony and mixes illustration into imagery with his typography. This is a much more modern way of working and gives it a much more experimental contempoary look to the work. He is much less interested with the quality of the print leaving the imperfections and cracks which letterpress is famous for, he experiments overlapping and overprinting to create unique and interesting pieces.

Poster Planning

For my practical project I decided to design a series of posters with short bold statements about the relevance of letterpress to graphic designers in the 21st century. Some are quotes made my the professionals and others a just summarized points from my dissertation. I had to be careful to not make them too long as there was a shortage of letters in the print workshop.

I counted out how many of each letter I would need to complete the statement as I didn't want to run out of physical letters. This planning will make it a lot easier when it comes to setting my type.

Primary Research Interviews

I conducted interviews with a designer from 3 different studios, in order to get a range of opinions on the relevance of letterpress to designers in the 21st century. I contacted around 10 different studios however it was only, Elmwood, The Beautiful Meme and DR.ME that got back to me. This was a good selection of studios as they range in size and status so it was interesting to see the difference in interactions with letterpress. From this research I will be able to analyze how relevant the press is in today's society. They all have varied opinions and some know more about the tradition than others. All of the primary sources have contributed something useful towards my research project.

Mark Edwards - DR. ME

Edwards, M. 2013. Why is letterpress relevant to 21st century graphic designers?. Interviewed by Joshua Douglas. Leeds College of Art, 28/11/2013.

1. Have you ever used letterpress for one of your briefs at DR ME? If so, what was the project about and what was your reasoning for choosing this printing method? 

One of the first things we ever did together was create the sleeve artwork for a local record label called Across the Pennines, on at least one of the sleeves we used letterpress to create the track listing, it was mainly because we had access to the letterpress at our university and our tutor showed us a great deal of his work that was letter pressed and it left a real impression on us.

2. In a largely digital world, how relevant do you think letterpress is to graphic design in the 21st Century? And do you think there is a future for the tradition? 

It holds the imperfections and cracks that digital type will never be able to realistically replicate therefore it is incredibly relevant to graphic design right now. As with everything it will suffer for a few more years until people become bored of seeing the same kind of design created and yearn for something more tactile and exciting.

3. How do you think graphic designers of the 21st century can benefit from learning letterpress? 

It gives you a better understanding of how to use type so I'd say absolutely yes!

4. In your opinion what was the most significant impact the printing press had on society? And what role do you think it plays in today's world?

Gonna have to think on that one bro

The Beautiful Meme

Woolley, M. 2013. Why is letterpress relevant to 21st century graphic designers?. Interviewed by Joshua Douglas. Leeds College of Art, 17/12/2013.

1. Have you ever used letterpress for one of your briefs at The beautiful Meme If so, what was the project about and what was your reasoning for choosing this printing method?

Yes we used it for creating the Parallel invites we did. We used letterpress because we were creating a bespoke invite on thick card. Wouldn't of been able to put it through a litho machine or most digital presses so the only alternative was screen printing or letterpress. Screen printing can some times give of a loose, messy look if not done right, so the letter press was the best option as it gave a clinical neat feel and also gave a bit of a texture to type (embossed).

2. In a largely digital world, how relevant do you think letterpress is to graphic design in the 21st Century? Do you think there is a future for the tradition?

The key word here is tradition, it will always be used by a few, may rise in popularity then die down again but it will never be forgotten, much like vinyl. It has an aura to it, everything from the smell of ink to the process to the finished article. I wouldn't say it has a future as such because it not ground breaking nor will change the world but it will create an aura that people will latch on to. I think it has a purpose when used for the right job. I mean I cant see a company like Apple using it but for more bespoke jobs I can see it has a value.

3. Do you think designers of the 21st century can benefit from learning letterpress? If so in what way will it help their practice? 

I think it would help their overall knowledge of graphic design and could inspire ideas. Really though I think it's just an excuse to get messy and get off the computer which is fun. I suppose though it can teach you many things. I mean watching Nick at print project really inspired me to better at my craft in terms of being a designer but it didn't make me go " right I’m gonna letterpress the fuck out of everything". When it's appropriate use it. When it's not don't. (Or sometimes do, but be clever about it.)

4. In your opinion what was the most significant impact the printing press had on society? And what role do you think it plays in today's world?

Well it changed the world really. It made information, art and news accessible to the world, much like the Internet is doing now. What ever is cheaper and faster to produce in the end, is going to rule the world. I mean I'd love it if every piece of print I picked up was a crafted bespoke delight, but how long would it take me to actually get a newspaper or how much would that book I've wanted to get for ages cost and will that client be happy about paying an extra shed load of cash for a flyer. In this day and age it all comes down to speed and cost in terms of production for most.

Printing changed the world, I personally think it's time to move on, but I still do love (and always will do) an edition screen print or a letter pressed business card because I understand the craft that goes into them, the slight imperfections resemble a human like characteristic as opposed to a digital soulless press.

Chris Jackson – Elmwood

Jackson, C. 2013. Why is letterpress relevant to 21st century graphic designers?. Interviewed by Joshua Douglas. Leeds College of Art, 18/12/2013.

Firstly it is important for me that we put the questions into context, Letterpress is just a method of printing. I do not believe I can be held as an idea in its own right, you can certainly appreciate the aesthetics of it and it can certainly reinforce a message or thought and give stylistic help but it is at the end of the day a production tool and no different from building a website or hosting an event, what matters is 'how do I get my idea across in the most interesting and relevant way'.

1. Have you ever used letterpress for one of your briefs at Elmwood? If so, what was the project about and what was your reasoning for choosing this printing method? 

I haven't used letterpress; I think the closest I have come to using more traditional methods is probably foil blocking which I have used on quite a few projects both at Elmwood and previous agencies. Mainly stationery and a couple of promotional posters, I used it just for the effect.

2. In a largely digital world, how relevant do you think letterpress is to graphic design in the 21st Century? Do you think there is a future for the tradition? 

Of course, this is the traditional End of print question, it won't die off it will just evolve, look at one of the most copied and iconic (whether you like it or not) pieces of design over the past few years, Anthony Burrills work hard and be nice to people poster, he must be a millionaire of the back of that. Or look at the career of Alan Kitching he is still doing modern, interesting work. The future will come from designers wanting that very specific look and feel that letterpress gives, and using it in new and different ways. 

3. Do you think designers of the 21st century can benefit from learning letterpress? If so in what way will it help their practice? 

I think that depends on the designer, there are certain skills that would be valuable like core typography skills (kerning etc). But for me I am interested in collaboration why would I learn to do it (and maybe not be able to do it very well, when I can work with and learn from the best letterpress artist and get them to create something for me and my client which will end up being a much richer and far more interesting project.

4. In your opinion what was the most significant impact the printing press had on society? And what role do you think it plays in today's world?

The newspaper. It changed the world, and in the modern age with organizations like newspaper club where you can print your very own newspaper about whatever you want is an extremely powerful idea.

Dissertation Literature Review : Quote table

In order to make my dissertation more manageable I have created a quote table which picks out key bits of information from various different books. I also Harvard referenced all of the sources to make life easier for when it comes to writing my essay. I have analyzed what each bit of information means and where it would be relevant to my essay by colour coordiunatinfg the quotes into various different sections. By producing this table I have made life much easier for my self.

The table is split up into the following sections:

• Language
• Education
• Spread of New Ideas
• Mass Production
• Typography
• Uniformity, Standardisation & Preservation
• Creating jobs & Progression
• Problems
• Mass Communication
• Collaboration
• Tool of Communication
• Censorship
• Modern press & Future
• Digital
• Visual Characteristics

Quote Table

Lecture 5 - Resolving your reserach project

 

•Don’t lose sight of your central goal / overall question

•Prioritise- don’t obsess over how things look or read

•Involve your tutor

•Manage yourself

Project Self Assessment

•Write down the major aims of the project

•Give a brief summary of the work so far

•Comment on your time management

•Do you know what the final project will look like?

•What steps will you take to ensure it gets there?

•What areas of the project are you worried about?

•What ‘risk management’ plans do you have?

•How are you going to use the remaining tutorials?

 

 Running out of Time

 

•17th Jan- 5 weeks away 

•Refer to your original plan 

•Be more disciplined than ever 

•Don’t prioritise the practical over the written element 

•Scale down your ambitions if necessary 

•Set targets

Some Other General Advice

 

•Look again at your question or theme…have you done what you set out to 

do or do you need to change your title?

 
•Make sure everything in your project relates to your title/question or theme (if you have 

wandered off on a tangent you may be penalized). 

•Make sure your dissertation is pitched at the right level i.e. avoid lots of description and include lots of critical analysis supported by relevant theory (see the earlier lectures).

•Justify everything you say with discussion or examples.

•Support all of your assertions with references and evidence.

•Introduce each chapter with a brief statement telling the reader what you are setting out to do and how this chapter fits in with the whole thing.

•Conclude each chapter by stating what you have achieved and how it links with the next ‘bit’.

•A general overall introduction and conclusion should also be included giving the reader an insight into what is to come (intro) and what you have achieved (conclusion).

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