Materials, Processes and Graphic Production Rachel Herman Instructor, Steve Johnson Spring Semester 2015
This course was an overview of current and emerging materials and manufacturing processes commonly applied in production for Visual Communication Design.
Preservation through production Jim Sherraden
Hatch Show Print
001 Book Structure - Pamphlet Stitch Binding 002 Wood Type Poster 003 Hand Papermaking 004 Field Trip & Guest Speaker Reports
ASSIGNMENT 1 Book Structure - Pamphlet Stitch Binding
OBJECTIVE This assignment is an introduction to fundamental book and print structures. The student will also be introduced to the techniques and skills required for the craft of bookbinding, basic hand tools, and properties of bookmaking materials and substrates. Ideally the student will be inspired by the craft of bookmaking and will gain an awareness of how a user interacts with a book, and how material selection, in turn, can effect the resulting book and a user’s experience.
PROCESS
This exercise began with an in-class demo on how to pamphlet stitch bind. We practiced finding and cutting with the grain of the paper, using a bone folder properly, applying holes with an awl and creating the perfect stitch with a bookbinding needle and thread. After learning the tricks of the trade, I selected paper materials and fabricated two book structures on my own. Focusing on book structures themselves, these pamplets didn’t contain any content or imagery beyond the inherent characteristics of the substrates and materials. Therefore, this exercise really pushed my craftmanship. It taught me how to use my tools in the best and most efficient ways. I did not have an awl for my second and third pamphlets so I decided to neatly punch holes with my exacto knife as a cost-effective tool alternative. This challenge taught me to creatively use my resources and adhere patience. I was really proud of how well it came together in the end. The pamphlet-stitch bindings are 8 x 6 inches (flat) and 4 x 6 inches (folded/ finished).
FINAL
ASSIGNMENT 2 Wood Type Poster
OBJECTIVE Students build upon previously learned foundation skills by using typography, composition, and color, to graphically convey a word or phrase randomly selected from a set of words with a common theme that has been predetermined by the professor. Creativity is challenged by the parameters of only using letterpress printing techniques and a limited library of wood-block and select metal type.
PROCESS
For this project, my partner, Sky, and I were asked to create a movie poster for the genre “spaghetti western”. We began by researching spaghetti western films and old movie posters. We started to gain a feel for colors, textures and overall emotional and stylistic inspiration. Right away we started experimenting with these ideals in mind, not really having a set plan. We tried different page orientations, type sizes and alignment. After a few trial and errors, we decided our most successful piece included a mix of reds and yellows, traditional spaghetti western colors, with a slab serif typeface. We paid special attention to the word “spaghetti” and made its letters red and look sort of jumbled to represent literal spaghetti. Lastly, we decided to crumble the paper to give the poster a unique feel and look. We wanted to convey the feeling that it was hastily made in an old print shop and folded up in a pocket to take on the road, reminiscent of its genre. To gain a really rustic quality, we pressed all of the letters except for the leading “S” in “spaghetti western” on first, crunched up the
paper and then hand stamped the “S” to really exaggerate that quality of the ink. Overall, this project was a challenge. Having never heard of spaghetti western before this class, it was exciting to work with something new and design purely off of research verus prior knowledge. Working with the wood type and inks was also a new and exciting task. I think it really helped me as a designer to work on a project very tight parameters. There was limited type styles and sizes making it a challenge when trying to creatively design a poster. Thinking outside of the box with mixing colors and crunching the paper definitiely helped our final become successful.
FINAL
ASSIGNMENT 3 Hand Papermaking
OBJECTIVE This assignment introduces students to the techniques and skills required for papermaking. Students will learn about and apply the materials and resources used to produce hand made paper.
PROCESS One of my favorite assignments from this semester was papermaking. Using fibers extracted from cotton and abaca, we demonstrated early practices of handmaking paper. We practiced with different sized deckle boxes and paper moulding methods. I experimented with mixing the fibers and varying in amount applied to produce different weights and textures of paper. We then pressed and stack dryed the paper. After a few days of drying, we returned to see the results. This project was exciting because we weren’t sure of the end result having never made paper before. Again, this project tackled my craftmanship because the wet paper fibers were very delicate and it was a challenge pressing the paper onto the mat from the deckle box. Also, transferring the paper by hand to the stack dry sheets was very difficult. This project taught me a lot about production processes and I have gained a new found appreciation for it.
FINAL
not too shabby, right?!
Field Trip & Guest Speaker Reports
OBJECTIVE Learn from industry-related professionals through field trips and guest lectures.
JIM SHERRADEN
On Thursday, February 19th, my Design 3550 classmates and I took a field trip to Gateway in the Short North to engage in a presentation given by Jim Sherraden. Jim is a master printer and curator at Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee, which is widely known for carrying on the old letterpress printing process with a 21st century design sensibility. Yet, as Jim began his talk—I learned that Hatch Show Print is so much more. Jim started out by asking why the invention of the computer made Hatch so successful. I will admit… this stumped me. How could the computer affect an old printing shop? The answer was: because the digital age created a want and need for the handmade touch. He described how this revolutionary process made mass communication possible in the west. Small details, such as white space on the bottom of pages left blank for filling in event information, allowed for posters to be printed quickly and in large orders. Parts of large sized letters, like lowercase l’s and i’s were often printed off the same block to reduce cost. This one
block could be key to a whole 26 letter set. Blocks were also turned upside down and every which way to substitute for other blocks. Behind the scene’s tricks like these allowed for fast and efficient work. As a designer, we must recognize these tricks. We must be innovative and creative thinkers and reach outside the box to make compelling and cutting-edge designs. Additionally, important advice I gained from Jim’s talk is that it is our generation’s responsibility. On top of knowing that “type high” is the height of a British shilling, that three hu-
mans are necessary to proofread a proof and rules are used to break up information and create tempo within a composition, it is imperative to realize that letterpress printing is indicative of our history, culture and area of study. The power of the press has really made graphic design what it is today—not to mention letterpress printing has unrivaled texture and color. Our generation is responsible for not losing sight of that and holding true to “preservation through production”. Jim recognized this need for preservation
during his time at a university just like ours. It is now our turn, as designers and creators, to start a revival.
IGLOO
On the evening of Thursday, March 5th, my Design 3550 class took a field trip to Worthington, Ohio and heard from Igloo Letterpress owner, Allison Chapman, about the origin of the shop and letterpress as well as her personal, small business story. Allison inherited her grandfather’s original printing equipment in her home state of Minnesota, where she early on enjoyed helping him in his hobby print shop. She began running her own small printing business on just $5,000. Through cross-country moves and cuts in the paycheck, Allison’s shop doesn’t fail to resemble the true essence of a small business—passion for the craft. Igloo is not only a letterpress but bookbinding studio, retail shop and commercial printer as well. To me, they have very different techniques and a unique feel compared to Logan Elm and Hatch Show Print. Their design style is more modern and crafty, which I personally loved. They work within the community and with a lot of
local small businesses. They also work to combine digital and analog, transferring digital PDF designs into a printing plate. I enjoyed learning about this fuse of technology. Additionally, important advice that I gained from hearing Allison’s story is to never start a business on just $5,000—just kidding. I learned to never lose sight of what you are passionate about. Allison described doing many different jobs, which always led her to missing her grandfather’s old print shop. Through all of her struggles in the growth of the business, it is evident that Allison not only loves the physical act of printing but the vibrant history and
experience of the letterpress as well. Igloo thrives on a highly personalized, rewarding experience. This is shown through their encouragement of people to visit the shop—Allison doesn’t even mind people popping in the production studio accidentally. She has an admirable and contagious want for people to experience the excitement of her craft. I will always remember this visit because of that.
MOHAWK PAPER
On Tuesday night, March 31st, a representative from Mohawk, Kevin Koetz, visited our Design 3550 class to discuss the production of high quality paper for commercial offset and digital printing. Mohawk is a paper mill that specializes in fine paper. They manufacture over 3,000 stock items that represent various combinations of color, grade, weight, finish and size. Most of Mohawk’s paper is notorious for being expressive in color and texture. There are various collections of paper, offering a very wide range of choices. Some of these included: Superfine: The Ultimate Paper, Options: The Inkwell Paper, Loop: The Responsible Paper, Via: The Economical Paper, Strathmore: The Luxe Paper, Carnival: The Cover Paper and Digital: The Imaging Paper. My favorite that I saw would have to be Britehue: The Vivid Paper. This paper was very vibrant and amplified while also an economical bright paper grade! Also, the
Kevin stressed, again, the importance of relationships with your designers and end users. For paper companies, like Mohawk, it is very important to sit with your end user and discuss the vast possibilities of paperweights and finishes but also in terms of budget. He pointed out that you and the client should know and understand what is realistic and doable. Lastly, one of my favorite aspects of Mohawk is their Maker Quarterly. It is a free publication that showcases like-minded makers. Its content is centered on stories of small manufacturers, artisans, printers, designers, and artists in the digital world. The Mohawk representative talked about the differences between the cover weight paper and text weight paper used as well as how the images look different on different colors of paper. It is such an expressive piece and I really enjoyed flipping through it.
WESTCAMP On the evening of Thursday, March 26th, my Design 3550 class took a field trip to West Camp Press and heard from the owner and an employee about West Camp’s daily business environment, structure and practice. I learned that West Camp invested 6 million dollars last year in cutting-edge technology to stay on the forefront. West Camp also has two graphic designers and four web developers on staff to help communication between different clients. Additionally, West Camp is a regional printer but has the ability to serve clients all over the United States. On top of learning about how West Camp works specifically, I gained general advice about life in the work force. Ed reinforced time and time again: people buy from people. He encouraged the thought of business supported through close relationships. He also advised a very open relationship with clients. He talked about having clients in the workroom and on the press
with them. This allows the client to see the process first hand. Time and money is saved when corrections are made in the proofing process before the final product. His employee stressed having a transparent schedule with clients and keeping them in the loop when different obstacles change deadlines. Furthermore, I think my favorite part of the trip was Ed’s overall thoughts about print medium. Contrary to popular belief, Ed believes print has not died, it has evolved. Faster, cheaper, better technology will continue to grow and develop printing in all different ways. Similar to Jim Sherraden’s mindset, it is our generation’s responsibility to preserve and evolve.
CURV IMAGING
Curv Imaging is a creative services and print production company resided in Westerville, Ohio. Unable to attend my class field trip on-site, I researched their services online, which range from printing and retouching to asset management and finishing and installation. Since 1978, members of Curv have become skilled in graphic design, marketing, photography, retouching, project management, graphic installation, digital imaging and printing to create a unique creative business that “is more than just a print shop”. Primarily, Curv focuses on a team and relationship-oriented environment. Curv creates an experience for the client in all phases of the imaging process. Furthermore, they want to provide solutions that add value through integrated solutions driven by their customer’s needs. Curv says: “We consider our customers our partners; building long-term relationships by adding our skills to their internal team”. Therefore, Curv has built a number of successful relationships with clients through the years. Some of these clients include: Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s
Secret, Limited Stores, M&M’s and Express. Work for these clients ranged from large wall murals to small print ads. I found the Victoria Secret Ad’s especially interesting because you were able to see before and after retouching. (Surprised Victoria Secret let them do it!) Additionally, a unique trait that I have learned about Curv is that they specialize in in-house products and services. Services such as photography and retouching are done in the studio. Full project consulting is also available on-site. This provides a lot of advantages for clients and creates a cheaper and more direct experience.
LOGAN ELM
During the beginning of the semester, class was stationed at Logan Elm Press on Ohio State’s campus. Heather Wetzel now watches over the press day to day. She is very talented in letterpress and papermaking. One evening before our adventure into papermaking, Heather taught us about paper and book arts. She unravled its history and provided information from milkweed to papyrus. We got to see samples of a variety of paper, including various fibers, weights and textures. Additonally, she talked through samples of books printed and bound right from Logan Elm. I was very impressed with the amount of different binding and folding techniques there were. Altogether, Heather gave us better insight into the background of paper before we made our own!
OSU SENIOR EXHIBITION
The Design 3550 class and I took a trip to Urban Arts Space to view the OSU Design Department senior exhibition. We viewed final projects of students from Visual Communication Design, Interior Design and Industrial Design. It was fascinating seeing all of the diverse ideas students came up with. One of my favorites was Pivit, a mobile gaming application, senior, Dylan Frim, designed. I got a chance to talk to him about his project during the exhibition. He expressed his primary struggle finding a problem to solve when starting this project, something I frequently experience. I also wasn’t sure how gaming solved any problems. He told me his found problem stemmed from his mom never being able to find a game she wants to play or can understand on her phone.
Therefore, he developed a game that an older audience to grasp quickly and would be visually clear on a small mobile screen. I became very impressed with this. It occured to me that every piece of design, no matter how big or small, seemingly unmeaningful or very serious in degree, has a purpose. Design solves everyday life problems. Dylan also design different “themes” for gameplay so users can make preferences that suit them. Some other projects that stood out were Skadoodle, a child’s board game to help boost self-esteem and confidence, and Dezi, a student driving app to help reduce drunk driving. Overall, all of the students work amazed me in how well thought out and constructed they were. My only hope is to somewhat fill their shoes in two years!
CHUTE GERDEMAN One of my favorite field trips included our visit to our very own professor’s place of work, Chute Gerdeman. Chute Gerdeman is an award-winning retail branding and design firm. They provide service to multiple industries including retail, restaurants, service providers and consumer goods. From just a short few hours in their office, I learned that Chute Gerdeman not only specializes in brand development and design but the overall user experience as well. We talked to a representative from Chute about their recent partnering with Verizon. We got to see inside one of their Chicago stores where the focus is now not only on technology but lifestyle as well. They created different merchandised zones devoted to categories such as sports and fitness, music and gaming. This allows users to expe-
rience the store in a whole new, unique way. They can now imagine themselves using the product within the context of their own life. This, in turn, creates an experience in the store. We also got to see different work with Dylan’s Candy Bar and Whole Foods. Whole Foods was interesting because each Whole Foods is unique, relating to where it is located. For example, a coastal store might have old rope used on a boat draped around the walls. This also highlights design as part of the experience and uses design to promote the client’s message, Whole Foods being very local orienented. Overall, Chute Gerdeman was a really exciting trip and made me think more about all of the design career possibilities. It really made me love and appreciate environmental design.
Special thanks to instructor, Steve Johnson, for his advice and guidance throughout the semester!