CrankyLog

Making the most of your letterpress work.

~ A labor of love ~

Over the last 5 or 10 years there's been a lot of hoopla about folks making things again. Laborers, crafters, artisans and just plain old makers are sexy nowadays. Being letterpress printers we appreciate this newfound interest in handmade crafts. That said, we also believe final production and execution rely heavily on the thinking, planning and creative work that comes first.

The very best finished work depends on the choices and decisions the designer makes. Conceptualizing, sketching and noodling away on the computer may not be physical labor but it is hard work to get right and crucial for a project to turn out its very best.

Here's a look at what goes into 'making' and ways of making a letterpress project better.

Prior Planning Prevents Poor (Letterpress) Performance.

The 5Ps from THIRSTY™ on Vimeo.

Recently Cranky Pressman was taken over for a day. It wasn't some rogue rodent but Maria Pastore our friend and good customer at Thirsty. Maria wanted to create a poster in honor of her old high school art teacher, Benjamin F. Price. Apparently Mr. Price preached the 5 P's to his students, Prior-Planning-Prevents-Poor-Performance. Very wise words. I would have got along well with this fellow.

Maria and her colleague Phil documented their visit in the video tape above. The old letterpress printing shop has never looked or sounded so groovy.

Ironically, the 2-color letterpress poster was produced in the more spontaneous style of hand-set wood type. Maria scavenged through our antique type collection creating on the fly, but there is no doubt the planning gears were running in her head during the entire creative process. Even in its simplest form, the best graphic design for letterpress is carefully thought out. I believe Mr. Price would have been pleased with the results.

The posters can be puchased on the Thirsty Goods Store. Part of the proceeds go to the school's art department. You can also read more about the project on Maria's blog.