Typo is/

Currently plotting the final year show of my degree. I’m project manager, curator and editor. Which means I am also exhausted… updates soon.

The website has been put together by the sickeningly talented Mr. Rich Cousins (www.richcousins.co.uk) – go check it out!!

www.typois.co.uk

Our private view is 30/06, 6- 9pm.

London College of Communication. SE1 6SB.

Please RSVP to events@lcc.arts.ac.uk.

If I see another pancake…I’ll probably eat it.

Pancake day has (in my circle of friends at least) been labeled ‘a better celebration than christmas.’ And rightly so. Similarly to Christ’s birthday, I spent yesterday talking to people I didn’t know and stuffing myself silly, without having to endure the consumerist chaos or family disagreements. Perfect!

My day was mainly spent in The Shed of a new organisation called Out of the Ordinary of which I am currently producing the ‘brand’ graphics for. I got involved through Sophie Howarth – she of The School of Life fame – and plan to spend at least one day a week in their Whitechapel Shed for the foreseeable future.

OOTO takes inspiration from the up-cycling movement that has become so trendy of late, and makes it accessible to everyone. So people can donate unwanted materials or source stuff from the street and give it a new lease of life, like this:

The main space is a public shed in Whitechapel, which is currently being used as a test space before finding a permanent home. The community have already started filling it with wonderful stuff, which will only grow and grow as more people get involved. The idea is to have tools and space and creative ideas available to people who don’t want to fill their lives with machine made copies but own things that are original and well loved because they were crafted by the owner.

(Will and Hannah potting purple cabbage)

A small note.

I was thinking about logos and how detailed they have to be even if they are tiny. Zooming in on my application symbols I find Text Edit. Not just squiggly lines but actual prose. Good prose. And it is addressed to me. (weird) 

Dead Air Space?

I’m currently writing a dissertation. Supposedly. But my extended vocabulary seems to have left the house and doesn’t look to be returning any time soon. I think she skipped out hand in hand with spelling and correct grammar. I hope they are all having a nice time together because their absence has made writing anything a back-breaking task. The thesaurus has never had so much attention. It then occurred to me that I haven’t written on this blog since July. It’s been a creeping – guilt ridden – neglectful sort of epiphany - I knew it but was slow to acknowledge the fact. Therefore a substantial amount of crap has accumulated around the plughole of my mind. Which is obviously what is coming out first when I do eventually bother to put digits to keys. Highly problematic.

It’s also pretty ungrateful of me to let this just sit here. Access to the internet is pretty common, yes. Anyone can set up a blog, yes. But some people don’t have access, or such an easy way of channelling their thoughts. Mr Dave Eggers made me think this. If you haven’t heard of the Ministry of Stories – look it up – they’ve just opened one in Hoxton.

And some bloggers have interesting things to share, yes. But most of it is just people talking to no-one, to themselves or to a small group of people, clogging up server space with regurgitated findings and thoughts. (I’m in this gang. It’s not exclusive but we all have rule over our own little patch. Which is weirdly comforting.) Optimists – yeah those kids – would claim it is also an unparalleled source of self reference, a permanent record of our lives. Which seeing as the next few months of my life are going to be either horrific or the most liberating I’ve ever had, (hopefully a bit of both – I’m a fan of balance) I should probably start documenting it.

Well that’s a couple of minutes of your life you are never getting back – now for the slide show…

This was August :

The start of a dissertation:

The beginning of the end:

When you get past ‘outrage’ and witty slogans, it’s just a bunch of kids that want someone to give them a chance. I’m part of the first generation in my immediate family to go to university. Now I will probably also be the last. As much as I think university has been a bit of a bad fit for me, I had the choice. Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I’ve also recently been looking at how we use (or misuse?!) public space:

(Personally I was expecting it to read: This is not a giant litter-tray. Without accounting for philistines and miserable bastards.)

Shuffling around second hand book emporiums:

And fishing out some beautiful letterpress:

On yer bike.

I am currently in the beautifully balmy bike-loving city of Copenhagen at CIID summer school lead by Matt Cottam of Tellart. A quick rundown:

Our first day involved analogue data visualisation.

Today we were service designing.

I wish all my design education had been like this.

An extreme fondness of post-it notes has also manifested itself.

More photos and notes to come..

(will include credits when I have everyones URLs.)

Do It Yourself. or Get Someone Better Than You Are To Do It: GSBTYATDI. Why did that not catch on?

The St Bride Foundation is the spiritual (and once physical) home of my college. St Bride Library specialises in collecting and preserving specimens of typography and printed ephemera. I have spent the last two days there at the St Bride DIY design conference, here are the highlights from day two…day one to be added later when I recover my notes…oops.

German typographic genius (why are they always German?!) Wolfgang Weingart was first of the day. His work mirrors the way he talks; methodical and considered. A student friendly presentation, he stated his main objective was ‘to give students courage,’ his favourite pre-cursor or conclusive statement being ‘for the students.’

Other pearls of wisdom hastily scribbled:

“Don’t speak too much. Don’t write too much. Do it.”

“Put air between the letters.”

“The paper stays the same, expectation changes every time, it is all about symphony.” (said in comparison to  a composer’s music sheet)

In order to have a profession…”you must have fascination and love, you must know why, you must learn history.”

“Have fun. Everything is an important stone in the mosaic”

“It is not necessary to design new letters. We have enough” (to a room of type designers. ha.) …..”We don’t need a luxury life with so many choices. It brings chaos.”

“I am proud that my work is timeless as I did not go with the fads and zeitgeist in type of the time.”

“Experimental is a stupid word. I create experiences. Experimental works are for science.”

And the one comment that will cement him as an absolute legend in my eyes:

“To say that the basics have no place in universities is idiotic. A musician must practice. Children must learn the language before they can speak it.”

Next was Teal Triggs on Zines. I’m always a fan of amateur endeavors and as Teal commented the ‘craft activism’ that seems to be arising from everywhere in the form of zines, guerrilla gardening, printing and blogging is quite encouraging as a reaction to the saturation of consumer crap. It’s also great to see the communities that form around these activities.

This was later proved by the makers of Manzine, a zine alternative to the lads mags and metrosexual journals that men have to choose from in the commercial market. Written by journalists of some of the most successful of the two commercial camps, it is witty, relevant and honest. With articles such as ‘Objects of disaffection’ in which writers rant about things like gravy boats and hand driers: a refreshing change to the gadget porn that always appears in sunday supplements – not everyone wants a widescreen T.V – ever considered that?! ‘Man’s best friend:’ a full page photo of a nice dog rather than some scantily clad ‘bird,’ ‘Thinking Man’s Crumpet;’ a feature on the best combination of baked goods, beverage and setting. Other absolute gem’s include ‘The Genealogy of a Grudge’ and ‘Maxims & Mediations from the Wise Old Barbour Jacket.’ My Dad would love it.

Petr Van Blokland (brilliant Dutch designer) is really into programming. I didn’t know this before. I do now. I have never programmed anything more than a freeview box so most of his presentation was sadly lost on me and many others in the audience, however he does (obviously) have some great insights into design.

“The problem is not getting ideas but getting rid of them”

He has developed something called The Design Game that to me sounds like a role play of service designing for students which is interesting and something that I will definitely be looking into. “It’s not about aesthetics but procedures”

“Do it yourself and keep it for yourself” (if you create a system that works for you.)

Lastly Alex Bec and Will Hudson of It’s Nice That fame. After trying to set up a design practise together they then invested time in a blog which has led to them setting up an agency in which they curate and act as project managers…So basically my dream job. To say I was listening intently is an understatement.

There was no plan. There is no plan. To reiterate; they never had a plan. Which is always how the best things start.

Their alternatives to DIY was DNY: Do Nothing Yourself and DID: Do It Differently.
DIY is the act of not being too precious with things.

So: get people involved who do things better than you do. Do things you have never seen or heard of before.

They choose content that would otherwise get lost in the ether if It’s Nice That didn’t exist. They don’t pick things CR or Eye are already covering. They offer a unique resource.

I have often questioned a need for the magazine but the boys fully justified the decision as obviously they need to make some money, they wanted to go into greater detail with some interviews and most of the work they feature is made to be viewed in print so why not show it as it is supposed to be seen. Also the magazines act as a good archive and reference point rather than trawling through the blog.

Affable chaps and clever with it. Nice indeed.

TBC…day one to follow shortly…

The philosophies of Elephant and Castle

The key.

via Ffffound from madeitpretty

Get drunk and schmooze.

It’s all in the name of culture! Exhibition season is upon us and LCC are upping the ante this year with all sorts of shenanigans curated by Supergroup. I have been helping to set up the pop-up mini letterpress studio currently housed in a shipping container next to Elephant and Castle roundabout.  (oh the glamour!?) However it does look pretty great and will look even better over the next 10 days as the work builds up.

Here are some high speed action shots of day one..

It’s only a bit of dust

Other than the decade-old sign in Elephant and Castle underpass there are few clues to suggest that the London College of Communication was ever the only printing school in London since 1922. The college’s heritage has prevailed in their letterpress workshop and continues to show students the precision and consideration required in design before the digital age. This week LCC hosts the second London screening of the film Typeface*, an exploration of the Hamilton printing factory in Wisconsin, USA. This has been made possible by college alumni Alex Cooper and Rose Gridneff who run the LCC letterpress workshop as well as their own workshop in Hackney. On visiting Wisconsin in the spring they gained permission to show Typeface in London this April. While printing posters for the upcoming screening we had a chat about their interest in the letterpress process.

When did you first start using letterpress?
Alex: As a student on the GMD Typo/Graphics pathway, 2000-2003. I was fortunate that the college had these resources, as a mature student I had never sat in front of a computer before. It was my tutor Kelvyn Smith (who has worked for Alan Kitching) who encouraged me.
Rose: Also as a student, on the BA in Book Arts 2002-2005.

What is it about the process that you like?
Alex: There are many benefits to using the process, the most notable in my opinion is the time consuming nature of the medium which enables you to reflect on what you are doing as you are doing it. In not being able to try something out in countless different colours or typefaces, it makes you a more considered designer. Also, the physical manipulation of type allows for a better appreciation of space.
Rose: For me, it is about having control over every part of the design process, from the initial idea to the execution. You are working to scale and are responsible for the making in its entirety.

What was the most valuable thing you learnt during your degree?

Alex: If you are planning on using letterpress, always allow twice as much time!

Rose: That you are in charge of your own education.

A large percentage of British art universities are now getting rid of their printing facilities, do you think this will affect the future of the technique?

Alex: A lot of colleges, having previously got rid of their workshops, are in fact now buying up equipment. The School of Graphic Design at LCC had the foresight to keep the facility as a teaching tool for typography.

Rose: Letterpress is a process that many students are now experiencing during their education, but the future of the medium is stunted as these students don’t have access to such facilities upon graduation. Many are buying up tabletop presses such as Adana’s on Ebay.

What do you attribute to the renewed interest from the larger design community over traditional printing techniques?

Alex: There isn’t a great deal out there in the design community as a whole. Most of it is constrained to invites, or would fit into the ‘craft’ category- which is looking very stale, with a clear aesthetic of blocky wood type. It needs to continually re-invent itself if it is to have any longevity.

Rose: I think the interest out there is predominantly down to the tactility of the process. There is a lot of style over substance.

Do you think it could be a revival of the arts and crafts movement? Is it only happening here?
Alex: We are coming at the process from a design perspective, both  teaching within design schools. We value ideas over aesthestics.
Rose:We do not see letterpress as superior to the computer in any way, but would like to see it interact and develop alongside it.

Having worked in both Britain and America, do you see any differences between the two countries approaches to design/letterpress?
Alex:I travelled to the States in 2007, and visited Archetype Press at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. There the workshop was seen as an extra-curricular activity, compared to us where students are doing their degree work in the medium. In Tennessee, I visited Yee-Haw Industries whose use of wood type and woodcut images reflects the context in which they are situated.
Rose: I think that places such as Yee-Haw and Hamilton Wood Type are a rarity in the States. Many of the small presses springing up appear to rely on printing from polymer plates, which are made from digital artwork.

You exhibited work in Chicago work along with current LCC students this Spring, how did that opportunity arise?
Alex: We had an exhibition at LCC last March. The positive response to  what we are doing gave us the confidence to submit an abstract to the ‘A Case for Letterpress’ session at the College Art Association Annual Conference. Sandra Kemp, Head of College, was keen to support this and we would like to extend our thanks in making it a possibility.
Rose: The conference session is moderated by Jeff Pulaski, from Wichita State University, who suggested that each participating college get together to exhibit work. The results will be displayed at  5 colleges in the States, and at LCC later this year.

Do you think it is important to showcase student work in other countries?
Alex: Until the show at LCC, we were quite insular about what we were doing. It wasn’t until the visit to the States that we were able to properly compare ourselves on an international level.
Rose: I think it is a great experience for students and staff to exhibiting abroad, and it is valuable to compare the differences between UK and US design education.

What designers/ work do you admire?
Alex: Jan Tschichold and Anthony Froshaug. On the whole I am more interested in printed ephemera than the work of individual designers.
Rose: I think the different platforms for self-publishing which are emerging such as Newpaper Club are interesting, or Adrian Shaughnessy and Tony Brook’s Unit Editions.

What inspires/influences you?
Alex: Printed bits of paper! Also working closely alongside students and watching them develop.
Rose: Working with students who are infinitely more energetic and talented than myself.

* The LCC Typeface screening has been postponed until further notice due to the no fly zone over Europe as Alex and Rose are currently stranded in Holland and the film is unable to be sent from America. An ‘act of God’ is the official term I believe…although they should probably rethink that phrase. I’ll keep you posted.

This interview was originally written for LCMS blog however seemed pointless to publicise an event that may not happen, so I decided this may be a better holding place for it for now.