Today was a full day again in the print studio. I decided to explore further printing press on the Albion using wood type and modular shapes that I had made before on the laser cutting machine. I found myself exploring the metal brackets that I decided to purchase via Amazon after I saw some great examples from Graphic designer Karel Marten's book Re-Printed Matter (2019).
I knew that I wanted to respond to Marten's work because this will allow me to adapt my visual understanding towards the importance of print design from the perspective of materiality. I found myself exploring different printed compositions to illustrate ways that can highlight the word of Alef which I have still been exploring as part of my question of research. Below is the initial start to this workshop, in which I had to test and work out the correct composition to make up the overall shape of the letter. It was important to consider the printed outcome, this is because it needs to be printed the correct way around to identify the letter Alef.
I found myself again, contemplating the term materiality and how it can be implemented into my printed work. I feel that the tactility nature that comes from print design is somewhat overlooked at times, especially in today's society which is heavily influenced by the digital age.
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| The images show different visual experiments from the printed workshop that I did |
It was definitely important for me to respond visually to the research that I did looking at Karel Marten's work within Re-Printed Matter, as this is something I feel works best within my own methodology in making sense of something that I had seen. It is also a great way for me to respond within the context of materiality and how it aligns with my own influences.
To stay in this mindset of working with materials, I decided to further explore another form of material using plastic Lego squares. These are part of my Lego letter typeset pack which I have wanted to explore for quite some time now and have seen other people print with them, so for this was a great opportunity for me to explore this.
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Photo showing Lego experiment using the printed press Jordan Jones (2023)
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As you can see from the image above the idea to ink this Lego plate up with the Lego squares was a rather messy process but had to be embraced as part of the creative process. I feel that I was also adopting a rather constructivist mindset in exploring ways to create imagery from this Lego that clearly follows a grid system. I had creative freedom but still, I needed to stay within the parameters of the grid. From my current knowledge and understanding of modularity, using these Lego squares allowed me to identify creative ways to adapt the Alef letter.
The image below clearly outlines the fusion of two materials being used wood from the laser cutter of my wood type and the use of plastic from the Lego squares. Working with both of these materials has shown a sense of harmony with one another. This is from the use of pressing ink into them using the roller and then using the Albion press to transfer the designs onto different paper stock.
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| Photo showing final print designed by Jordan Jones (2023) |
The angularity that forms the Alef shape using Lego squares, creates a modern feel that was experimental for me to try and explore what it would look like when printed onto paper stock. I feel the design signifies a constructivist narrative that alludes towards a modernistic style, whilst promoting a contemporary feel to the overall design.
The choice of black ink allows for the lines to stand out and makes the Alef sit on the page as the primary focus. The transferred print allows for the black ink to give off a grainy texture to the design which for me works well as a visual support towards the importance of print design. My idea to press my Alef wood type into the print was to add further visual context towards materiality that allowed me to engage with different materials at once.
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Photo taken of my printed work in the studio (2023)
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Further prints have been explored using the metal door brackets which have been mentioned before, this idea to explore these came from my response towards the work of Karel Martens who uses a similar approach to some of his mark-making designs. I felt this variation of the letter Alef was another successful outcome in showing visually contemporary ways of illustrating the overall shape and structure of the letter form. what is interesting to identify is that you can still make connections to the Alef from the shape of the design.
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Photo taken of my printed work in the studio (2023)
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| Photo taken of my printed work in the studio (2023) |
Again this outcome above shows another final print outcome that was primarily explored using only wood type from different typefaces only to use the use the letter I to make up parts of the Alef component pieces. I decided to also explore geometric shapes that helped to make up the rest of the letter form.
The modernistic feel that I get from this print signifies a strong connection to the Bauhaus which was something that I could identify from the typesetting of my design on the Albion press plate. The choice of colours infused together adds further texture towards materiality which overall creates a successful print job and shows my exploration work to be informative to what I am inspired by as there are also elements of modularity within the design that give a strong impression of the overall look and feel of the composition of the design.
I think these prints show how successful it is to be experimental within your approach whilst trying new ways of mark-making. It has allowed me to push boundaries to what can be pressed within making images. My visual understanding of letterpress using the Albion press has helped me to explore creative ways of creating other imagery and mark-making. This has informed my current working practice journey which I will apply to my process to come and further explore ways like this in my MA major project.
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