Despite ongoing technological advancements, where digital applications and softwares now entail for precision and detail to be achieved to a level beyond anything seen in previous design history, it is apparent within modern day culture that processes are beginning to become increasingly reflexive. Techniques used in old design processes are more recently being investigated, and often replicated into modern-day outcomes with the intent to stray away from conventional digitalised, and often flat imagery.
Utilising such methodologies provides a new dynamic, recognised for its skilful assets, aesthetic presence and diverse potential. Analogue and traditional printing techniques are often seen within our digital society, often in the form of screen-based media. Achieved through digitalisation and image manipulative strategies, the content of any work can be altered directly to its intended aesthetic and/or purpose. The combination of the two processes withholds potential to strengthen the final outcome, recognised and appreciated vastly within the current design industry, replicated and refined to a quality on par with current standards and expectations.
Erik Spiekermann
Spiekermann is known to have ‘reinvented’ the printing process within the digital age. Spiekermann refers to his process as ‘post-digital printing’, where he combines letterpress with laser-cut, polymer, metal based plates. The benefit to such process are described to be- heightened quality in print standards, with usually off-set, deeper black pigmentation inducing tactile qualities, with the feature of satisfying clarity and sharpness between letter forms.
“What we’ve done is take a couple of different techniques and put them together” Spiekermann describes his approach to be “the nicest way to put black text on paper.”
Spiekermann’s studio is known as P98a, while he also runs Die Lettertypen Studio, each of which have been successful and drawn great publicity. This is due to his unique, modern twist on an otherwise ‘dated’ methodology. His studios have began printing books.
“It’s ironic that a book about the beginning of a digital age will now be printed in an analogue method, that irony hasn’t escaped anybody.” Erik Spiekermann
Spiekermann was a teenager in Berlin through the 1960’s. His success with printing followed a period in history where people were throwing out there old printing presses. He leased an old lorry from a post office, and drove round collecting these from the streets, later storing them in a warehouse. This drove Spiekermann’s hobby in early stages of his life- letterpress.
In 1977, Erik moved to London with his wife and flew all of his printing gear over with him. He then paid to hire a railway archer Ladbridge Grove for storage of these machines. When he returned, the whole lot had be burnt out. Spiekermann reflects on this “I’d wanted to be a letterpress printer… but somebody sends you a sign. I was either ahead of the times or way behind it”.
In an interview, the typographic artist explains how he’s old enough to remember old processes and techniques, yet young enough to have worked with more recent, digital strategies.
“I’m the in-between generation. If the next generation doesn’t learn it then a whole culture will be lost. It’s a good way to keep it going”.
“We started asking what letterpress means these days. It’s a good process and has desirable qualities, but it’s totally stupid for industrial purposes. I thought, how can we combine what I know about designing on a Macintosh, with the physical and emotional advantages of pressing into paper. That’s how it came about.” Erik Spiekermann.
Stop Stealing Sheep, 2014
Stop Stealing Sheep is a book produced by Erik Spiekermann, documenting and demonstrating how type implements upon the way our society operates.
Spiekermann makes obvious reference to the fact that typography is always designed relevant to its purpose. Various styles provide insight of differentiated messages, utilised to target a particular subject. This entails for more effective expression of meaning through design. The book prompts a recognition towards the suitability of different type styles, and when these would be applicable for use in design.
Extracted directly from Spiekermann’s book, I have selected imagery of key significance to my current studies surrounding typography.
‘There is no bad type’ is a bold, expressive statement, refining the famous typographers outlook surrounding the use of different text styles relevant to context. Each of the other images present visual qualities in agreement of this, showing how text should be stylised and presented amongst different media products.
The image featuring letter press portrays a raw analogue sense, used to echo a sense of personality, unconventional and identity. This induces deliberately imperfect results, reducing the polished sense of a manufactured reality. The inks used here are less consistent to those seen within a printer, often leading to variety across prints. However, this process is noticeably highly regarded, and appreciated in design due to its raw essence and sharpened edges, obtaining significant clarity. This technique is particularly favoured by Spiekermann, provided correct principles, ideas and contexts are applied.
His regard for digitalised type is also sufficient, where Spiekermann clearly presents his understanding surrounding the editorial methodologies, and when to use these. News-papers often feature strong contrast paired with strong, capitalised typefaces in over to captivate a readers attention above other elements on the page. In advertising, text maintains the same strength and clarity, yet is spaced to be aesthetically pleasing, as well as to be dominative of the spacial values. These styles are conventional, recognised to be the most efficient way of setting text on a page of the above specified media forms.
K.Hughes Graphics 