CR Blog

The Concise Letterpress Typography Workshop

Graphic Design, Type / Typography

Posted by Mark Sinclair, 4 July 2011, 14:37    Permalink    Comments (16)

This September, designer Alan Kitching will be hosting two of his workshops which focus on the fundamentals of typography and make full use of the letterpress equipment based at his London shop...

The Typography Workshop has been running for 20 years and is billed as a hands-on course for letterpress enthusiasts. The seminal printers' handbook, The Printer's Terms (1949) by Rudolph Hostettler, lies at the heart of the project and Kitching will be referring to 215 of the 1,362 terms featured in the book, a number of which will then be reinterpreted by the workshop's participants. A selection of the finished pieces are set to be included within a limited edition publication on the project.

Accordingly, as part of the rigourous practice evinced in the workshops, a series of external examiners will also participate including Margaret Calvert, Fernando Gutierrez and George Hardie.

So what can you expect from the two days? The Typography Workshop's press release states that participants will "work directly with ink, paper and both metal and wood type; learn the fundamentals of letter spacing, leading and kerning; enjoy the thrill of seeing their work come to life through the physicality of letterpress; and gain a more in-depth understanding of typographic detail."

While interested parties do not need experience of letterpress to participate the course is, they say, "not for the faint-hearted" as it will be "unashamedly delving into the finer details of typography". It sounds, well, unashamedly great to us.

The dates for the next two workshops are September 9-10 and 23-24. For more information, contact workshop assistants Jon Kielty and Ross Shaw on info@thetypographyworkshop.com. See also thetypographyworkshop.com.

 

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16 Comments

£750, fuck me. i'd love to do it but that's a bit out of my price range.
emma
2011-07-04 15:31:42

Emma, that does include your lunch though
Davo
2011-07-04 17:12:32

But lunch is included!!
I bet it's a really GOOD lunch!!!
Action Man
2011-07-04 17:40:03

Sweet. I am going to be opening my letterpress studio in Cologne Germany in the next 6 months but I am using two very different machines one of them dating back to 1880 or whereabouts when hats and beards werre compulsory. It would be a great two days though, manky sandwiches aside.
nick elliott
2011-07-04 20:59:59

Sure you can buy the book and open your own can of ink but I suspect that for most serious letterpress & artist printers the price would be worth it... If only for the company during lunch...
Lawrence Finn
2011-07-05 13:51:32

This sounded great until I looked at the website... The 'typography' on there is nothing short of AWFUL. Not entirely filling me with confidence, and for that price...
anon
2011-07-05 14:02:47

Anon, I was just wondering, what makes you say the typograpy on the site is AWFUL? I think it looks ok...
Peter van Vliet
2011-07-05 15:44:29

I would love to do this.
And that lunch must be fantastic!
Stripeyhorse branding
2011-07-06 14:46:33

Do you have to have a massive beard?
>Lil _Pete.
2011-07-07 15:07:54

I've done a bit of that. OK for big type sizes but my god, when you get down to 6pt!!! All those fiddly bits of metal and ink all over the place, give me a keyboard and mouse any day. The finished poduct though is gorgeous
@Anon. Lots of work looks awful on websites compared to the printed item. The wonder of letterpress is that it's printed in 'relief' and so edges of artwork become so much stronger. Of course, totally lost on screen.
john Amy
2011-07-07 15:28:34

I just want the mangled old book...
Matt
2011-07-07 18:47:53

I'd love to do it but is there a concessionary rate for the 'out of workers'?
Seal
2011-07-07 21:37:19

A bit pricey I agree... but looks really good.. and when the lights go out , letterpress will save us.
Malcolm Izatt
2011-07-08 11:43:10

i'm tempted by emma's offer of sex but £750 is a bit pricey
mr spam
2011-07-10 09:23:53

@Matt I know what you mean, that book looks an essential item to own!
Pickle Design
2011-07-25 21:47:26

Hi, i am interested in typography work, can u tell me how i get this opportunity in india, please help me out.
sarwar khan
2012-01-02 14:21:48

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Graphic Design, Type / Typography

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