Just wanted to say ‘hi!’ to all the new visitors to the blog courtesy of the Daily Page and other recent press. When it rains it pours: 622 press is currently featured on The Isthmus Daily Page’s Madison etsy explorations as well as brava Magazine’s annual holiday Wish List. Woo hoo!
I’m still recovering from this holiday weekend, and not in the way you might think, despite its containing the drunkest day of the year (Wednesday before Thanksgiving, if you weren’t aware — fun fact of the day!).
I had double rush orders of holiday cards and other projects for a couple of clients. The first (above) was designed by Anna of Modern Printed Matter. I can’t get enough of her crystallized snowflake pattern — it’s so elegant in a blind emboss. Because it’s an all-over design, there’s no place for the displaced paper fibers to be absorbed into, so I had to tighten my press to the point of almost not being able to make a full rotation. (In fact, my mom tried to do a couple because I was exhausted and she couldn’t! Apparently printing can double as weight training.) Anyway, although the soreness in my muscles is still lingering, the cards turned out beautiful and were well worth it.
On the other end of the spectrum, I also imprinted holiday cards for Z2 Marketing in Milwaukee. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank Kerry Tasch, a friend from the design program at UWSP, for looking me up! In addition to the lovely cards below, I also embossed the front and back covers of their leave behind book, images of which I hope to post soon. I love the sheer simplicity and perfect symmetry of the cards as much as I love the complexity and randomness of the top ones. These, however, were much easier to create, the plate took a perfect bite out of each card, leaving sharp edges and a deep emboss.
Screen printer extraordinaire Mary out of Nashville, Tenn. puts her mark on everything from tees to bags to glassware. I love her funky illustrations and the sheer variety in her shop — there’s something for everyone!
Lately, I’m loving the commercial design trend toward illustration that looks as though it stumbled out of someone’s sketchbook. It’s great that ad firms are finally able to say, “Yes, this was made by an actual human being and it’s beautiful” and I think it speaks to a desire of consumers as a whole to want to know their merchandise was made with care by a person, not a machine.
Hannah Stouffer is one of the top illustrators driving this trend. Little did I know as I was simultaneously admiring Secret deodorant’s latest ad campaign (above) and Grand Array‘s screenprinted pillow (below) that they came from the same hand! Her work has such movement to it — and I’m a sucker for any well-drawn paisley or swirl illustration.
These gorgeous silicone rubber jewelry pieces are from Jessica at Nervous System. I love the incredible movement they capture and that they’re made from such an unexpected material. For those who think jewelry ought to be a bit more precious, she also works in metals, like the stainless steel branch earrings below.
622 press | LETTERPRESS GOODS MADE BY HAND 