Letterpress Workshop

☞ Narges Mehdizadeh @nar_ges_design @gmdlcc The Last Memory in Autumn This project is a material led exploration of memory, presented in the form of a book. In this work, I used leaves as a primary material, as they naturally embody ideas of time, decay, and transformation. I combined Iranian patterns which are closely connected to my personal memories and transferred them onto the leaves using a range of printing techniques, including letterpress, screen printing, and UV printing. This process creates a dialogue between memory, place, and material. By working with fragile and unstable materials such as leaves, I aimed to visually represent how memory changes over time. Just as a memory cannot remain complete or fixed, the printed images gradually fade, becoming less clear and more fragmented. Ultimately, the project reflects the idea that memory is not stable; it shifts, erodes, and slowly transforms into a trace rather than a complete image. #letterpress #lccletterpress #printing #publication #memory

☞ Eunhee Jeon @jeveuxvoiru Course: @magmdlcc MA Graphic Media Design (Unit 4: Major Project) Project Title: There's nothing wrong with falling in love This project is a visual exploration of how Korean dramas depict women's self-realization and identity in response to their husbands' infidelity, and how these portrayals have evolved over time. The book is designed in a flipping format, allowing readers to compare two chapters—Past and Present—structured around the same three categories: Suspicion of Infidelity, Discovery, and Aftermath. Paper: GF smith @gfsmithpapers / Peregrina Majestic / Marble white(color) / 120gsm Typeface: Baskerville 18pt Print Method & Color: Letterpress / Pantone 172U & Silver #letterpress #lcc #lccletterpress #publication #printmaking

☞ Meet Letterpress Printer Ann Ong, Owner of @brightpress_ Why Letterpress? There’s something magical about creating prints that you can control from the typesetting to the printed piece. What originally drew me to letterpress printing was the contemporary style with the debossed effect on velvety paper. Then I discovered this style of printing has almost 600 years of history and has influenced people globally, and that really fascinated me and made me want to learn more. What is your favourite printing press? That’s a tough question to answer, as I love different presses for their different perks. My favourite printing press in my print shop is my 1958 Heidelberg 10x15 windmill platen. I use it for most of my projects, and we work well together. Where do you find your inspiration? I tend to draw inspiration from patterns in everyday scenarios and in nature. Any advice for aspiring designers/printmakers? Just give things a go. Do not be afraid to experiment, research, ask for advice, try out new techniques, and continue using techniques you already know; they will all help you develop new skills and knowledge. It’s all a part of the learning and growing process. #letterpress #printmaking #letterpressprinting #typography #printmaker

☞ Sophie Rayner @design.in_style @gbilcc "In this brief, I designed a typeface based on my hometown, Northampton, where I produced Medieval's blackletter style with a more legible and friendly spin to it. I was mostly inspired by Northampton's legacy of shoemaking, which inspired me to include a wood grain texture and a nostalgic atmosphere associated with letterpress into my design. Thanks to the letterpress's history of publishing, correlating with older shoe advertisements. So I aimed to pay homage to my town's heritage while also bringing this beautiful manufacturing technique back into popularity via my use of a more modern, expressive layout, to portray the visual-type-metaphor "put yourself in my shoes"." #lccletterpress #letterpress #typespecimen #typography #printmaking

☞ En Khoo (Evie) @555.cents GMD Year 1 Block 1 PM Unit ; Quote Unquote Project 2/2 "Revolutions may be slow, dark and murky, but they are also full of hope." The brief was to create a typographic poster using a given quote, while experimenting with various print methods in school. I decided to do letterpress as I was curious about the process. I learnt about setting types and adjusting them to achieve the desired design. This process was a new and fun challenge to approach and being hands-on with the printing made the final poster outcome more personal. I really like how intense the dark ink appeared on paper. Paper: A3 Pergamenata Cream 230 GSM. Typeface: Rockwell Font Family Print Method: Letterpress Black Ink #letterpress #lccletterpress #printmaking #typography #typeposter

☞ Meet Letterpress Printers and Designers @handinc.studio Why Letterpress? We’ve always been interested in printmaking, including linocuts and etching at the beginning of our careers and then as we progressed in the design world a love for typography and craft makes letterpress an obvious choice. What is your favourite typeface in your collection? We’ve collected this type for over 20 years and have favourites for different reasons. The one we use for the Print is Dead poster is a beautiful wooden display sans serif, it always prints really well and has a large surface area which makes it good for a split fountain or bright colour. I also love the large version of Cooper which has such a friendly character. Where do you find your inspiration? Inspiration often comes from the process as much as from design. We also love to watch movies and there’s a lot of inspiration to be found in the title sequences or end credits. What are you working on at the moment? We have not long finished a project with singer/songwriter Noah Guthrie where we printed creative for his European Tour. The tour is called Roots Down, also the title of one of his new songs and that was the start point for the artwork. It combined illustration with hand-lettering and moveable type. Any advice for aspiring designers/printmakers? Be curious about the process. Learn the techniques, make mistakes, and print as much as you can. Understanding the craft will shape everything you design. They have a Pressmass event tomorrow at their studio in Dunchurch so if you are in the area check it out! #letterpress #letterpressprinting #typography #colour #lettering #illustration

☞ GMD @gmdlcc Type/Lab: Summer 2025 Students were introduced to both letterpress and offset lithography through this 2 part lab. Experimenting with type, scale and colour, students created letterpress prints which were then scanned and printed as final offset litho posters. We always encourage students to work across spaces and these outcomes are a great example of that. • • • #letterpress #lccletterpress #offsetlithography #graphicdesign #typography

Notes from W228 — a flip through An A-Z glossary as the structure of the book: The images are taken by myself as an in-depth exploration of the room, hoping to discover the stories encoded within each object. Each is paired with a glossary definition as a method of documentation and a nod to the history of the college. ————————— Notes from W228 is an editorial project that documents the artefacts of the Letterpress Workshop, located in the workshop block of London College of Communication. The index serves as a memoir of the current space, preserving its memory before the forthcoming demolition of the college building.

☞ LCC 8-bit type As part of Staff Community Day in March, we held a workshop for staff to hand-set and print their own 8-bit type alphabet. Participants picked random letters out of a box which they then designed and set within an 8x8 pica grid. The result was a collaborative type specimen poster, using the ornament collection in the workshop. #lccletterpress #letterpress #ornaments #posterdesign #8bit #printmaking #lcc

☞ Meet Letterpress Printer and Graphic Designer @pressink.sk Why Letterpress? Letterpress offers something rare in today’s fast-paced visual culture — time, texture, and presence. It’s not about nostalgia for me, but about connecting deeply with language and material. I love how the process leaves room for both control and surprise. It lets me treat letterforms not just as tools for reading, but as shapes with emotion, tension, and rhythm. Favourite colour/colour palette? I gravitate toward bold, high-contrast palettes — vibrant reds, deep black, acid greens, electric blues. I usually print with one or two saturated colours to let form and space breathe. I also enjoy layering inks and seeing unexpected shades appear on the press. Colour decisions often happen in the moment, by feel. Where do you find your inspiration? In daily life — city textures, fragments of speech, public signage, emotional noise. I’m drawn to contradictions: order and chaos, clarity and distortion. Music, protest graphics, and outsider art also feed my work. It’s less about what something looks like, and more about what kind of energy or tension it holds. What are you working on right now? I’m currently working on a typographic concept for the Adidas flagship store in Bratislava, merging sport, movement and urban identity. At Pressink, I continue mentoring and testing new ideas through print. Advice for aspiring designers/printmakers? Don’t wait for perfection. Start with what you have, stay close to the process, and let your curiosity lead. Mistakes are part of the learning. Learn the craft, then make it your own. Your hands will often know before your mind does. #letterpress #letterpressprinting #printmaking #graphicdesign #print #posterdesign

DANCING WITH THE SUN 𖤓 Last summer, I spent many days at my local park. On one of those days, I was particularly captivated by the leaves swaying in the wind and how the sun poked through their gaps. These glimmers of light, naturally synchronised with the movement of the leaves, reminded me of dancing. It was like the leaves were dancing with the sun. By using cyanotype and letterpress processes, I wanted to visualise this scene by creating a moving image. I took a video at the park, which was exported into individual frames for cyanotype exposure. I also wrote a short poem for this project, which was printed in letterpress. Additionally, I printed frames for a secondary animation (using wood type) to emphasise both the poem and the movement of the scene. @gmdlcc

☞ Class of 24/25 Here are some highlights from the year including our incredible visit from @dafikuhne and some letterpress features from the recent grad shows Thank you to all the students who have used the workshop this year. 💙 #lcc #lccletterpress #printmaking #letterpress #workshop #ual