May 17 | Design for Print: Slow Type — Letterforms & Typesetting on the Letterpress
Designers work with type constantly, but often take for granted the rules and nuances of elegant typesetting and type design. This workshop, led by Amira Hegazy, is an invitation to slow down and develop a more considered relationship with letterforms: their history, their construction, and the decisions embedded in their design. Drawing on a survey of typographic history, the session moves into a close examination of letterform anatomy — the relationships between strokes, counters, spacing, and proportion that give each type its unique voice. The workshop culminates in a hands-on letterpress activity, where setting type by hand makes abstract principles concrete. There is no better argument for understanding type as a physical, spatial thing than having to reckon with it as one.
This is the second workshop in the Design for Print sessions with Amira Hegazy
This workshop series is built for designers and other digital image makers to translate their digital skills to physical making. We will take specific elements of the design process and decode them to print processes. We will highlight historical and theoretical elements that have woven through design practice from days of physical production to our digital workspaces. Expect to leave each workshop feeling more knowledgeable about your day-to-day design workflows and how to realize your designs through hands-on print practices at Spudnik Press.
- Workshop 1: Thinking Through Color — Understanding Single Color Production with the Risograph (May 10, 12-4pm)
- Workshop 2: Slow Type — Letterforms & Typesetting on the Letterpress (May 17, 12-6pm)
- Workshop 3: Designing for the Printed Book (May 24, 12-4pm)
- Workshop 4: Containers — Presenting Your Work Through Box Building (May 31, 12-6pm)
Note: Each workshop in this series is enrolled individually. You can register for a single workshop or sign up for the full series.
Amira Hegazy is a Chicago-based designer, printer, bookmaker and educator whose work lives at the intersection of print, publication, and community. This four-part workshop series is designed specifically for graphic designers looking to deepen their print knowledge — from file setup to finished object.