Leeds Print Festival 2017

Celebrating traditional and contemporary print process through type and image, Leeds Print Festival 2017 had a programme of exhibitions, talks, and performances covering all print disciplines.  At Leeds College of Music, the collection of events supplied inspiration whilst drawing attention to print and it’s importance in contemporary design culture. The day featured a series of talks from creatives who 'work with, play and love print.'

Talk 01 - DR.ME, Ryan Doyle (DR) & Mark Edwards (ME), are a studio based in both Manchester UK & The French Riviera. Specialising in art direction, image making, graphic design, work shops, video & teaching. Their current publication Cut It Out sites the most innovative uses of collage today, from 50 leading contemporary graphic designers across 15 different countries—including Hort, Mike Perry, Stefan Sagmeister, Matthew Cooper, and many others. 

Notes

• Although not a print studio specifically, a lot of work end up being in print.
• Do a lot of curation.
• Curated many one-day exhibitions, such as 'The Waiting Room.'
• After graduating university, interned for Mike Perry.
• Didn't want to go straight in to London graphic design studio - something more interesting about Manchester. 
• Curated 'Wondering around Wandering' Exhibition for Mike Perry.
• 365 days of collage - made one collage everyday for a year. Each collage was sold online for £10. All the same size and posted at 1pm everyday. 
• 'Cut It Out' - curated a book of contemporary collage in graphic design. Made a list of people who's work they loved and asked them to contribute. 288 pages & 500 illustrations. Published by Thames & Hudson. 
• Current exhibition - 'Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda' - exhibition of printed matter by a selection of internationally renowned designers, illustrators, printmakers and artists.

Advice

• Taking no for an answer just doesn't cut it.
• Make stuff that makes you happy.
• If you don't ask, you don't get. 
• Personal work will get you professional work.
• Look for excuses to contact people.

Ali Hanson (It's Nice That)

Founded in 2007, It’s Nice That has grown across many platforms and reaches over a million people each month. These include the website, which is updated daily, a bi-annual magazine called 'Printed Pages' and the monthly Nicer Tuesdays talks series. 

Ali Hanson joined It’s Nice That as an art director in early 2015 after time at Wieden + Kennedy, Wonderland, Wednesday, Man About Town and Rollercoaster. He works across the visual sides of both the editorial platforms and commercial partnerships.

Notes

• Ali Studied at LCA & Chelsea College of Art 
• Will Hudson founded It's Nice That in 2007.
•  Started as a design blog out of a brief at university in Brighton.
• Set up website. In 2008/2009 started to get interest.
• Partnered with a friend called Alec Beck. 
• Now a team of 39.
• 2 editorial meetings per week.
• 'The Graduates' - Started in 2009 to champion young designers. 
• Over 1 million people visit he website every month
• Nicer Tuesdays - 12 monthly talks a year.
• Ali worked in print publishing before INT - rollercoaster, wonderland and man about town
• Enjoyed putting the magazine together but the content wasn't for him - liked the idea of INT online content 
• Made It's Nice That in-house publication - Printed Pages
• Physical embodiment of It's Nice that digital content.
• Also features exclusive content in line with work.
• Bringing stories to life in new ways (for print).
• Celebration of printed format.
• Design process usually takes 2 weeks.
• First issue didn't get buzz going - 2nd issue needed to be better.
• Issues available to buy as packaging with prints, posters, stickers etc.
• Print run has now gone up - is now distributed globally.
• Issue content responds to cultural/political climates.

The hands on process to designing a magazine

1. Edit all featured work.
2. Make list of content.
3. Produce simple designs.
4. Print whole pagination of magazine at 20% scale.
5. Print final design at scale - Pin up.
6. 2 week design process.
7. Getting a good printer on board is one of the most important things.

Pat Bradbury

Pat Bradbury is an image maker and artist who works across a range media to create dynamic and contemporary print. He has been featured in exhibitions across the world, most recently with Jack Clayton in Vietnam and in as part of a group show at the KK Outlet in London. Printed By Us run screen printing workshops for homeless and vulnerable people in Sheffield who want to learn new skills and move forward towards employment. They create artwork in collaboration with some of Sheffield's finest designers such as Ian Anderson and Nick Deakin.

Notes 

• Graduated from Brighton University in 2011.
• Initially liked to create hand drawn/realistic work. 
• In 3rd year became more experimental - explored abstract/expressionism through mixed media.
• Hand-made vs digital.
• Abstract work focusing on application.
• Vietnam art intern to teach kids art.
• Works with collage a lot. 
• Teaching qualification and goldsmiths 
• Group residency in Iceland - meet people of different practices 
• Produced wrapping paper for Wrap Magazine. 
• Likes to create lighthearted and fun designs.
• Crazy arrangements, loose, textured.
• Relinquishing control.

Advice

• Try everything, it doesn't matter what it looks like.
• Take the ball and run with it. 
• Its good to meed other people from other practices.
• Having personal projects leads to professional commissions. 

Marcroy Smith

Marcroy Smith is director and founder of People of Print, a collective of creatives who come together to host workshops, produce events, and fulfil briefs for clients such as The Design Museum, Protein and the V&A. Smith is also the author of People of Print, featuring innovative, independent design and illustration and Editor of the self-published magazine Print Isn’t Dead. 


Notes

• Graduated from Brighton University.
• Studied Illustration
• Was in the print room all the time.
• Moved to Bristol after university and worked in a call centre.
• Moved back to London and Set up People of Print.
• People of Print started as a directory.
• Thumbnails and links of artists/designers work.
• Turned in to blog.
• Department Store - set up shop to sell magazine and the work of those on People of Print.
• Creates a fair way to sell.
• Set up through Shopify.
• Kickstarter - Print isn't Dead magazine.
• First issue - 2010 
• Quick growth - 1,000, 2,000 3,400, 7000
• Posterzine - 1 large sheet of paper which folds down into small magazine.

Advice

• Don't feel like things are unachievable.
• There's strength in bringing people together, working with them and making a business.
• You're free to do what you want to do.
• Share your passion.
• Don't sell out (all the time).
• Look at the numbers.
• Business is business.
• Ask Questions.
• They can't be competitors if they're on your side.
• Pressure makes diamonds.
• Make something from nothing.
• Winners focus on winners, losers focus on winners.
• Solve a problem.
• London is not necessary - opportunity vs level of competition.
• More interesting to be a designer/creative out of London.

The talks and advice given at Leeds Print festival were really inspiring to me as a designer who takes interest in print. It was greatly insightful to hear how each of the speakers got to where they are at current, and the advice they had to offer born out of their experiences in the industry. I though it was really interesting to see the process behind Printed Pages having always been familiar with It's Nice That. I find that attending talks such as these regularly really helps to develop knowledge of the industry, something I believe is important in developing confidence before graduating. The festival has certainly intensified my love for print and I look forward to hopefully having a career in the sector as a post-graduate.