A transcript and audio file of this discussion is available here
I became aware of the work of Ryan Molloy after watching the Letterpress United – Making Type (2020) presentation. A graphic designer, typographer and educator, Ryan presented a series of his experimental typefaces that he designs and cuts using a CNC machine.
What attracted me to Ryans work was his very different perspective on the medium of letterpress printing which I beleive is informed by his background in street art. Much of his personal work shows evidence of the fluid letterforms of graffiti writing (fig 1) which he has then formalised, refined and transferred into his professional work (fig 2).
This freedom of movement and experimental approach is also mirrored in his work using letterpress blocks and printing methods. Gblox (fig 3 and fig 4) is a typeface created by cropping into hand drawn letterforms, which are then CNC cut into blocks. The resulting prints merge the non-standard shapes of lettering with the rigid structure of a letterpress print.
With having access to his own router Ryan has been exploring the creation of type that orientates in none standard ways. In my proposal journal I comment that “conventional type for letterpress printing is created to be linear, that is at runs from left to right in a straight line. These type faces are cut into different shaped blocks that interlink to create forms that are normally unheard of within letterpress printing.”
Some key parts that came out of our discussion were that, like myself and Chris Wilson, Ryan is an educator himself who works with degree equivalent Graphic Design students in the USA. We spoke of the benefits of having access to various tools like CNCs and laser cutters while working as part of a university as well as a desire to be creating new forms of type that push the medium on ward. We discussed how letterpress as a medium will remain attached to 0.918″ being the height of printing blocks until a new style of adjustable press is created that is affordable and accurate enough to replace vintage presses. The part I found most helpful was the understanding that new technologies allow much more freedom and control over the cutting/shaping process. With traditional processes such as pantographs you are limited by the detail of the pattern you use as a template as well as the patience of the operator controlling it. Whereas with a computer controlled CNC the digital pattern can be incredibly detailed due to the high quality modern router tips and the fact that it will be cut via the CNC.