BlackOutDesign

Arty & Crafty

In recent years I think it is safe to say we have witnessed a genuine return of craftsmanship and dedicated artisans across all disciplines. Whether it be Nick Offerman of NBC’s “Parks and Rec” building canoes from scratch or the steady success of micro-brewers such as Weyerbacher, quantity – to a certain independent degree – is trumping quantity. With sites such as Etsy out in the world pushing the freelance producer, more and more we’re returning to a mindset that treasures materials over materialism. As is the case with the folks over at the Workshop who have brought the timeless art of letterpress production back to downtown Scranton.  After seeing a bit of his handiwork posted at Jack’s Draft House we approached Matthew Hiller – of Revival Letterpress – to help us create an exclusive Blackout Design 10th Anniversary Edition business card. The results, a combination of our design and Matt’s plates, were fantastic.

All the way down to the packaging.

And yesterday we kept the presses rolling as Jess and Phil attended a class on the finer points of heavy lettering.  This was Jess’s first time around the press while Phil decided to bring some new things to light with his designs (I’ll give you my right pinky toe if you can name that homage). Both came away with a new found respect for the Gutenbergian arts and how to apply it to their own projects. The featured guests last night were Seymour Chwastand Ray Cruz, both heavy weights in the NYC design scene and beyond.