We are days away from launching some of our first online-exclusive content, and a little over a month away from launching the first full issue of our brand new magazine, Rustbelt Almanac.
2012: A Year
From working with great new clients, to traveling to new, exciting places, 2012 was an eventful year at the Artman HQ. Here is 10 snippets about the past year, in both my design-life and my recreational-life.
Screenprinting with Second Block
One of the greatest pleasures of working in the design industry is getting the chance to work with other creatives on a regular basis. As a designer, you never stop learning, and quite often, you learn a lot just from being in the presence of someone with even the slightest difference in perspective than your own. While working on a recent project, I got the opportunity to work with Josh Sager of Second Block Studio on a run of screenprinted posters.
Nice thick stack of French Speckletone paper, freshly printed.
I met Josh while studying Graphic Design in college a few years ago. He was a web instructor at the school I was attending, and his passion for his craft was always contagious. He's certainly one of the hardest-working folks I've ever met, but it seems somewhat effortless... Having a passion for your work doesn't wear you down quite like it should. He, and his wife Rachel, the other half of Second Block, are both the "jack-of-all-trades" types. Design, illustration, teaching, speaking... they do it all. The team, in collaboration with Will Rutherford, even self-published an illustrated book this past year. Needless to say, the project was a great experience.
My involvement in the project ended with the artwork, and a little help cutting some paper. Luckily, always ready to share his knowledge, Josh was more than willing to have me visit their studio and learn a bit more about screenprinting. For being a long-time collector of posters, the printing was something I had never done. Over a few beers from East End Brewery, I got a nice first hand look at the process, as well as a handful of insider tips and tricks. And of course, as tends to happen when two design-lovin' fools get in the same room, there was plenty of nerd talk.
I can't thank Josh enough for sharing his wisdom, and I am looking forward to working more with Second Block Studio in the near future.
In the meantime - make sure you go to Handmade Arcade this Saturday, December 8th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. Lots of nice folks will be there slingin' handmade goods, Second Block included. So swing by, grab a few stocking stuffers for a loved one, and support a great group of people.
Second Block on the web: secondblockstudio.com
Second Block on the Twitter: @Second_Block