June Summer Show and Tell Nº9: Recap

After a successful run of workshops and screenings, it was nice to organize a night where everyone could come together and catch-up. We had hoped to experience our first Ligatures meeting on a patio somewhere but alas, the weather made it a little too chilly. That being said, we secured a nice spot at the back of O’Grady’s Tap & Grill.

It was lovely to see some old and new faces at the show and tell. It was even better to get a peak at what everyone had been working on. Wow! There was some very impressive stuff being shown! From wedding invites to typefaces in the making, it was great to share and give insight into the work being shown. If you looked at our area of the bar, it was evident that little groups were forming and discussing various projects and events. Every so often, people would get up, shift around, and a new topic would emerge. This is what Ligatures is about and it was wonderful to see it in action.

Seeing everyone gather was also a great opportunity to share some of the exciting things that the crew at Ligatures has been working on. It was the first time we had debuted our “We Totes Love Type” bags – what a success! We even had a few sales! As many of you know, we like to do little giveaways at the end of the meeting, and Ligatures regular Sarah Davies won her very own tote bag. Enjoy!

We also brought along our new business cards! If you haven’t seen them, check them out on Chris’ blog post. If anyone grabbed a few at the meeting, please feel free to give them away and spread the Ligatures love!

It was also a great platform to mention that we’re working on a brush workshop – hosted by our very own Chris Rouleau & Kyle Gallant. This would be a fantastic workshop to participate in and we’ll post more details once the event gets finalized. We’ve also been looking into screening the Sign Painters film. Exciting!

A very big thank-you to everyone that came out to the meeting – it was great to see everyone. We look forward to seeing you again next month!

As always, thanks for the support in making Ligatures grow bigger and better.

[ Photo Credit: Sarah Davies, Leslie Harrod, and Chris Rouleau ]

Ligatures business cards

We've been brainstorming business card ideas for a while. Since our organization is ever-changing and covers a broad spectrum of events (show & tells, film screenings, workshops, lectures, etc.), we wanted something super flexible that communicates who we are and ultimately, where people can find the most up-to-date information about events. We adapted our wordmark into url format and had a classy little rubber stamp made.

And when it came to paper stock and colour, we thought, "Why choose one colour when we can have them all?" We have been fortunate enough to see an amazing range of talents attend our events – why not showcase that diversity by branding ourselves with several bright colours! Below are some process shots, as well as the final business cards.

 

Special thanks to Kevin King for helping us with the paper cutting, and an extra special thanks to Sharon Hart for donating this beautiful card stock.

Type Spy: Antique Market

Fellow Ligature Taras Ostapchuk was recently at the Aberfoyle antique market and found these awesome type blocks for a printing press.

Summer Show & Tell

RSVP here.

Also, please check out the work of Tania Volpe, who created this month's excellent web banner and poster!

We Totes Love Type

We are proud to unveil our new shop and our first product: the "We Totes Love Type" Official Ligatures Tote Bag.

The front features the motto "We Totes Love Type" in a mix of type (including wood type courtesy of snap + tumble letterpress) and hand lettering (penned by Christopher Rouleau).

The back features a pattern of "Totes" lettering. The bags were screen printed by hand by Paul Dotey, and have slight variations in ink distribution. Each bag is unique – just like you!

We sourced several bags, and these were the best, strongest tote bags we found – we promise! They are perfect for stowing your sketchbooks, packing a picnic, or bringing anything from bezier point A to bezier point B.

The tote bags are only $15, and available for purchase in our online shop. Show your love for type, and pick up your tote today!

All proceeds go towards funding future Ligatures events. Thanks for your support!

p.s. Check out the making of the totes on Christopher's blog.

Ligatures Calligraphy Workshop

On Saturday May 9^th, Ligatures had their first-ever Calligraphy workshop. I arrived at Coach House Books to see Kevin King setting up outside. We both agreed it was a perfect day for an outdoor class.

The picnic tables began to fill quickly with people and tasty treats (Thanks to Sharon and Lilly!) After brief introductions and announcements, Kevin took the floor to teach us about the fundamentals of calligraphy. Kevin gave us a teaching booklet that he created and hand-bound. It showed the script we would be learning — Edward Johnston's foundational hand — penned by Kevin himself.

It was a pleasure to watch Kevin teach the group. He established very quickly the proper way to hold the pen. With chalk in hand, he demonstrated the basic strokes and progressed to letterform construction. His diagrams were very helpful in understanding how letters were formed with multiple strokes.

Kevin supplied us with broad nib markers which he had cleverly cut to sharpen the nib as well as Pilot Parallel pens. As I walked around the group of 15, it was apparent they were quick learners. I enjoyed seeing all the subtle variations in everyone's style. By the end of the class everyone was making such stunning letterforms.

Photo by Christopher Rouleau

Photo by Christopher Rouleau

Hatch Show Print

For a Sunday morning the music was loud. It was just as loud as it had been the last two nights, both of which were spent disregarding my liver on Nashville’s Broadway Street (think New Orleans with cowboy boots and lots of fiddle). After labouring through a breakfast of pulled pork and bbq ribs, I swear it’s all they serve, I convinced my unshaven party of misfits to check out a print shop.

But this just wasn’t any old print shop. This was Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest and still operating print shops in America. Established in 1879 by the Hatch Brothers, Hatch Show Print has been successfully printing posters for the southern entertainment industry for well over a century. From Vaudeville to Negro League Baseball, Elvis Presley to Chuck Berry, entertainment history was put to paper on the Hatch presses. Saturday had marked the 135th birthday party but if you didn’t know any better you’d guess the place just opened its doors. And in a way you’d be right.

In October 2013, the print shop left it’s lower Broadway Street location and moved in to the brand new Country Music Hall of Fame. The new space includes a large print shop where visitors can watch the presses in action, a design store where you can buy reprints of broadside posters from throughout the 20th century, the Carl and Connie Haley Gallery and the Space for Design, a classroom space where groups can watch demonstrations and learn about moveable type, inking up and all things letterpress.

Being Sunday it was no surprise that the presses were off for the day, so some guys only took a quick look and slinked back to the hotel. But for a typophile there was plenty of eye candy to whet the appetite, like over 100 posters for sale in the design store. I had already accepted that I was buying something, the problem was making a choice. A B.B. King poster from a cross Canada tour was a surprising find but I decided on a Hank Williams linocut print that was inspiration for the bachelor party t-shirts I had made. I also grabbed a handy measurement conversion chart for my partner’s kitchen.

Even though the presses were off we could still see where the magic happens.

http://youtu.be/_0TjnyQO6eo

The size of the press below was bigger than any letterpress I've seen. I imagine it would take two people to carry the lockup and get it on the press bed.

The real show stopper was the Haley Gallery. Featuring restrikes of historic Hatch posters as well the “monoprints” of Master Printer Jim Sherraden, the prints could be purchased for prices ranging from $150-800. One of my favourites was a monoprint called “TYPE”, made by overprinting giant 3 feet tall woodblock letters. The font was carved in the late 19th century and still remains intact, minus the letter ‘H’.

As of this writing, the gallery is hosting the National Poster Retrospecticus, a travelling show of more than 300 hand-printed posters from poster designers across the United States.

Most people probably visit Nashville for the music, boots and barbecue but I’d bet if they visit Hatch Show Print they’ll come away with a new appreciation for the history of American poster design and the craft of letterpress. For those of you who would go to Nashville specifically for the print shop, you’ll leave with a couple poster tubes, a little less cash and a lot of pride knowing this part of graphic design is not only being preserved but appreciated. Just try your best to not visit the morning after a late night on Broadway street, your head will thank you.

You can buy Hatch prints and other design treasures online at http://store.countrymusichalloffame.com/categories/Hatch-Show-Print/

Type Camp Toronto - Recap

The excitement for Type Camp Toronto has been a long time coming. We had been planning this event for months, and we were so excited to finally see it come to life last weekend.

Type Camp was founded by Dr. Shelley Gruendler and has become an educational tool for people wanting to learn more about typography and design. Taught by amazing instructors from all over the world, workshops have been popping up on the international scene for the last few years, including India,  Brazil, and Japan. Ligatures was pleased to help bring Type Camp to Toronto for the first time.

Type Camp Toronto was lead by Dr. Shelley Gruendler & Carol Fountain Nix, and was setup as 2 one-day sessions. To get the full experience – and meet as many typophiles as possible – Leslie attended the Friday session, and Chris & Kyle participated on Saturday. This recap is an amalgamation of our three experiences during this amazing weekend.

Day 1: Friday (by Leslie Harrod)

With a tea in hand, I quickly jogged to the Design Exchange (I was worried about being late as I know Shelley doesn’t tolerate lateness – ha!). I had never been to an event at the DE building, so this was shaping up to be a great experience. I wasn’t too sure about what to expect, but I knew I was in good hands when both Shelley and Carol introduced themselves.

Shelley started off with a group exercise to break the ice, which allowed each of us to get to know each other – the infamous "Name Game". It was a little intimidating, but within minutes, we all knew each other, and could get right into the course.

From start to finish, it was an amazing experience. Carol was unbelievable. I don’t really think there are any other words to describe her. Watching her work was mesmerizing. Your mouth couldn’t help but drop every time her brush slowly glided across the paper – the result were the sexiest letters you’ve ever seen. She was very supportive and guided our techniques. Looking over all my test papers throughout the workshop from beginning to end, you could see the difference Carol’s guidance was doing. With Shelley available to give suggestions & feedback, the techniques came to life on the page. I can’t say enough how inspiring and motivational this course was.

How can I forget about the people I got to meet as well! There were such amazing and talented individuals from all over the country – even as far as Montreal. It was great to get to know each other and learn more from one another. As we all received the post-Camp e-mail from Shelley and Carol with everyone’s contact info, I truly hope that we can build and get to know each other. It will be wonderful to meet again and share what we’ve learned from this – as well as other projects that have inspired us – in the coming months.

Day 2: Saturday (by Christopher Rouleau)

Saturday morning started bright and early. I grabbed an espresso and then met Shelley & Carol at the Design Exchange to help set-up around 8:30am. Each spot at the conference table had a sketchbook with each individual's name written with pointed pen, and there was paper, ink and writing tools aplenty. Within 30 minutes, the boardroom was filled with 16 eager (and caffeinated!) participants, all ready to expand their lettering horizons.

Shelley gathered us in a circle and welcomed the group, gave a brief history & overview of Type Camp, and then helped us all get introduced to each other by playing the "Name Game" (essentially, introducing yourself and the person/people beside you). It was a pretty challenging request for a Saturday morning, but totally helped unite the group.

Then, it was straight to work. From 9:00am until lunch, we worked on a variety of calligraphy exercises, using a broad nib pen. Our work included creating consistence vertical strokes, perfecting our rounded strokes, and then practicing basic lower case characters. Some people remained seated at the table, while others were encourage to work standing upright. Once we were warmed up, we started working on lettering full words like "limit" and "georgia". After each exercise, we would convene, review and critique the group's work. Throughout the morning, Carol provided superb tutorials using ink and larger calligraphic tools.

We paused for lunch, and resumed right around 1:15pm. For the remaining 3.5 hours, we left the broad nib behind and embraced a more casual approach to lettering with brush pens. Here, we were encouraged to "loosen up" and allow for a more free form of writing. Carol introduced us to "automatic writing",  a form of continuous doodling which resembles letterforms but doesn't actually spell anything. The effect is chaotic, spontaneous, and quite beautiful.

Using the knowledge we gained in the morning (dominant brush strokes, consistency, brush angle, etc.), each student was encourage to find their lettering "voice". Exercises included "bad lettering" (creating words in a style opposite to their inherent meaning), collaging letters as a group, and proposing a hand-lettered wordmark for an existing company brand. By the end of the afternoon, it was INCREDIBLE to see everyone's creative transformation.

I left the Design Exchange shortly after 5:00, exhausted but completed changed. I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Shelley and Carol. What an amazing day!

Thank you Type Camp! We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Calligraphy workshop

We have finalized the details for our first calligraphy workshop!

The workshop will be held Saturday, May 10 from 1:00-4:00 at Coach House Books (80 bpNichol Ln, U of T campus).

Calligraphy expert Kevin King will host a three-hour workshop on the basics of calligraphy. Kevin became interested in calligraphy through his work as a Type Designer & Typographer at Canada Type & the Coach House Press in Toronto. With the help of the Toronto book binder Don Taylor, he began taking lessons from the master Toronto Calligrapher Susan Shand, who he still continues to study under. Susan taught him not only the basic techniques of Calligraphy, but also the underlying theories and principles of the art.

Supplies:

We will be offering a supplies package at the cost of $55.

For our workshop, we will only be working with a very small set of tools. We will be working with calligraphy markers and a selection of fountain pens that will help us become acquainted with the basic techniques of calligraphy, and simple 11x17" graph paper sheets. The beauty of calligraphy is that you do not need a huge set of expensive tools to create beautiful work. We encourage students to bring along any calligraphy pens that they may already own, as this could be a great opportunity for you to learn more about how your tools work and to use a tool that you are already comfortable with.

The fee also includes a calligraphy workbook that students can take home.

Space for this workshop is limited! Please RSVP here no later than Wednesday, May 7. An email will follow with payment instructions.

Crafting Type

Crafting Type is a 3-day touring typeface design workshop, and they will be making a stop in Toronto on May 9-11 at Centennial College. From their press release:

Crafting Type lasts for 3 days and is designed to give you a solid theoretical and practical start in type design.

Although most students don’t want to be type designers we hear from architects, UI/UX designers, people who work in identity and branding and of course graphic designers that the process of learning how to make type has given them new insights and made them better at what they do - because they work with type and letters on a daily basis.

We break down the sense that type design is impenetrable and encourage exploration.

We keep a ratio of 7-12 students per teacher to keep the quality of instruction high and to make adjusting to different skill levels practical.

Octavio Pardo and Aoife Mooney are the two confirmed instructors for this event. They both hold Masters degrees in Typeface Design from the University of Reading in the UK and are active as professional type designers. Octavio Pardo is a graphic and typeface designer based in Milan, and internationally recognized for his typeface Sutturah, by the Type Directors Club of NY. Aoife Mooney is a freelance typeface designer for the Hoefler & Co. type foundry and lecturer in graphic design and typography at Kent State University, OH.

  

Prices for the 3-day workshop range from $300 (student price) to $600 (professional). Space for this event is limited, so make sure you sign up early. Register here.

For more information, here are some great links:

Crafting Type website

Crafting Type newsletter

I Love Typography interview

Making Faces screening recap

On April 9th, our group convened at Coach House Books for a screening of Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century by Richard Kegler. This 45-minute film documented the fascinating (and meticulous) process of creating tiny metal type matrixes – from sketch to cast metal. It offered an intimate look at the process of Canadian graphic & type designer Jim Rimmer, and offered a few great laughs. Rimmer's typeface Stern (pictured above) was the first font to be released simultaneously in both digital and metal type formats.

Special thanks to P22 Type Foundry for making this screening possible, and to Coach House Books for generously offering their space. Much love to Kevin King for showing us an authentic case of Stern metal type, and for his vast knowledge of all things typographic.

Thanks to everyone who came out. See you at the next screening!

Ligatures Film Screening of Making Faces

With the success of the Linotype Film screening we've decided to keep with the hot metal type theme. We will be assembling at Coach House Books for the free screening of Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century by Richard Kegler on Wednesday, April 9^th. The documentary follows the creation of the typeface Stern, designed and cut by Canadian designer Jim Rimmer (1931 — 2010). The typeface was commissioned by P22 Type Foundry to be the first-ever digital font and an hand-set metal type release. Kevin King will have an actual case of Stern type for us to see firsthand!

Join us for this FREE screening as Jim walks us through the long lost process of cutting and casting type in metal! Space is limited, please sign up early.

We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to to P22 Type Foundry for helping us secure the rights for a public showing!

March Meeting Nº6: Lino printing workshop recap

Photo credit (bottom left): Tanya Roberts

On Sunday, March 23, we braved the frigid Toronto windchill and gathered at Coach House Press for our inaugural lino printing workshop. Myself and Tanya Roberts of Snap + Tumble Letterpress were the hosts for the day, and we were joined by 18 talented folks eager to learn a little bit more about lino printing techniques.

Tanya and I arrived early to prep everyone's supply bags. For $25, all participants received: one 4" x 6" lino tile, one Speedball carving tool, ten 5" x 7" sheets of Somerset paper, and access to brayers, ink and a printing baron.

We offered a brief introduction and demonstration in the bindery, and then participants were free to set up wherever they felt comfortable in Coach House. We had several people continue working in the bindery...

...while others headed up to the Hogarts-esque coffee room upstairs to start carving. We had people of all skill levels – some well versed in carving techniques, and others with zero experience at all. Everyone worked together to make their creations come to life.

Below are some fun process shots taken over the course of the 3 hour workshop.

Tanya and I were extremely grateful for such an amazing turnout, and blown away with the quality and range of work created. Every member of the group was so kind and generous – sharing tools, offering tips, and ever helping with cleanup. We also got to enjoy some amazing baked goods, courtesy of Sharon Hart of Hart Felt Kitchen. Thank you, Sharon!

This workshop could not have been possible without the help of Kevin King, who arranged for us to set up at Coach House. Thanks again, Kevin!

It was a pleasure to make this workshop come to life, and Tanya and I cannot wait to host the next lino printing workshop – hopefully sometime this summer. Please send us an email if you'd like to get on the mailing list, or follow us on social media for updates on upcoming events.

Thanks everyone! Happy carving!

(All photos by Christopher Rouleau unless otherwise stated.)

March Meeting Nº5: Recap

All I can say to begin this recap is THANK YOU to all those Ligatures members that braved the weather and made it out to Coach House for our first ever movie night! With the snow blowing outside, we screened the documentary Linotype in the quaint library on the second floor to a full house.

The night started with a wonderful tour and demonstration by Kevin King. Kevin’s been a wonderful contact with this group and helped in organizing this great event. Coach House is lucky enough to own an authentic Linotype machine, which is proudly displayed at the entrance. Built in 1917, the machine wasn’t in working order, but it was still something to see in person and really set the tone for the movie we were about to screen.

The film was filled with amazing and entertaining interviews with typesetters all around North America. From young to old, the fascination with type seemed to transcend the generations. It was great to see younger generations stepping forward to continue on the legacy that Linotype has created. One of the areas of the film that stood out was the discussion on the Linotype University, which offers various training programs to people interested. Organized and taught by Linotype engineers, there's actually a course coming up in the fall! Roadtrip?

I really don’t want to give too much away of the film but all I can say is that it is a really entertaining and educational film to check out. That being said, I think another big shout out needs to go to Ryan Edwards for helping us acquire the screening rights to this film. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to make this happen. It was also lovely to see all those Ligatures members that brought along snacks & beverages to share with the group. Building a sense of community with the members has been wonderful and this movie night really brought us together. If you weren’t able to make this screening, don’t worry! We’ve got some more movie nights in the works for the upcoming summer months!

Honest Ed's

Going into last weekend, I had a few things to really look forward to. My dad was coming in to visit and more exciting (no offense, Dad) was the sign sale at Honest Ed’s. How cool and amazing would it be to own a small bit of Toronto history? I’ve been to Ed’s a few times before but it was those signs that really always drew me back. It doesn’t matter what the sign said or advertised, it was the simplicity and delicacy of them. My plan was simple. I’d wake up, throw my hair in a bun, slap on some glasses and out the door I would go. I’d grab my usual Starbucks Hazelnut latte and be on my way to meet Chris and Paul. To my surprise, and maybe I was naïve to think that this was a designer / letterer thing only, but there were what seemed to be thousands of people already lined around the building and down a block or two. Paul, who was with us, gave the best reaction: it’s comparable to wanting to buy tickets to your favourite, obnoxious band that you think no one has heard of and only you appreciate. As silly as this may sound, it was kinda how I felt about the situation. I mean, wow! Who would have thought that something like this would draw people from all over Toronto and then some. The weather wasn’t the greatest and I totally misjudged how long I would be out waiting in line. I ended up having to run across the street to buy extra socks! I ended up wearing two pairs to keep my feet warm on the cold, wet concrete.

When you first arrived, the line seemed to be moving at a gradual pace. You were making progress! From what you saw, as soon as you entered into the building, you were home free and you’d be in a heaven of hand-painted beauty. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. The line snaked through the housewares department and up to the stairs leading to the second floor. It was at this point that I lost my two sign-seeking comrades – sadly, Chris and Paul had other commitments for the afternoon. In hindsight, I probably should have left at this point. However, after reading another blog on the situation, I came across the term sunk cost fallacy. Essentially, it means when a person (or company) is more likely to continue with a project if they have already invested a lot of time, money, or effort into it, even when continuing isn’t the best thing to do. This totally happened to me. I was that person. The last half of the hours spent there were on the second floor. It made leaving even harder. I could see the sign area, how could I leave? My heart broke when you realized that there was only one cashier running the place. What?! I couldn’t understand it. Instead of reassessing the situation with the amount of people that turned up, why not add on more cashiers to help along the process of checking out?

Don’t get me wrong. I am happy that I ended up with three very beautiful pieces but the whole process of getting them still makes me sick to my stomach. I’m hoping that in time I won’t look at them and remember what I did to get them. Knowing that the store is closing in 2016, I think I might keep my distance at the next sign sale.