Dafi Kühne | True Print

posted by Amber Weaver September 21, 2016

Meet Dafi Kühne, a Swiss designer who fuses contemporary graphic design with the century-old tradition of the letterpress. Never retro, his work is a clever response to the search for new ways of graphic expression through his first book: True Print. Since 2009 through his own studio babyinktwice, Kühne has been designing and printing posters, invitation cards, brochures and magazines for music, art, architecture, theatre and film projects. Then from 2011 the designer has also been teaching everything from short workshops to full semesters in various universities in Europe and the United States.

‘True Print’ is an artist monograph about Dafi Kühne’s letterpress poster work from the last 8 years. The book will be published in mid October, with Lars Müller Publishers, Zürich. The limited edition is a signed and numbered copy, and it contains a letterpress printed poster that has been printed in a total of 8 print runs.

Kühne’s creative process includes the use of his computer juxtaposed with four letterpress proof and production presses from the 60’s, old lead and wood type, new lasercut wood, plexiglass, photopolymer plate, hand cut lino and so on. “It’s not all about letterpress – I am not a luddite or a romantic retro fanatic. It’s just about finding the right tool for producing my designs,” says Kühne. When constructing, the printing presses are an important tool within his process. Allowing ultimate control of decisions made such as choosing the colours, the paper, ink mix and pressure. All significant factors in that can be manipulated in accordance to his design concept.