Bad Printing x Clément Cases

Bad Printing is a self-initiated project started by French printmaker Clément Cases during the Covid pandemic in 2021. Having just moved to London, Clément became a member of the London Centre for Book Arts. Here, he discovered the wonderful LCBA proofing press set which gave him the desire to develop a project around the practice of letterpress; “It is a tool that allows a multitude of experimentation, whether it be around colour, composition but above all a field of possibilities almost infinite to experimentation around the production process”.

The project aims to rethink our relationship to the production of certain print media. Bad Printing opens up questions about the feasibility, the means of production, and the know-how linked to printing. Clément states; “In a world where all the products that surround us seem to be conceived by magic, where the questions of production linked to the product are blurred, this graphic research aims at putting the process of production of printed object in front”.

Bad Printing takes the form of a series of posters that explore the means and possibilities of letterpress printing. The aim is to design visuals by experimenting with this printing technique, combining a singular graphic design with a manual and ancient tool.

“It was in the production process that I was able to develop this experimentation, I loved being able to compose the layout manually, it’s the whole system of typesetting that is rediscovered.It’s interesting to see the links between the typesetting term we use on typesetting software and in Typography on letterpress.”

Thus, it is in a context of artisanal production that Clément brings to the forefront a contemporary manual graphic design with an old school printing technique. The series opens up questions about the knowledge of printing and graphic design, as reflected in the frequent use of lino engraving, the composition of lead or wood type, the manual composition, and also the use of other raised surfaces.

This creates technical constraints which are favourable to creation, and everything has to be rethought or rediscovered; “All gaps are full, by materials, metal spaces. We are constantly faced with problems of format/size, everything is calculated and thought out beforehand.

Each poster is the result of a manual practice of graphic design where all visible shapes were cut, placed, and adjusted manually in the composition; “It is not the result that is important but the means to achieve it”.

The poster series is available here.

www.clementcases.com/bad-printing
@salade.tomate.cornichon

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