LetterpressMemberPrintmakingRisographScreen PrintTypography

Oh for Print’s Sake

posted by POP Members November 22, 2022

Oh for Print’s Sake is the printmaking moniker of Rhianne Connelly, a designer based in Dundee, Scotland. Rhianne crafts bold and quirky Scottish prints, ranging from letterpress prints to screen printed tote bags. Everything is designed to be playful, colourful, and with a fresh twist on Scottish uniqueness. 

“I’ve always been very creatively curious, so it was inevitable that I ended up pursuing a career in the arts,” says the printmaker. Rhianne graduated with a degree in Graphic Design (and a big love for printmaking) from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design back in 2017. As a designer, she enjoys the organic process of screen printing and the often unpredictable nature of her printing journey. Rhianne comments; “I love being able to explore more tactile processes outside of my graphic design practice, which is one of the main reasons I have so much love for printmaking”. 

Rhianne’s work is heavily rooted in exploring her Scottish heritage –  from the quirks of her hometown’s unique ‘patter’, to the stories of beloved places or objects from bygone years. The printmaker tells us; “I’ve always had a fondness and fascination for learning about the past, so I love being able to immerse myself in researching what inspires my print practice. My desire is to craft prints that shine a spotlight on the past and invoke a sense of nostalgia and conversation about our shared experiences.

She is also a bit of a dabbler when it comes to printmaking, with a love for experimenting with different mediums and using a blend of styles. Recently, Rhianne has primarily been working with letterpress, Riso, and screen printing to bring her colourful creations to life. This provides the opportunity to explore different materials, craft lettering styles, and fine-tune colour palettes to shape each particular print she is working on. Rhianne states; “Riso printing is something that I feel particularly fits with my printing aesthetic as I love the unique vibrancy of this medium and the endless possibilities of overlays, tints and the imperfections that comes with it”.

Being a graphic designer, Rhianne is a total typographic obsessive, so it felt like a natural progression to explore and develop typography within her print design. She is constantly soaking up typographic inspiration in her day to day life, whether it’s a piece of packaging, or some intriguing ghost signs on the street. The latter is how she ended up creating Dancin at the Palais – pairing her love of typography with some local history unraveling; “I’d walked past the beautiful stained glass sign on South Tay Street in Dundee countless times without knowing very much about its history, which set off a bit of creative fascination that led to me designing this print. The end print is a nostalgic tribute to the iconic venue, rich in playful typography inspired by ads from that era and featuring the stained glass sign that sparked the idea to begin with.

Rhianne concludes; “I love making colourful pieces that hopefully bring a little joy into peoples lives when they come across my work. My aim for now is to continue dreaming up more colourful prints that re-imagine the past and celebrate the unique language of Scots.” 

www.ohforprintsake.com
@ohforprintsake

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