Open Book – Design Week

On at CCA: a week of events centred around book design for artists and public projects. CCA’s Open Book – Design Week gathers together a range of designers, artists and craftspeople to consider new and old approaches to design and the recuperation of the human touch in contemporary design. Talks, workshops and open studio sessions throughout the week explore design materials and methods from a number of angles, with particular emphasis on augmenting digital design with manual mark-making, hand-made patterns and traditional skills such as calligraphy, cut-and-paste and sign-painting.

7pm – 8:30pm

Traditional sign painting with Paddy Nelis

With over 30 years experience, commercial artist Paddy Nelis’ painted signs and windows are visible throughout the city; he estimates that you’re never more than 20 feet from one of his signs in Derry city centre. In this workshop, participants learn the process of setting up and executing a simple traditional sign.

8:30pm

Screening of Sign Painters

Sign Painters (2015, Dir. Faythe Levine & Sam Macon) celebrates the hand-painted sign industry, an American tradition. This documentary provides a fascinating insight into a highly specialized underground trade, emphasizing an appreciation for a balance between art and commerce.

11am – 4:30pm

InDesign Intensive Workshop with Keith Connolly of Tonic Design – Getting an Artist’s Book Ready to Print

This session is aimed at those who have some basic skills in using computers and image software but want to gain skills in document layout for print and the technical side of graphic design. There is a particular focus on the production of artists’ books. Participants are encouraged to bring along any of their own work that they would like help or direction with.

7pm – 8:30pm

Traditional calligraphy taster session with Nadia Kaczmarczuk

This session introduces calligraphy tools and skills including the basics in brushstrokes and technique and resources for further development of these core skills.

2pm – 4pm

Graphic Resource Library

Group workshop with Birmingham-based An Endless Supply. Participants produce a set of patterns and textures for use in design and book production. Participants explore different manual processes and techniques for making graphics – using tape, tearing and cutting paper, painting and accidental mark making – making a case for more ‘human’ design. The materials produced in the workshop are then be digitised and shared as a library of hand-made patterns and textures.

Throughout the workshop An Endless Supply present past projects and make reference to other designers, historic and contemporary. An Endless Supply is a graphic design studio and infrequent publisher based in Birmingham, UK, organised by Harry Blackett and Robin Kirkham

1pm – 4pm

Design by hand – drop in session with Hilary Morton

Local artist/designer Hilary Morton holds an open studio session to demonstrate and experiment with a range of techniques, including hand-printing, hand-lettering and cut-and-paste to generate graphic posters.

12:30am – 4pm

Studio Hato Workshop

Jackson Lam from Studio Hato works with participants to produce a bootleg catalogue / DIY manual for Open Book – Design Week, containing artefacts as well as instructions from the week. This session provides a chance to see some of Studio Hatos’s previous work as well as looking at the process of designing and editing as a group and producing a document using DIY methods and widely available equipment and material.

Hato consists of Hato Press, a printing and publishing house; Studio Hato, a design studio; and Hato Labo, a digital production house.