Fly in under the radar for a sneak peek at the latest goings-on here at Angel Bomb and inside my crowded cranium. You might find photos of a killer project about to hit the press, a rant about the state of design in the digital age, the inside scoop on an upcoming art opening, a recipe for succulent beef tenderloin in port-rosemary sauce, or something completely different.
The Blog is updated on a predictably unpredictable basis, so check back often to see what’s bubbling up to the surface.
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
The Airship: First Peek
There’s a project I’m working on that you probably haven’t heard about. It’s a letterpress graphic novel titled ‘The Airship’ that I’m in the midst of designing and will be printing this fall. I haven’t mentioned it before basically because it’s scary as hell and I really wanted my feet under me before talking about it or giving people a look see. So here you go, a rare first peek at something under construction here at Angel Bomb HQ.
This past fall I received a Jerome Book Arts Fellowship through the Minnesota Center for Book Arts that is helping to support the creation of this unique project. Due to the condition of one of the characters, readers will need to use smart phone applications in order to decipher parts of the story. The goal is to create a unique book that melds the different eras of technology that are used to develop to it.
Stay tuned for more blog posts and images from the book. And mark it on your calendar: November 2, 2012 at MCBA for the grand unveiling.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Chapman Photography
I usually don’t get to include too many images of printing in process because…well, I’m printing. But recently Jonathan Chapman Photography was in the studio to shoot their coasters being printed. They’ve been kind enough to share some of the great images they got of me and their job on press. The also interviewed me and blogged about the process here. We had a great discussion about the tactile nature and the craft of letterpress. In an ever-increasing digital world, there’s a need for things that are made by hand. What we strive to do here at Angel Bomb is keep a very old art form alive. We do things here by hand and that essence, that intangible quality, comes through in the final product. I love what I do and I love that it stirs emotions in people other than myself. It’s great to work with clients who understand that like Jonathan does. Check out his work at the links above, you won’t be disappointed. All photos courtesy of Jonathan Chapman Photography.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Pick a Card, Any Card
Self promotion. Not everyone does it, nor do they do it well. But we met someone recently who does a kick-ass job of it and we were lucky enough to be involved! Copywriter extraordinaire Colin Corcoran worked with Michael Braley to create these amazing cards covering each of the 26 letters of the alphabet plus an extra F for profanity’s sake. They had to be impressive and so we first offset printed the common backs onto a smooth sheet, letterpress printed a 100% cotton sheet and duplexed them together. After that, we die cut them and packaged them up into complete decks. If you were lucky enough to work for an agency that received one of these, than you can read all about Colin’s copywriting exploits from A to Zed; if not, stop on by the studio and we’ll gladly let you check ‘em out. Photos by Dan Marshall, thanks Dan!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Share our Strength Cakewalk
We’re very fortunate, really, to live the way we do. Consider that nearly 16 million kids in America live in poverty and don’t get enough to eat…that’s 1 in 5! And it’s the 21st century! Shouldn’t we be experiencing interplanetary travel and flying cars by now, let alone have enough for everyone to eat? Share our Strength has been doing a lot to help raise funds and awareness to solve child hunger and they’ve planned a killer event coming up March 1st at the Fine Line Music Cafe. Why do I prattle on about this? Because we created the logo with our Jetty partner, that’s why! Check it out and go to the Share our Strength website and buy a ticket to this event; not only is it for a good cause, but the food should be tremendous!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Silvestre
Our friend, Colin, at the Rogue Chocolatier, has done it again, this time with a rare cacao bean from Bolivia’s Amazon Basin. Rogue Chocolatier’s bars are tremendous, no matter which one you try, but the über special ones come in letterpress packaging that is truly an exquisite experience to open up and taste. Give the Silvestre a try, it has notes of plum, jasmine, and bananas and contains no ingredients other than cacao beans and cane sugar. It’s a really sweet package that lets you know there’s something special inside.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
355 Productions
Here’s a nice set of business cards, labels and cd insert cards designed by Christiansen Creative for a small production company. The owner of the company is a big baseball fan, so a little bit of kitsch went a long way with these. The cards were printed on French construction and then duplexed to an identical sheet to give the cards some heft. If you can’t find the stock you want in the weight you want, consider duplexing two or even three sheets together to get the hefty cards you’re looking for.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Holiday Coasters
What better way is there to celebrate the holidays than with friends and/or family, food and drink, and some music? That’s how the peeps down at Curb Crowser do it anyway. And since it was high time to celebrate their remodeled digs and the holidays were fast approaching, they decided to hold one helluva bash. Revel and Hops invitations went out to their friends and clients on letterpress printed coasters made right here at Angel Bomb. 2 colors on each side with a QR code to scan in and take you right to their RSVP site. Not only beautiful, but slick as all get out. Thanks for letting me do some more work for you, Greg!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Forest Floor
Here are some dandy new business cards we printed up for our friends at Forest Floor. They wanted cards that weren’t glossy and felt more in line with their namesake so we printed them up on IPR blotter stock which has a great texture and natural off-white color. Normally, this stock is used for coasters, but for these square business cards, it gave them exactly the look and feel they were looking for. A successful print piece isn’t always about the flashiest processes; sometimes using an unusual stock is all it takes to draw people in for a closer look.
