OUGD505 - Leeds Public Spaces - Printing + Initial Concepts

As the brief requires my poster to consist of at least 2 colours using traditional printing techniques, I began to think of the possibilities that these processes provide.

Relief Printing - Printing from a raised image

• Letterpress
• Lino
• Stamp tool
• Card print

I have a fair amount of experience with relief printing processes which has informed an initial concept for my poster. I started to research into more advanced and unconventional methods such as Anthony Burrill's steam roller press:

http://anthonyburrill.com/project/ditchling-steam-print/

Large scale letterpress print made using a vintage steam roller, commissioned by Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft.

Burrill has replaced the traditional printing press for an engineering marvel from the past, combining tradition and securing history. By adapting or swapping the tools, different textures and marks become unique to certain material properties.

Printing concept 1:

Coat a bicycle tyre with ink and cycle over paper in order to print the grip marks from the tyre:

As the riders in the Tour de France use high end racing bikes, I intend to use the thin racing tyres to get a true representation of the tyres used in the race. This would count as a traditional printing method because it is completely analogue and count as a relief printing process. 

Printing concept 2:

Print the gears and spokes from the bikes:

These can be laser cut and then printed directly onto the poster.
Looking at different variations of the gears it became apparent that I could potentially include a vector of the Leeds flower as the gear:

                               

This would put Leeds at the centre of one of the most important components.