Behind the scenes of a publication

This page aims to record and reveal some of the hidden or often unseen processes we discover as we undertake these short runs.

Often these processes are well understood and used by designers and craftspeople, but aren’t widely articulated to the outside world.

Insight – Strike Sheets

During the printing of Analogue Process by Chris Bigg and Skotchbook by Jim Stoten and many subsequent publications, screen printer Chris Hunt, before the main print run began, did a small test onto a ‘strike sheet’. These sheet contain the test prints of many jobs from the previous few months, creating a rich tapestry and history of colliding images and colours. The sheets have a remarkable beauty as they get richer in layers of inks and overprints. There is an ‘accidental’ nature to the sheets which really appeals in the design process. Design is often considered to be an iterative process, with one stage leading to the next, and in the main this is true. However, it is so refreshing to allow chance into the process.