BLANK CANVAS
Allegra in her letterpress studio printing her annual calendar. Check out last year's calendar here.
BB: How did you get into letterpress?
AF: My first letterpress experience was in my Introduction to Typography class in college. One of our first assignments was to set type by hand, and it has both really informed my understanding of typography and kicked off a love of letterpress.
BB: What are the ideas behind making a calendar?
AF: I use my smartphone as a day planner, but I missed having a longer range view. The two calendars I have made so far don’t function as day planners but show a big picture view of the year to think about things we want to achieve in the next year. It’s also something nice to decorate your space.
BB: What are the benefits of sharing a communal studio space?
AF: Working at a community studio I have learned a lot from the more experienced printers as well as made some great new friends.
BB: How does letterpress relate to doing digital design?
AF: At least for me, having a physical experience of working with type informs a lot of my design decisions for print or digital. Its also nice to get off the computer some days and come back reengaged with the fundamentals.
BB: What are other projects on the horizon for you?
AF: Hopefully a book!
BB: Where does your work usually go?
AF: I share the calendars with friends and family to kick off the New Year. Most of my other work is in a case under my desk collecting dust.
You can check out some of her work here and her most recent for Bureau Blank here.
