Project: 8th Annual Letterpress Wayzgoose & Steamroller Smackdown Invitation

Client: School of Visual Concepts

Role: Designer, illustrator, letterpress printer

For over 16 years Seattle’s School of Visual Concepts has been celebrating the end of summer by opening up the doors of our letterpress classroom to the public, and hosting a Letterpress Wayzgoose and Steamroller Smackdown. Now two separate events, this one-two punch of an event took place all on the same day in 2009, complete with letterpress vendors, food, music, and the good old-fashioned fun of smashing things with big machines.

In addition to designing the postcard invitation, I also took on the letterpress printing of it at Amada Press, my private letterpress studio. 3000 cards, printed 2/1 (that’s more than 9000 impressions!), is the largest run I’ve printed to date — and after four solid days of printing, I was glad to relax in a hammock while they dried.

2009 also marked my debut year as a steamroller driver… which is how we print the giant 3×4 foot posters designed and carved in linoleoum by teams from local design/ad agencies. Now our famed Steamroller Smackdown takes place at the South Lake Union Block Party and enjoys sharing the stage with our ever-growing neighborhood community.

With over 18 years of experience in agency and studio settings, Amy Redmond is a visual designer who thrives on variety, creating print and interactive work for corporate and non-profit clients. To keep her creativity refreshed, Amy balances digital design with time in her letterpress studio (Amada Press) in Seattle. She also teaches at the School of Visual Concepts.