59. F2 DESIGN
“The challenge was the production,” says Dirk Fowler of his simple, two-color letterpress poster advertising a healthcare fundraiser. “I do not have a self-inking press, so I must hand ink every impression. The actual printing takes quite a bit of time. Usually time is something you don’t have much of in this business.”

Fowler concentrated on composition and typographic hierarchy in his design process, where assembling so much type, he says, is akin to piecing together a puzzle. “The event has used letter-pressed posters for its promotions before,” says Fowler. “People have come to expect a certain look and feel.”

While he prints using age-old methods, Fowler enjoys experimenting with unusual techniques. “I chose to make a background from inking upside-down type blocks to create texture and depth and to convey a ‘folk’ or ‘down-home’ feel,” he says. “I think the simple wood grain becomes an interesting visual in itself. I’m not particularly interested in doing things the way you are supposed to. I like to break the rules,” he says. “It’s not anything earth shattering, but it is different.” Like the music behind it, the poster is rough and unrefined, yet clear, honest, and simple.
Romy Ashby