Dafi Kühne «hot cut»

I wanted to make a connection between the process of producing/cutting new type and my poster. So I thought about words I could use on that poster that would fit this topic. Which words are possible with using just the letters «t o u c h». Since it was only a short run of posters, I could also use some letters twice, or flip them around to make a «n» with the «u» or even a «y» with the «h».

So I thought about short words like:

+hot

+you

+not

+cut

+toy

+cnc

…

I started of course with proofing my letters. Then I powdered them.

I used the wax-coating machine to start cutting and layouting my words. (Image 2 & 3) I really liked the words «hot» and «cut». Its something only type-nerds would say to each others: «Hey, did you see that very hot cut of that Vista Sans?» or «These legs of that capital R of that CNC-cut Vista Sans are veeeeery hot!» haha

I really liked the idea of physically cutting down these freshly cut typeblocks to symbolize a transfomation of that cutting process of the CNC-router in my poster.

This was the first moment when I really cut the type with a handsaw! I thought about it at least three times until I was really sure where exactly that first cut has to be. It was also important with the first cuts to leave enough «meat» for some more cuts…

There you go! Now I could proudly call myself the «type-butcher» – though I still don’t…

Lockup was pretty complicated and a bit time consuming. But I used some furniture on the bottom, then some strong magnets on top and on the sides.

I printed 6 colourruns of black type, always cutting the type into more and more pieces between the runs. Then I took a digital image of that poster as it was. I went to the computer to try out and add different other elements that could make that idea of that cut stronger – and even hotter! I started to add line elements that I could typeset and lock them on my press. I also added a bottom line, that could describe what that «hot cut» is all about.

Back on the press I used long chipboard stripes and lead-reglettes to set and lockup some 2pt brasslines exactly the way I tested them on the computer.

I printed them in another 3 colourruns (three different redtones) plus another black run for the numbering machine and handset bottomline.

So that’s a total of 10 colourruns on my poster, though it might look as if it was just black and some redtones. Nevermind, the process doesn’t count as the result – it only counts to get to the result… For me: If the result is good, the poster works. If the poster doesn’t look good, the process is not worth anything… haha. Please leave a comment here or on my webpage babyinktwice.ch – thanks.