Theo Hersey's Letterpress Revival

0:00On April 2nd, Theo Hershey is keeping the ancient art of letterpress printing alive in a digital world. This guy runs a workshop in Walworth, London, stocked with Ty from 1880, all the way to the last big foundries, shutting down in 19. 84. He traces it back to Gutenberg. Teaching folks how fonts were picked from catalogs like old-school shopping guides, full of wild textures and colors. His passion kicked off young. His mom had a tight case full of trinkets in the bathroom, sparking that fire. While studying graphic design at London College of Communication, a printing press tour sealed the deal. Fast forward, he bought his mentors historic spot last year, through a massive Kickstarter that pulled in 18,000 pounds. Now he's landing big gigs, like custom wooden type for Brit award winners. Bastille's album covers something only two guys in the country can do. He's also teamed up with Film Streamer Mooby for promo printing graffiti artists 10 foot from London, turning imperfections into sod after vibes.

1:01Clients crave. At South Bank Center's free creative encounters nights, running every two weeks, Theo leads hands-on sessions where crowds make their own letters and prints. Folks dig the tactile feel, playing with negative space and even embracing old flaws, called scumming, that now add character. There's a real hunger for this hands-on analog revival, and Theo's right in the mix, spending a full week layering inks on a single giant letter Y. Next, while massive presses keep churning newsprint, his craft reminds us why slowing down to make something real still hits different.