Print in the Mid-Century
The covers from the 1950s were largely made using a relief printing technique. In relief printing, a design is cut into the surface of a printing block, often made from linoleum or wood. Ink is applied to the block, then the inked block is pressed into a piece of paper, and the image is transferred. The line and shape quality seen in the February 1956 cover is a good indicator of this type of carving. While this process can be done without a printing press, student cover designers in the 1950s likely had access to a hand-cranked letterpress, such as a Vandercook SP15. This press would have allowed them to print copies at a semi-automated speed and also would have assured the consistent ink quality seen in the green color of the Winter 1960 cover.
Screen printing boomed in the 1960s. In screen printing, ink is pushed through a fine mesh screen that has stenciled images blocking ink from certain areas. Mass-produced media was an essential tool used in the political and counter-cultural movements of the time, and screen printing was an inexpensive way to spread ideas. Pop artists like Andy Warhol experimented with colorful layering and popularized screen printing in the art world; this influence can be seen in the December 1967 cover, with two bold semi-transparent shapes of color layered on top of each other to create a third color. When compared to relief methods, screen printing has much more potential for experimentation with texture. In the March 1969 cover, we see the creator playing with a high-contrast brushstroke texture that has been exposed onto the screen.
The Ariston covers of the 1970s, the last decade featured in this collection, feature many different styles, techniques, and design elements. Printing and computer technology changed rapidly during this decade. In 1973, Xerox released the first color-copier, the Xerox 6500, in 1973. The omnipresence of these machines and their specific image quality could have played a hand in the inspiration for the grainy photographic covers from 1978 and 1979. Another popular tool of the 1970s was Letraset, sheets of transferable typefaces that could be hand-applied by designers. The bold, typography-forward design seen in the May 1973 cover was likely inspired by, if not created with, these Letraset sheets.