A Week Inside The Hungry Workshop!
6th February, 2012
This week we welcome Jenna and Simon from The Hungry Workshop! We are SO excited that they will be showing us the process of how they design a greeting card - from concept to the final product. What makes this weeks Guest Blog even more exciting, is that they are design a greeting card inspired by The Design Files - OMG! Tune in daily to see the progress before the big reveal on Friday! -Jenny x
Hello! We are Jenna and Simon and we are The Hungry Workshop. We are graphic designers and letterpress printers and we’ve been working away on expanding our range of cards. We thought it might be interesting to document our process and show you how we go about creating a new design for a greeting card. We’ll take you all the way from inspiration through to design, letterpress printing and the final product.
However, before we start any project, we require a good brief. We approach every job in exactly the same way, whether the project is a logo design, a letterpress wedding invitation or a new card design: the better the story, the better the end product!
The story for this week's project: A greeting card inspired by the constant stream of awesomeness that is The Design Files.
Once we have a good story we then need to turn that into a design idea, and for us that takes inspiration (and coffee, lots of coffee). Fortunately for us, we have a fairly comprehensive catalogue of books which we use as reference, some old and some new, some of which we’ve scoured from op shops across the country, others that have been carried home by friends travelling across Europe and far too many that have come from fancy bookstores.
Old books and fresh coffee
We are also very lucky to be so close to Kau, which makes the most delicious coffee in Northcote. They have a sweet little courtyard tucked away out the back where we can relax in the sunshine and let the ideas come to us.
At the top is our Heidelberg Windmill Platen and behind it, our Asbern Proof Press.
We’d also like to introduce our two letterpress printing presses. We have an ‘Original’ Heidelberg Windmill Platen, circa 1970s, which is our 1.5 tonne workhorse. It does all the heavy lifting and our medium to large run jobs. Our newest addition is a little older, an Asbern Proof Press. This press can print a larger sheet size and it’s a lot less of a temperamental brute compared to the Windmill as it is far less likely to bite you if it’s having a bad day.
- Jenna & Simon x
I love these cards! Thank you for the giveaway…I am a bit addicted to stationery, paper and notebooks :)
Cross fingers to win this amazing giveaway.
Thanx <3
HAHAHAHA!! My boy is a big time op-shop flanno wearing surfer boy. …this is him all over. V. funny, I love it!
I’m a hoarder of gorgeous cards (which I love giving away almost as much as collecting) Love your work – brilliant!
always in need of gorgeous cards and paper, love these prints!
Beautiful cards :)
yessss please!
Beautiful cards. Love your craft.
letter press – ah little hearts!
i am so excited to read about the entire process – as someone who collects LOTS of greeting card designs, it will be interesting to take a ride into how a greeting card comes to find itself in my desk drawer with the other outrageously good greeting cards. so excited.
I am looking forward to learning more about letterpress too! I just designed some greeting cards last year, but letterpress gives it such a different dimension & tactile feel :)
Massively cool equipment. really shows the heart of your studio . .
Pretty excited that these guys have set up shop in Melbourne. Great work and lovely people to boot. I’m extra-looking forward to the guest blog this week now!
The ‘flannie’ has been a favourite item of clothing for me since the 1970’s (esp when in the bush), so go the flannie cards! Brilliant
I have been looking for a Valentines card thats a little bit different. I’d love to win this.
The texture of letterpress is beautiful – love your unique designs
Am now smiling and inspired to start a beautiful week! Thank you.
What a great place to set up shop! I love your business cards as well!
They are amazing!
Beautiful cards :-)
golly, letterpress, LOVE! such courage to move your business, in fact to start your business. well done! (count me in on the prizes…)
Really, really lovely work!
Those cards are far to pretty to use!
Love those cards! Such beautiful typeface!
beautiful stationary makes me weak at the knees!
Man, I love what you do! Letterpress makes happy birthdays even happier.
love love love. Fingers crossed I can add these cards to my collection. I always buy 2. One to give and one to treasure.
I’d love to see some of the prep sketches… I love seeing that creative process!
Thank you for showing us the creative process inside your workshop ! Love it . Hope I win the cards ! Beautiful !
I cannot wait to read each and every post this week and get an insight into the world of The Hungry Workshop!
What a cool guest blog idea. I have my fingies crossed for the prize pack. I desperately wanted to get the “I love you like — loves — ” for my partner, so I could fill out with stuff our dogs love (dorky, yes, but also Totally Hilarious), but the budget has been a little tight for romantic gestures this year :(
You are killing me with your flannel cards … brilliant. Looking forward to the daily posts very much. thanks for the giveaway – woo hooo.
Love your work! I love letterpress and can’t wait to see the reveal :)
I love flannel!! Thanks for sharing.
Awesome!
gagging to fill in the blanks on those ‘I like you’ cards.
Love your work! And such awesome people to boot!
love it
looking forward to see what you come up with!!
lovely – thanks for sharing!
Lovely work! Looking forward to see the DF inspired cards!
Amazing and inspiring stuff!
Saw your valentine’s and flanno cards at south melb market on the weekend, they are so exquisitely done. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more from you guys.
mmm-hmm.
Beautful – Melbourne is lucky to have you!
Have just discovered Design Files and to win these cards would be an amazing beginning!
I want to send some mail!
beautiful!!
Hi Jenna and Simon,
I spotted your work first at the Harvest Textiles market and loved it from the word go! I’m looking forward to seeing how your guest blog posts continue. xo
Looking forward to seeing the design process and can’t wait for the finished product!
Looking forward to discover it all! Thanks!
Today is my birthday and I received 2 ecards and 1 handmade card. Whilst I would never be unappreciate of any effort made for my birthday opening the letter box and seeing the envelope and then holding that little card in my hand made my heart sing.
Hip hip hooray for the handmade card and all those that produce them with love. Will keep my little digits crossed that I’m the lucky winner of this giveaway.
Hello Hungry Workshop! I LOVE Letterpress and I’m looking forward to seeing your Design Files design unfold!
I hope some of Northcote’s creativity rubs of on me – in Preston!
This is why mail will never be extinct-ified
Letterpress is definitely a way to make something boring look freaking amazing.
OMG…..Simon and Jenna, I hope your mum knows about this? Can’t wait to call in, karissaxx (remember? excitement d’arcy’s 21st?)
LOVE the flannel cards, so hard to find good blokey cards
Like you guys I have l lived in different places and have wonderful friends all over the world to send stylish greeting cards to, Lucinda <3
there is nothing sexier than the soft and sensual curves of a letterpress impression.
Oh no, this is not helping my stationary addiction in the slightest!
YAY! I’m so excited about this week Guest Blog! Have already bought a flano card!-) thanks guys lovely work!
Fingers crossed!
Welcome to Melbourne, I can’t wait for the day that I’ll have something that you can help me to print!
Congrats to The Hungry Workshop on their move to Melbs! Love their stuff.
Great cards!
It’s great to see the letterpress process. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for a little look into such an involved process…. My twelve year old is already an avid stationary fan and im sure would love to have a real life tour… Do you ever open to the public?
The Hungry Workshop are amazing.
Love their beautiful little creations.
I absolutely love letterpress (I’m a huge stationery and paper nerd) and the process behind it and the Hungry Workshop produce some amazing and inspiring work. Love it!
I already own some of your cards, but unfortunately due to loving them so much have been unable to part with the little beauties to share your amazing talents with the rest of the world. you should send me some more and I promise to gift and send them to really cool people with excellent taste. Foxyeah!