I don't know about you but I love an obscure, enigmatic figure. And the very little known Desmond Jeffery (who died in 1974) was just that. Friend and protégé of Anthony Froshaug; Jobbing letterpress printer/typographer, activist, teacher and doer. Jeffery, by all accounts, kept his head down and his standards high. Championing an inky-hands-on modernist-fuelled typographic design practice, he, heroically, was one of the first London printers (circa 1960s) to stock Akzidenz Grotesk. Which is why he was hunted down by Germano Faccetti to set type for the then new (Marber Grid) Penguin Crime Series. Preferring to design/print rather design/instruct his one-man letterpress workshop in Marylebone Lane kept the local art and left-wing community in print.
Back in October/November last year, St Bride's presented an exhibition of his work. To be honest, even if I had known about that, I probably wouldn't have been able to make it there (it's not exactly down the road) but thankfully the accompanying catalogue is available to buy online. And while it's a slim volume and I would dearly love to see more of his work, it does paint an intriguing picture of an interesting and inspiring character.
Thanks for the post. It's an interesting relationship – using an obsolete printing process with modernist typography and thinking. Just bought the book.
Posted by: Guy | 20 January 2010 at 01:46 PM
I think you may have hit on a flaw in my post: "...using an obsolete printing process with modernist typography..." At the time, it wasn't obsolete at all...I haven't made it totally clear that he was working in the 50s and 60s. Will fix that.
Posted by: Richard | 20 January 2010 at 06:14 PM
On an unrelated note, http://todayspenguins.tumblr.com/ might be of interest to you.
Posted by: cantlin | 21 January 2010 at 06:35 PM
(I'd welcome any contributions you might consider)
Posted by: cantlin | 21 January 2010 at 06:39 PM