Print Before Class

A one-off publication showcasing the poster design work of juniors and seniors at The Cooper Union.

Print Before Class is a one-off student publication designed to showcase the work produced during the one-poster-per-week Poster Design Class led by Mike Essl and Frank DeRose at The Cooper Union in the Spring of 2022. When designing and naming this publication, one principal question arose: how do we unify such a diverse collection of work under one identity? Printing at the school’s Media Lab was soon identified as the central unifying factor. Having worked at the Media Lab managing print requests and keeping up with plotter maintenance, I used my technical knowledge to inspire the publication’s aesthetic. The nozzle check self-test pattern (which verifies whether the ink delivery system of the plotter is functioning adequately) comes together with crop marks and color bars to create a simple cover that unifies the content without distracting from its richness.