The Counter Press

We’re The Counter Press, A design studio, typography workshop & private press based in East London. Inspired by a love of words, strong ideas and meticulous craftsmanship, we create thoughtful, contemporary typographic design predominantly using traditional wood and metal type. Sitting somewhere between a graphic design practice and a traditional private press, most of our work is designed and printed at a wonderfully sedate pace, by hand, using the age-old process of letterpress. Our workshop has a total of six printing presses, ranging from small Victorian cast iron hand presses to much larger 1960s precision proofing presses. On these we print with an ever-growing library of wood type and cases of metal type – some freshly cast, others founts are old, un-digitised faces. It’s not that dusty old stuff or nostalgia floats our boat particularly, it’s more about how we can create something new from this wonderful old process that gets us going. This doesn’t mean that everything we do requires hours of hand typesetting and ink on rollers; we haven’t forgotten the computer entirely. Occasionally that means we might be talked into combining letterpress with more modern methods where the project requires. Although a lot of our projects are self-initiated, we often work closely with writers, brands and design agencies to create a wide range of work, from booklets to broadsides, identities to illustrations, and packaging to prints. In fact, almost anything that requires a little analogue warmth. If that sounds like the sort of thing you're interested in, then give us a shout.