I recently went to take some photographs at one of my favorite local businesses, Action Typesetting & Print - and to my surprise, got sucked back in time to when I was in the Visual Communications program at Chemeketa Community College.
I took classes there after I got my 4-year studio art degree at Willamette University in Salem. I had been working in a promotions position at Salem Center, and when I had to design promotional pieces in Microsoft Word - I wanted to throw my computer out of the window... I knew there was a better way! So, I wandered over to the community college and dove right in. It was interesting doing post-graduate vocational training... but apparently I was the trend - as a vocational magazine interviewed me for a story they were writing on the very thing.
We studied everything - from burning plates for offset presswork, to back and white photography, do endless (and endles
s) thumbnail sketches of print ad designs (endless). It was 1997, and before the digital photography age, but Photoshop was alive and well in the design arena. I learned that (version 3, I believe, was my first PS purchase) - as well as PageMaker, QuarkXpress and Freehand... I still use them for any design work that comes my way.
I can still remember the sights, smells and sounds of the offset press room. I was engaged at the time, and was able to design and run my own wedding invitations on the press. How many brides can boast that?
Fast forward to last Wednesday - with camera in hand I was delighted to explore the back rooms of Action Typesetting. I hope you enjoy these few photographs...
