Phoebe Tanner is a graphic designer exploring the intersect of print and motion, with work rooted in feminism and resistance.
Recently graduated from UWE, Phoebe is a graphic designer based in Manchester. She explores where print and motion intersect, with work rooted in feminism and resistance. She hopes to use the residency to push her skills based on risograph animation.
How would you describe your practice, and what have you been working on in the Riso room?
My practice focuses on where print and motion overlap and is crucially focused through a feminist lens. I have been specifically looking at ‘loudness’ as an act of resistance and how being loud is more than just volume. Experimenting with texture, typography and colour, I have designed thoughts from a collective of womxn to highlight what we believe should be louder.
Describe Riso Printing in three words
Bright. Grubby. Limitless.
Which part of the creative process in Riso printing inspires you the most?
The happy accidents! I love the prints that don’t print properly or that are misaligned. There is something beautiful in the process.
If you could only use two colours, what would they be and why?
Pink & Blue – I’m a sucker for the vibrancy and contrast of them together! I guess in the context of my work, they’re the most stereotypical ‘gendered’ colours, and I think there’s something ironic in using them and mixing them together.
Has your time in the risograph room changed how you work or think?
I think I now value the preparation for print even more. By being playful in the preparation process and testing different ideas ( even if I wasn’t super confident in them), it then gave me more freedom to experiment in the printing process.
As well as this, I had just graduated when starting my residency and having access to a studio space was refreshing. Having a vibrant environment to work in again has helped me to stay inspired and continue developing my own practice.
What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to start using Riso?
Get comfortable with the print not looking like how you thought it would! Enjoy the process; it’s essential not to have expectations of how the outcome will look. Experiment, test it out and embrace the imperfections & mistakes!
Find Phoebe:
Website: pheetdesigns.co.uk Instagram: @pheetdesigns
Want to start riso printing?
