Why Overprint Designs Are Making Big Comeback

In this video, we're talking about over print design. It's bold, imperfect on

print design. It's bold, imperfect on purpose, and it's got a ton of history behind it. Now, what makes this style so

behind it. Now, what makes this style so fascinating is that it's not just a digital trend that popped up out of nowhere. This is rooted in real printing

nowhere. This is rooted in real printing and press techniques that go back decades. So every design choice from the

decades. So every design choice from the layering to the slightly off-kilter angle to the grain to the ink bleed, all of it comes straight from that physical print making method which I think is

what makes it popular now. So when you use this style in graphic design today, you're paying respects to an actual printing legacy. Only now you have to do

printing legacy. Only now you have to do it digitally, which can't fully replace the beauty of the original handmade process. I mean, I really don't think

process. I mean, I really don't think so. But the digital versions can still

so. But the digital versions can still be fun to experiment with. So here's the plan for this video. We're going to look at where overprinting comes from, how the rizograph machine from the 1980s helped popularize a new wave of this

aesthetic, and then I'm going to share five tips for recreating the classic look in your own projects. All right,

let's dive into a little bit of background. And stay with me here

background. And stay with me here because it's going to get a little bit technical, and I want you to understand where the look of this style is coming from so you know what to look for when

you are making your own version. The

rizigraph machine invented in the 80s is basically a hybrid between what you would think of a photocopier and a screen printer. It was originally made

screen printer. It was originally made for schools, offices, churches to churn out cheaper high volume prints. But the

results weren't exactly perfect. Colors

would overlap. The registration of the inks was often pretty off. And the

prints had this grainy lowfi appearance and texture to them. But instead of being seen as flaws, those quirks became the aesthetic. So designers and artists

the aesthetic. So designers and artists started using Rizograph for Zenes, posters, art prints because it gave them this raw screen printed feel at a fraction of the cost. Now the

limitations of the machine like the misaligned layers, the unexpected color blends and the gradient gradients became exactly what made it feel authentic and became popularized. Now overprinting as

became popularized. Now overprinting as a technique actually goes back further than rizograph back to the letter press and initial screen printing days where one layer of ink was printed over

another often intentionally to create interesting textures blended colors and it often created deeper colors. So what

risograph printing did was sort of reintroduce those happy accidents and the same concepts to a new generation of artists. And just to be clear with a

artists. And just to be clear with a technical definition here, as I can just repeat it, the overprinting is when colors are printed over each other, creating new colors as those colors are

blended. So this is why sometimes we use

blended. So this is why sometimes we use those terms interchangeably throughout this video, and it's more helpful to have visual references for this anyway, because techniques of printing and styles of printing are sometimes hard to

just express in words. Now today in digital design we get to combine the two ideas the mechanical quirks of rizograph and the timeless technique of overprinting. So today with the modern

overprinting. So today with the modern overprint design you'll see those unexpected blends that give images more depth and character and that's what I think designers and artists are going

for. So you can layer different images

for. So you can layer different images in a staggered format placing one over another for some pretty cool effects.

And something important to note that I've noticed is that overprints traditionally use more than two colors, but today you're seeing more of just two colors. And this helps the overlap stand

colors. And this helps the overlap stand out more while still keeping the composition clean and clear. And the two colors usually aren't as bright and punchy as what you might see in standard

risograph style printing. Now, of

course, with graphic design software, you don't have to own a risograph to get this effect. You can just create the

this effect. You can just create the same look digitally. And we actually have a ton of elements like this in KD over in the left side panel. You can

just type in risograph and you're going to see exactly what I'm talking about.

We also have a tutorial putting together rizograph designs as well. But remember,

the goal is trying to mimic ink on paper to appear realistic. So you're not just layering some text or images on top of each other and calling it a day. There's

a lot more that goes into this. This is

all deliberate choice, especially in branding and poster design. Why? Well,

because it feels physical. It's the

opposite of the sleek, clean, polished, minimal look that we are seeing everywhere nowadays. And it's no secret

everywhere nowadays. And it's no secret that a little bit of texture, a little bit of imperfection can help stuff stand out. So, you'll see this style in a lot

out. So, you'll see this style in a lot more artistic and creative use cases, especially for event posters, maybe plays and art shows, galleries, music gigs, maybe even wall art or murals, and

more. And it really works beautifully

more. And it really works beautifully for product packaging as well, especially if you want to appear unconventional or maybe a little more crafty. To me, a product label with an

crafty. To me, a product label with an overprint design kind of feels artisal immediately. All right, before the five

immediately. All right, before the five tips, if you're getting value from this video so far, do me a quick favor and hit the like and subscribe button down below. That way, you don't miss any

below. That way, you don't miss any future tutorials or deep dives just like this one. All right, let's get back to

this one. All right, let's get back to it. Okay, the first tip to easily

it. Okay, the first tip to easily recreate the style is to use risograph elements like I talked about earlier. KD

already has a ton of these in our graphics library like you can see here, and these are perfect to incorporate into your backgrounds or maybe even as main elements or overlapping elements.

You can play around with layering them, changing the colors, changing the opacity, and you can get some really interesting old style looks. Secondly,

you're going to want to choose the right fonts that match this style. Remember,

the style is rooted in letter press and old printing methods. So, to really capture this look, I'd suggest you go with type faces that look bold and sturdy enough to have held texture and

ink, or maybe have a weathered or inky look to them already. A thick sand serif like Hubit Sands or our Inkworld font would do really well here. Or maybe

you're going to go with a retro or vintage inspired serif like Alpha Slab or maybe Bouquet or even something a little bit more funky like Hello

Brutank. Basically, your best bet is a a

Brutank. Basically, your best bet is a a thicker font because thin itallic fonts just won't show as much detail for this style. You can see here that the bold

style. You can see here that the bold fonts stand out and enhance the overprint effect while thinner fonts appear more solid and kind of just in the background. So, you can't see the

the background. So, you can't see the blending of the colors as clearly with those thin fonts. That's why I'd recommend you stick to something solid, something blocky, so you can enhance the details that make the style unique. Now,

you can also be on the lookout for some variable fonts. We also have these in

variable fonts. We also have these in KD. And with these variable fonts, you

KD. And with these variable fonts, you can widen the thickness of the font and bring it more towards that style that you're going for, which is a neat little hack that will save you a ton of time

searching for the perfect font. But it's

also cool to just combine two styles like you see here together. The contrast

is actually what helps both fonts stay legible. And you can easily find some

legible. And you can easily find some thin, monoline, or italicized fonts like this in KD that would be perfect for the style. All right, number three. Lean

style. All right, number three. Lean

into textures. Overprint design is all about how ink interacts with the page or paper. And subtle grain, half te, worn

paper. And subtle grain, half te, worn edges, all these kinds of things to your shape and your text can help amplify the style. You can layer multiple textures

style. You can layer multiple textures as well to make it look even more realistic looking. This step is what

realistic looking. This step is what will take a clean digital looking design and give it more of that authentic analog printed vibe. We also have a video tutorial showing you how to create

a cool grainy ink bleed effect that will take your designs further into this style. So, you're going to want to check

style. So, you're going to want to check those out if you want. They're linked

down in the description. Fourth, you're

going to want to play with layering and opacity, which I've already hinted on earlier. Overprinting is literally about

earlier. Overprinting is literally about layers of ink, okay? They're

overlapping. They're stacking shapes and text and varying transparency depending on how the ink comes out. So, you're

going to try to set one color maybe to multiply or layer it over another. And

then you're going to want to get those rich secondary colors with the ink overlap feel. Now, one thing you can

overlap feel. Now, one thing you can play with is colored textures along with blending modes. For example, if your

blending modes. For example, if your paper or grain texture is red or some other color and you play with the different blending modes, you're going to notice that a different effect or

color or style takes place when that blends with other elements on your artboard. So, you can really experiment

artboard. So, you can really experiment and play with this to get exactly what you're looking for. And if you're super curious and want to nerd out about it, I do have a blending mode deep dive where

I do my best to explain and show you what the different blending modes can do with textures and design. So, you can check that. I've linked it down in the

check that. I've linked it down in the description and in the cards up here.

Finally, don't be afraid to embrace mistakes in these designs. Part of what makes Ryzaph, Overprint, Lithograph, or other design styles like this very appealing is that it's not perfect.

You're going to add slight misalignments to your layers or tilt text or images offkilter a little bit. Make the shapes overlap and bleed into each other. This

is going to give your design depth, movement, and that more raw quality.

Now, I know we just barely scratched the surface of what this style actually is, but briefly, you now know a bit of the overprint design. What started as more

overprint design. What started as more of a cheap way to massproduce prints with Ryzaphy turned into a standalone art form that people really love and is popular today. So whether you're

popular today. So whether you're building some brand identity elements or graphics or you just want to design a poster or just want to experiment with a cool new style, I do highly recommend

that you give it your best and try to make the overprint style. And let me know in the comments if you found this video helpful and I want to see what you all are making. So want to make sure to

tag us on Instagram or Tik Tok or if you do a YouTube video, you can actually tag us on YouTube as well and we will love to check that out. Now, don't forget to like and subscribe to the channel so you don't miss deep dives into design styles

and tutorials just like this one. We've

got a lot of really cool, exciting stuff coming up, as well as new KD tutorials with new features coming out. And if you haven't tried KD yet, you can sign up using the link down in the description.

Get started for free. Seriously, no

credit card, nothing like that. You can

get started for free. And we appreciate your time and attention watching. I will

see you in the next video.

Yeah.

[Music] Stand.