About this template
The Riso Print template plays a risograph aesthetic: magenta/blue misregistration circles, Space Grotesk typography, the texture of a hand-pulled print. This is not a decorative effect — it is the signature of a precise independent publishing scene (Drukwerk in de Marge Amsterdam, Quartier Riso Paris, Risotto Studio Glasgow, Pakt Brussels, Hato Press London) that prints its books, fanzines and posters on Risograph duplicators in limited runs. It is not an ATS-safe CV and never will be: it is built for an indie publisher's art director, a book-fair bookseller (Offprint, Printed Matter NY Art Book Fair, Anti-Book Fair Berlin, MISS READ Berlin) or a commissioner who immediately reads the misregistration as a scene code.
Who is it for?
For print designers, zine and artist-book designers, art directors in independent publishing, indie publishers and senior creatives applying to Apartamento Milan, MacGuffin, The Gentlewoman, Toilet Paper, Strapazin Zurich, Or Editions, as well as the studios B42 Paris, Spector Books Leipzig, Onestar Press and Roma Publications. Suited to alumni of the RCA Visual Communication MA, Werkplaats Typografie Arnhem, ECAL master art direction, Sandberg Institute Amsterdam, Yale Graphic Design MFA, RISD Graphic Design and ENSAD Paris. Fits applications to typographic residencies (Atelier National de Recherche Typographique Nancy, ECAL, Werkplaats Typografie research positions).
How to use it
Place the portfolio URL in the header with a short personal domain — not a Behance, but a personal page that stands by the same visual grammar. Prefer a site that shows printed objects (studio photos of the book in the hand) rather than flatlay PDFs. In the Projects section, list 4-6 marquee publications with the publisher, the title, the exact print run (« 300 ex. risograph 2-colour, fluorescent pink + medium blue »), the year and your role (designer, art director, associate editor). Mention the fairs (Offprint Paris/London, Printed Matter NY, Friends with Books Berlin, MISS READ) where the object was distributed. For confidential commissions, keep it generic but name the context (« visual identity for a European architecture quarterly, 4 issues per year »). Long-tail: « editorial designer portfolio CV », « Riso zine designer CV », « art director indie publisher CV », « Werkplaats Typografie designer CV », « Offprint Paris designer CV ».
Frequently asked questions
Should I name the riso colours used in each project?
Yes — recipients in this scene expect it. List the exact Riso palette colours used (Fluorescent Pink, Federal Blue, Medium Blue, Sunflower, Forest Green, Hunter Green, Bright Red, Light Lime) and the number of print layers. An indie publisher's art director reads that precision as a marker of technical expertise — it is the equivalent of a photographer naming the film stock and developer. For the riso printers used (Drukwerk in de Marge, Quartier Riso, Hato Press), name them — that is a direct reference to the community.
How do I present a self-published artist book?
With as much rigour as a publication at an established house: title, ISBN if assigned (recommended even when self-publishing for legal deposit and bookshop distribution), print run, format, printing technique, distributor (Antenne Books, Idea Books, Motto, Printed Matter, Climax Books). Self-publishing is valued by this scene — Roma Publications started that way. Avoid apologetic phrasings (« small personal self-published project »): if the object exists and was distributed, it is a publication.
Does the template suit an application to a large-scale communications agency?
No, avoid corporate agencies (Wieden+Kennedy at scale, AKQA, Edelman creative, WPP networks) where the Riso grammar will read as « too boutique », as well as the in-house communications departments of large corporations. The template is calibrated for the independent publishing scene, artist-book practice, author-driven magazines and human-scale editorial design studios. For a transition from indie publishing to agency, prefer a more neutral CV such as ATS Card Sections — even at the cost of losing the signature effect.
