Bob Kelemen

Bob Kelemen is a Cleveland-based graphic designer and artist specializing in letterpress printing. His prints frequently combine vintage wood and metal typography with found objects, such as game pieces, dice, dominoes, Lego building blocks, vinyl record albums, saw blades and wood scraps. Music and a sense of humor play key roles in his work.

Kelemen has served for over 20 years as adjunct faculty at regional universities and colleges, both public and private. He has taught a broad range of courses, including technical, formal and conceptual curriculum to both undergraduate and graduate students. His professional graphic design practice includes a wide range of clients — from healthcare institutions, not-for-profits, start-up enterprises and arts organizations to large publicly-held companies. 

His work has been recognized in national competitions and has been exhibited in gallery shows regionally. Kelemen has a special interest in letterpress printing, teaching workshops and classes as well as and running his own letterpress studio, Black Walnut Letterpress, in his backyard barn. His MFA thesis focused on using letterpress equipment to teach basic design principles to undergraduate graphic design students. 

His personal letterpress work ranges from traditional to experimental, and he recently helped organize and promote a traveling exhibit of letterpress work from Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

Kelemen earned his BFA from Kent State University in graphic design and his MFA from Kent State in visual communication design with a focus on environmental design.