Between a Rock and a Hard Place

A collaborative Risograph publication produced by graduate students studying graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design, Between A Rock and a Hard Place presents an assortment of rock forms developed as formal exercises employing a range of tools, materials, and making strategies. The publication treats rocks not as specimens but as forms—shapes to observe, abstract, and repeat. Printed using a three-color Risograph process (orange, purple, teal), each page captures variations in structure, texture, and rhythm. Rocks appear dense or weightless, fractured or whole, shifting between recognition and abstraction. Once bound and sequenced, the collected forms reveal visual connections and contrasts across contributors’ work. Like the rocks they depict, the prints carry traces of pressure, process, and time, becoming a collective translation of a single form. Includes an introduction by Christopher Sleboda and Kathleen Sleboda (Draw Down Books) and a set of form-making prompts. Rock form and rock prints by Cameron Burke, Annabel Gillespie, Josh Joseph, Tanaka Mapondera, Jacob Marcus, Hamin Seo, Roye Zhang, and Joy Zou Printed and published by Grad Form 2, 2025 Printed in a hand-numbered edition of 40 copies Softcover with saddle-stitch binding, 36 pages, 3-color Risograph, 8.25 × 11 inches