Naïve vs Risograph
ナイーブ / リソグラフ
Naïve comes from Illustration Styles and Risograph from Stencil Printing. One is style and the other technique. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Naïve
Steps away from the norms of skill, making plain observation and imbalance the charm.
Risograph
Keeps the per-color plates and their happy misregistration, giving each copy its own body heat.
| Naïve | Risograph | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | timeless | 1980s– / contemporary revival |
| Family | Illustration Styles | Stencil Printing |
| Kind | Style | Technique |
| Cues | Uneven lines / Flattened perspective / Simple color / Hand-drawn letters | Misregistration / Spot-color inks / Halftone dots / Paper show-through |
| Best used for | Honoring a personal gaze and touch · Closeness for food, region and education | Handmade heat for zines and event notices · Memorable print with very few colors |
| Type | Handwriting, homely serifs | Bold letters or homely serifs, separated by color plate |
| Composition | Avoid strict perspective; lay things out flat | Large planes where overlap and slippage stay visible |
| Material | Crayon, paint, paper, slightly muddied color | Two or three spot colors, coarse halftones, uncoated paper |
| Caution | Not an act of deliberate badness. Draw your own line from close observation. | Don't fake it with a noise filter. Design how the colors overlap first. |