Corvus Works is the design studio and workshop of Christopher Wakeling, typographic designer and printer.
The practice works with metal type and letterpress printing machines to design, print and publish limited books and ephemeral work for itself and others – in collaboration and commission. The typography for the editions is always composed by hand, using typefaces from its rare and extensive collection of European foundry-cast types. The editions are very small, typically from around 40 to 100 or so copies, allowing for slow and careful hand feeding of each printed sheet which has been dampened prior to printing to ensure a high standard of typographic printing. The use of cotton rag papers and oil based inks follows the historical methodology of fine press printers to craft timeless pages. Most, but not all binding work is completed in the workshop; the exception being the small number of special copies (10–15) which are crafted by trusted edition binders for clients’ collections.
Corvus Works books are bought by individuals and collectors of fine press books in the UK, Europe, North America and beyond. Its work can be found in institutional collections from the Grolier Club in New York, to the Rare and Special Collections Library at Edinburgh University who hold an archive of its complete output.
Christopher graduated from Trent Polytechnic in the mid-1980s and worked as a printed literature designer for well-known design and publishing companies in London, including Conran Design Group and Michael Peters Group. He has designed books for Phaidon, Random House and Thames & Hudson. As an educator, Christopher lectured in typography and publication design at Northumbria University for 20 years, stepping down in January 2026.
He is a UK committee member of the Fine Press Book Association, member of the Oxford Guild of Printers and Heritage Crafts UK.