Skeuomorph Press & the (Un)Dead Media Lab are experiential studios for teaching and researching the history and art of information at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At Skeuomorph Press, patrons experiment with technologies of text, including letterpress, risography, book binding, and paper-making. The (Un)Dead Media Lab (UML) is a retrocomputing, obsolete technology, and media preservation lab focused on preserving and making accessible information and communication technologies for the purposes of experimentation and creative reuse.
We are jointly housed in the Champaign-Urbana Community FabLab and sponsored by the School of Information Sciences, with support from the Department of English. We also sponsor the Skeuomorphics club. Here’s how to find us!
[S]keuomorphs make clear the inevitable links that bridge historical and contemporary media, and can be instructional and inspiring. We believe that understanding contemporary media and technology requires historical thinking.
Skeuomorph is directed by Ryan Cordell, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and English. In Spring 2026 open hours will be primarily supervised by Sophie Weinberg (MSLIS, iSchool), Grace Kulas (MSLIS, iSchool), Emma Irmisch (PhD student, English), and Aabir Sen (PhD student, English).
Skeuomorph Press sponsors applied research in book and information history, supports critical-creative projects by students and faculty, offers experiential workshops in the history of print and book technologies, teaches modules in classes across departments, and fosters a community of makers on campus. We are especially interested in experiments that blend historical and contemporary technologies, such as intersections between letterpress and 3D printing, and in creative projects that engage with the rich materiality of letterpress production. Check out our gallery to see more of what we do. And please consider donating to support our mission at UIUC and in the CU Community!