Est mag

EST.

a professional look into type

20 Years of Olympics Typography Plus What to Expect in Rio

Why you MIGHT have a job: Hand Lettering is Back, pg 27 established.com Issue One

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What’s inside Business 10. Designers With Go-To Typefaces

26. Why Hand-Lettering is Making a Comeback

47. Top 5 in Type

Offbeat & Culture 6. The Evolution of the Ampersand

20. Harir—Reducing Noise in Arabic Script

40. Text in Tattoos

30. Twenty Years of Olympics Typography

60. The Revival of Hand-Painted Signs

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Letter from the editor

What is typography? Why does it matter? How does it impact our lives?

The Merriam-Webster definition of “typography” is: “the work of producing printed pages from written material” or “the style, arrangement, or appearance of printed letters on a page.” How those letters, words, and sentences are styled and arranged affects how they are perceived. Good typography clarifies content, establishes hierarchy, and presents information in a manner that makes it easier to read, and, therefore, to understand.

Typography is also intertwined with our daily lives—we encounter type in everything from the products we buy, the signage around us, the books we read, the news we consume, and the directions we follow. Typography can be beautiful, functional, persuasive, and inviting. It can also fail, especially when there is a disconnect between how the type looks and what the text says.

This debut issue of EST. Magazine was conceptualized and created by students in Art 338: Typography II at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo during winter quarter 2016. Students selected all topics included in this issue and the content ranges from the current hand-lettering revival, to lettering in tattoos, to the challenges of creating an Arabic script font, to type in the Olympic logos. The eclectic nature of this content reflects the diverse interests of the students in the class and the many ways in which we encounter typography in the everyday. ✌

Charmaine Martinez March 2016

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offbeat

The

Evolutionof

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The ampersand came from the ligature combination of the letters E and T and its meaning came from the Latin word “and” which the two letters combined represented. In the first century AD it was first seen written on papyrus. But as type developed over the centuries, the ampersand gradually became more stylized and represented less of the letters E and T. Although the ampersand had been used since the first century AD, it didn’t receive its name till the 19th century from the phrase “and per se and” which meant “and [the symbol] by itself is and”. In addition to the naming of the symbol, it was first added to dictionaries in 1837. And in 1899 the Concise Manual on Typography called the ampersand “a sign interchangeable with the conjunction and”. Another use of the ampersand can be to replace the phrase “et cetera” by using the symbol followed by c.

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Ampersands are frequently seen in names of corporations and businesses or formal titles. Some famous companies that use ampersands in their logo are H&M, Dolce&Gabbana, and Crate&Barrel.

The ampersand itself is normally not used in body text to replace “and� but more commonly used for display. It becomes a point of interest since it is a visually appealing and versatile symbol.

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free fonts that don’t suck

Butler. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789!@#$%^&*( )

Great for posters, very big titles, books and fancy stuff, Butler is a free serif typeface inspired by a mix between both Dala Floda & the amazing Bodoni family. The main goal was to bring a bit of modernism to serif fonts by working on the curves of classical serif fonts and adding an extra stencil family.

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business

DESIGNERS with go-to Typefaces

MATMAITLAND Creative director, Big Active

Favorite type: Venus SB Medium Extended, a sans serif, used on the startling, stark cover of Prince and the Revolution’s 1986 album Parade

Why are you particularly attached to Venus SB as a typeface?

The typeface is nice and simple. It’s got that Art Deco touch to it, in the R and the E.

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EDDIEOPARA Partner, Pentagram

Favorite type: Albertus, a font designed for the Monotype Corporation in 1932 by German ex-metalworker Mr Berthold Wolpe

When did you first encounter the Albertus typeface?

On the street signs in the City of London. I didn’t know what the font was until I got to design school.

And I was so fascinated by it because of the way it’s cut. It’s based on metal engraving techniques, the effect being that it has is these acute angles, almost 45 degree angles in each letter. It’s also insanely hard to use. I’ve tried to use it and I’ve not been able to. Why is it my favorite font, then? I think that your favorite is always what you can’t have.

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CHIPKIDD Associate art director, Knopf

Favorite type: Blender, a 2003 typeface from Gestalten

What do you like about blender?

I’ve been using it a lot over the past few years (and yes, I bought the license to it before doing so) because it has a classic sans-serif presence that feels fresh, due to almost undetectable quirks in the characters that have curved edges.

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SAGIHAVIV Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv Knopf

Favorite type: Palatino, an old style serif initially released in 1948

What is the thinking behind Palatino?

Palatino is actually quite a generic font. When we presented the identity, the people from the press were shocked that we would come in with a font that was available on people’s computers, for this, the most prestigious publisher in the world—how could that be? It’s looking to the future, but it’s anchored in tradition.

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EDWINVANGELDER Founder, Mainstudio

Favorite type: Theinhardt, a sans serif. In my work, I look for timelessness, something that’s not too trendy.

Why are you particularly attached to Theinhardt as a typeface?

It’s based on Grotesk, a classic serif font, but it’s an updated, contemporary, and very flexible new take on the classic. I like its overall look and feel—stern yet friendly. It feels very now, very modern. There’s also something architectural about it, it’s got a graphic quality to it, so you can use it to create geometry in a design. It’s not illustrative, not an image itself but it fits really well into grids and systems—which obviously suits the way I work.

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Harir—Reducing Noise in Arabic Script

By Bahman Eslami

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culture Our daily lives are full of noise, but when we immerse ourselves in reading, it seems to disappear. But what if the shapes of the words we read also contain perceptible noise? Does it disrupt the reading process, or do we learn to filter it out?

When I was in elementary school I really didn’t like conventional Persian typefaces. They seemed very noisy with their inelegant spacing and lack of even minimal kerning. Mechanical typesetting systems had proved to be illsuited to reproducing the graceful, historic shapes created by calligraphers, who had far more flexibility in drawing and combining letters. And these awkwardly adapted letters were directly transferred to digital typesetting systems as well, with the result that a whole nation had to adapt to a new type of writing system that was aesthetically inferior to and less readable than traditional handwriting.

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Negative Space in Persian Calligraphy

the letter fusions. Another important

The beauty of Persian calligraphy lies

principle, Savad va Bayaz(“white and

in a complex system that developed

black”), governs how letters and let-

over centuries, finally culminating in

ter combinations should be shaped to

the Nasta’liq style. It includes princi-

produce an even pattern throughout

ples that govern not only how letters

the text; it deals with the proportions

and words combine, but how negative

of letters and the relationship between

space is managed to produce con-

the black space of the letters and the

sistent text lines and consistent text

white space of the counters. Thus far,

colour throughout those lines. For

digital emulation of all these parame-

example, the principle of Khalvat va

ters has proven impossible or impracti-

Jalvat (Persian for “expansion and con-

cal, and although some digital Nasta’liq

traction”) governs the position of indi-

systems are available today, none even

vidual letter combinations to distribute

comes close to fully emulating the

the negative space throughout the lines

complex balance of handwritten script.

so every word has the same grey. This

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is similar to letter spacing and kerning

Another important feature of Persian

in roman scripts, but much more com-

calligraphy related to the management

plex because the heights of individual

of negative space is the use of diacrit-

connections change dynamically to

ics. Naskh, the calligraphic style from

harmonise the negative space around

which most Arabic/Persian typefaces

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are derived, was created for writing long

Some calligraphers say that abrak is only

passages of the holy Qur’an, and its

ornamentation of the layout and has

design incorporates diacritics, which not

nothing to do with the negative space.

only avoid ambiguity when reciting the

But so often when we remove the abrak

text, but also shape the negative space

we can notice that the calligrapher wasn’t

around the words. When Naskh letters

able to perfectly manage the negative

were adapted for mechanical typeset-

space and used abrak to hide the lack of

ting they were stripped of their diacritics,

good letter spacing and adherence to the

but the design of the letters remained

basic principles of Persian calligraphy.

unchanged, violating the principle of Savad va Bayaz and unbalancing the neg-

Redesigning the White Space

ative space. On the other hand, using

Computer typesetting and the limitations

diacritics is no panacea, as demonstrated

of the OpenType system impose multiple

by the countless inscriptions with awk-

compromises on Arabic typefaces. In fact,

ward diacritic placement. Furthermore,

using OpenType to create a conventional

Nasta’liq is largely written without dia-

Arabic text typeface with balanced white

critics, managing negative space either

space is nearly impossible due to the fact

by defining it with an abrak (Persian for

that the correct positioning of the dots is

“tiny cloud”) or by slanting the baseline

determined by the word shapes, not the

to allow letter combinations to stack and

letter shapes. Furthermore, elements of

better fill the space.

the letter shapes (such as the horizontal

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position of the baseline and the struc-

drawing occasionally on Thuluth cal-

tures of the connections between

ligraphy as well. The stroke cuts are

letters) are also dynamic, tied to

angled, and the beginnings and ends

the shape of each word and the sur-

have the same angle. After I finished

rounding words as well. Thus rede-

the design I noticed that the letter-

signing the letters to make the white

forms had also been influenced by

space beautiful presents a significant

contemporary automobile designs.

challenge.

Early versions of Harir used a straight Harir is designed to take advantage

baseline, but I eventually switched to

of the horizontal lines created by the

a curved baseline, which is more ele-

stroke contrasts. Counters are larger,

gant and more typical for handwritten

bringing their upper parts into align-

text (especially in Persian culture). I

ment with these black zones, and dots

didn’t create discretionary ligatures;

are also placed in these zones wher-

they would have created irregularities

ever possible. This emphasizes the

in the text pattern like “speed bumps”

black zones and creates two parallel

that would slow the reader down. I

white zones, leading the eye smoothly

started with the bold font, generating

across the text. Noise around word

seven versions during the design pro-

shapes is reduced, letter combinations

cess and making minor changes to the

are more consistent, and the essential

typeface at every stage. Afterwards I

structure of the conventional letter-

proceeded to the regular and finally

forms is preserved.

the optical sizes.

Sketches and the Design Process

Harir is not merely a technological

Generally, the structure of Harir is

solution, Harir is designed to make

based on Arabic/Persian typefaces like

text reading a smoother and more

Nazanin and Mitra. (I can’t overem-

pleasant experience on screen and in

phasize how much the works of Tim

print.

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Holloway have been an inspiration for me.) I based the calligraphic elements on the Nasta’liq and Naskh styles,

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free fonts that don’t suck

Edmond abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789 !@#$%^&*()

Edmondsans is hard-working display face in three weights, featuring some useful niceties like small caps, non-lining figures, and a few alternates.

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offbeat

In a world created by coding, can beautiful letters made by hand still have their place?

Why Hand Lettering is Making a Comeback

Now that digital has largely taken over the world’s communications, cursive is nearly obsolete in schools, and putting pen to paper is a rare experience for a large part of the planet – so, what hope does handwriting have?

Cristina Vanko, a designer and art director at Y&R Chicago, believes hand lettering is still relevant, and in-fact, is even making a comeback, which she beautifully describes and teaches in her new book HANDLETTERING FOR EVERYONE: A Creative Workbook published last week by Perigee Trade/Penguin Random House.

“From the best modern book covers out there, to your favorite local restaurant menus, to a priceless form of personalized self-expression, the beauty of writing by hand reminds us just how alive words and letters can be,” said Vanko.

Hand-Lettering for Everyone is a creative, interactive workbook aimed to teach everyone (and anyone) hand-lettering.

“Trust me, it’s possible,” Vanko said. “It’s full of informative bits, inspiration, pep talks, and fun lettering exercises. This book opens readers up to the myriad ways to apply newfound lettering skills and boosts confidence along the way.”

The book covers typography and hand-lettering basics, the art of sketchploration, fearless self-expression through playfulness, creative process tips, inspiring advice from top illustrators, and inspiration for adding personal touches to any kind of hand-lettered text. The book, Vanko says, is full of creative prompts to take your hand-lettering for a test drive.

By Christina Vanko

“In advertising, hand-lettering can be a different way to bring messages to life,” she said. “We’re a tech

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savvy culture, and we’ve grown so accustomed to type in print and on screen and now, even emojis! - that today, using your hands to create is considered a novelty. With hand-lettering, the letters itself are a piece of art. The formation of each letter is formed differently from letter to letter and crafted carefully to bring a brand’s meaning to life through lettering.”

With Hand-Lettering for Everyone, Vanko begins with an approachable brief overview of the history of type and design and its fundamentals. Surprisingly enough, this is something that a lot of published books leave out. Vanko believes readers should have a basic understanding of typography, type anatomy, design, and layout before jumping into lettering.

“Most importantly, having this bit of background knowledge helps readers make the most of their newfound lettering skills,” Vanko said.

Vanko’s book isn’t her first foray into the seemingly lost art of hand-lettering, she conducted a social experiment in 2013 she dubbed Modern Day Snail Mail. For one week, Vanko created handwritten text messages (no using the keyboard on her phone to send a message) and would write out her reply message on paper and then text back a photo of her message. Vanko’s project received notable media attention that ultimately led to her doing a TEDx talk hosted by the University of Chicago the following year.

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“Brand to brand, hand-lettering is able to touch on a range of emotional feelings,” Vanko said. “From the organic lines and gritty textures that make up fresh, homemade, and local looks to the swashy, painterly strokes that could make up a badass ad, hand-lettering is a great way to personify your client’s brand by using hand-lettered type that speaks for itself.”

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20 FROM 1996–now

Years of Olympics Typography

By Allen Haley, with additional contributions by Kelsey CampbellDollaghan, and James Cartwright

feature

T

he logo design of the modern Olympics

have been striking, sometimes iconic, and always a representation of the design ethic of the time. Powerful and in some cases controversial, designs often become symbolic of a time and place in history, playing a colossal part in the task of marketing of the games around the globe. With technological advancements in typography as the world moves digital, these visual representations have evolved, and their role has become a hybrid solution of facilitating seamless communication between the games and its audience (much like a brand would communicate with customers) and creating a lasting legacy for the tournament.

Logos from the early part of the 20th century tended to be designed as if they were a hallmark to be cast or inscribed, and it was not until the 1952 Helsinki games that the first “image and type� design appeared.

This was followed by more traditional designs until the 1964 Tokyo games when modern concepts began to be consistently applied to Olympic branding. The simple red Japanese sun, five Olympic rings and sans serif typeface of the 1964 logo still resonates as an icon of contemporary design.

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The 1996 Atlanta Games logo used symbolism for its branding along with a very unusual typeface. The base of the logo, made of the five Olympic rings and the number 100, resembles a classical Greek column and pays homage to the centennial of the games. The flames of the symbolic torch gradually evolve into a star symbolizing the pursuit of excellence. Color also plays an important role. Gold represents gold medals, while green signifies the olive branches worn by winners in ancient games—in addition to Atlanta’s reputation as the “City of Trees.”

The typeface? The design used in the logo is a nondescript serif design reminiscent of Century Schoolbook. The choice for all sig-

first important hardcopy implementation of

nage and official content copy, however, was

the design.

set in a commercial typeface – one which I believe is somewhat of an odd choice. The designers selected Georgia, a typeface commissioned by Microsoft to address the challenges of on-screen display. Created by Matthew Carter, Georgia is a paragon of design legibility – but was not intended for hardcopy communication. Its use marks the

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While the name “Georgia” probably helped to attract the Olympic committee designers to the typeface, it’s doubtful that they knew the true origins behind the moniker. Carter’s choice was a bit of a jest. He named the typeface after a tabloid headline that was part of the copy he used to set test headlines: “Alien heads found in Georgia.”

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The 2000 Sydney Games logo is comprised of a brush-drawn figure, also known as the Millennium Athlete. “Sydney 2000” is written in a harmonizing brush script and the five Olympic rings. The figure is made from symbols and colors emblematic to Australia.

Boomerangs and suggestions of the sun, together with the colors of the ocean and the red of the desert evoke a landscape unique to that continent.

Designed in 1997, by Mauricio Reyes, ITC Binary is a soft, semi-serif typeface. While the typography for the logo is hand lettering, the typeface ITC Binary was chosen by the Sydney Olympic committee to be the official 2000 Olympic font. Designed in 1997, by Mauricio Reyes, ITC Binary is a soft, semiserif typeface that complements the overall design. At the time the logo was unveiled, Reyes said, “Perhaps the greatest honor to me as a designer is to see ITC Binary used as the Olympic font.”

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The 2004 Athens Games logo contains a drawing of an olive branch wreath, “ATHENS 2004” in a hand-drawn epigraphic typeface design, and the five Olympic rings.

The wreath, or kotinos, is a reference to the ancient Olympic Games, where it was the official award of Olympic champions. As in the branding for the previous Summer Olympic Games, the typography for the logo is hand lettering and a commercial typeface was chosen for all the signage and textual content.Gill Sans, drawn by Eric Gill in 1928, was the official typeface for the Athens Games.

The Olympic committee’s selection of Gill Sans was influenced partly by ancient stonecut inscriptions, abundant in Greece. “The shapes of these letterforms, particularly the capital letters, are akin to those of Gill Sans,” said Theodora Mantzari of the 2004 Olympic committee. In addition to being a lettering artist, Gill also considered himself a stone carver. “He was active in many different fields, from wood-engraving to sculpture, but

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he always proclaimed this love of one of his earliest skills, letter-cutting in stone, which he continued to practice throughout his life,” wrote James Mosley, a visiting professor at the University of Reading in the UK, in his introduction to Athens 2004 Olympic Games: The Typeface.

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The 2008 Beijing Games logo continued the tradition of incorporating an image, the name of the games in hand lettering, and five Olympic rings. The image is a stylized person running, or embracing triumph. This figure is intended to represent the Olympic motto of “Citius, Altius, Fortius” or “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” It is also based on the Chinese character “jing” which means capital in Chinese and is the second word of the Beijing’s name. The emblem and the figure within were drawn to look like a Chinese seal.

Red, because of its importance to Chinese culture, is the predominate color in the logo.

The typeface used for the English copy is an italic sans serif that resembles Font Bureau’s Agenda Medium Italic.

The tagline to the Beijing Games is “one world one dream,” which is set in both Chinese and English.

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The 2012 London Games logo is, perhaps, the most controversial design in the 116-year history of the modern games. Developed by the branding firm Wolff Olins, the logo has been reviled by graphic designers, bloggers, design critics – and the general public. In the International Herald Tribune, Alice Rawsthorn observed that “it looks like the graphic equivalent of what we Brits scathingly call – ‘dad dancing’– namely a middle-aged man who tries so hard to be cool on the dance floor that he fails.”

Developed by the branding firm Wolff Olins, the logo has been reviled by graphic designers, bloggers, design critics – and the general public

ness to the design, however, it is not intended for informational elements. It is meant to create awareness, impact and memorability as a headline typeface.

The custom typeface, named “2012 Headline,” is an odd combination of characters vaguely looking like a melding of Greek stone carving and graffiti lettering. All letters are angular and slanted – with no curved strokes, save the cap and lowercase ‘O’ – which are also upright in design. (Perhaps these are intended

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2012 Headline is combined with Futura (a much more legible typeface design) for textual content. In addition to triggering controversy, the custom typeface for the 2012 London Games certainly carries on the tradition of designs that are striking and powerful.

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The Rio 2016 Games logo is, according to

paper and writing by hand, resulting in a truly

the Organizing Committee, based on four con-

unique and beautiful typeface, with empha-

cepts: contagious energy, harmonious diver-

sis on heavy contrast between thick and thin

sity, exuberant nature, and Olympic spirit. The

strokes. The upper case “T” is supposedly

logo represents three figures, in the yellow,

based on the famous “Christ the Redeemer”

green, and blue of the Brazilian flag, joined

statue overlooking the city. Similarly, all 5,448

at the arms and in a triple embrace, with

characters of the organic brush script are

the overall shape reflecting that of Sugarloaf

said to literally be based on a characteristic

Mountain. According to former IOC President

of the Rio’s athletes, its people and, the city;

Jacques Rogge, the logo captures the vision

however this might just be a post-production

of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil for these Games.

The logo also echoes Henri Matisse’s painting Dance.

The Rio 2016 logo was designed by Tatil Design, a Brazilian company after a they won a design competition for the logo involving 139 agencies.

The Rio 2016 typeface is custom made by the international type foundry Dalton Maag. The design process was done by putting brush to

3 Blogs You Should Follow Creative Bloq Creative Bloq has postings on everything from web design to illustration.

The typography section has a featured “Font of the Day” and articles on everything from how to make a font to font pairings. Whether you’re looking for some inspiration or a tutorial, look no further because Creative Bloq has it all. creation that puts an unnecessary justification to the typeface. The Organizing Committee explains “[t]he letters are written in single continuous strokes, with fast and fluid motions, suggest-

creativebloq.com/tag/typography

Web Designer Depot Web Designer Depot has great posts on everything web. The typography sec-

ing the movements of the athletes in action.” It

tion of this blog focuses on typefaces

complements the vibrant Tatil logo very nicely;

for web or mobile apps. There are some

however it remains to be seen how well Maag’s

great posts to check out. Another perk

typeface works in real life applications such as signage, informational pamphlets and promotional material.

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of the website is their freebies. It is a definite must-see blog. webdesignerdepot.com

How Design How Design has some great articles on typography news and graphic design news. The blog has much more than just type and design. There are sections on photography, illustration, and even inspiration. If you’re experiencing creative block, check this blog out! howdesign.com

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free fonts that don’t suck

League abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789 !@#$%^&*()

League Gothic is a revival of an old classic, and one of our favorite typefaces, Alternate Gothic #1. It was originally designed by Morris Fuller Benton for the American Type Founders Company in 1903.

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text in

Tattoos “These initials are a way to honor my lineage: my grandfather’s initials, my father’s initials, my initials.

I had hoped it would hurt more than it did. I wanted to understand a fraction of the pain my father had been going through with his chemo before he died.”

editors choice

“This tattoo is how I feel about my many friends who died of AIDS.”

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“My dad brought me up with the right kind of music and great taste . . . ‘I hope I die before I get old’ is a lyric from the Who’s ‘My Generation.’ It was written about Keith Moon, the greatest rock drummer of all time. I play drums, and I have modeled all of my drumming after Keith Moon.

Besides the literal meaning, it also means to stay young at heart.”

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“My whole arm is based on American pit bull terriers as a breed…every quote is linked back to that; I had pit bulls growing up. WW is Walt Whitman.”

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“The quotes I have chosen are from masters of twentieth-century writing in English. I am a reader, these works are out in the world, and they spoke to me such that I went to unusual lengths never to forget them. They articulate how I would be in the world. These words end E. E. Cummings’s i sing of Olaf glad and big; the typeface is Dante.”

“I have had a lifelong obsession with Mr.T. And there is also a secondary meaning, a kind of pun: ‘piti-ful.’”

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“One reason I was attracted to graphic design was typography; I was very interested in Kanji. I also have a strong connection to Basel. These typefaces are favorites of mine (Franklin Gothic No. 2 and Univers 65). Next I am planning on a tattoo of Clarendon.�

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free fonts that don’t suck

majesti abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789 !@#$%^&*()

Majesti Banner is the first release in a new family that will also include a text and display version in the future. Its high contrast letterforms, ball terminals, and variety of OT features make it a highly suitable typeface for large point settings.

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5

T

5 monthly update

Top

in

TYPE

JESSICAHISCHE

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jessicahische.is

grew up in Pennsylvania, raised by two

I

Brooklyn to work for her. After two and a half

non-creatives that decided it would be OK to

years of very little sleep and a lot of lettering,

let their little girl pursue a seemingly imprac-

freelance work began overwhelming my life

tical career. I ended up attending a wonderful

and my desire to do side projects became too

art school thanks to an amazing high school

much to bear. I ventured out on my own and

teacher and an admissions counselor that

embarked on a little project that would end up

took a chance on my under-developed port-

changing my career and earning me the moni-

folio. Though I fell in love with every artis-

ker “That Drop Cap Girl”.

tic discipline Freshman and Sophomore year, I declared as a Graphic Design major when I found myself procrastiworking on painting projects to work on posters and identities. I annoyed the heck out of my fellow classmates, doing way more work than assignments generally called for, but it all paid off in the end and most of them have since forgiven me for ruin-

I’ve been on my own as a letterer, illustrator, type designer, and relentless procrastiworker since 2009 and have worked for (and continue to work for) a lot of wonderful clients like Wes Anderson and Penguin Books. I’ve shared studios with amazing people including the folks over at Studiomates and of course my beloved

ing the curve.

Pencil Factory, where I continue to spend time

In 2006, I graduated and landed a job as

(not evenly enough) between Brooklyn and

a freelance designer for a little studio in

San Francisco—the place I now call home and

Philadelphia where I helped design fancy books

where I’ve set up a collaborative studio and

and re-affirmed my passion for illustration

workshop space with my brother from another

and image-making. By winter, unsure if they

mother, Erik Marinovich. When I’m not manip-

wanted to take on another full-time employee,

ulating beziers or working on fun projects, you

my hours were cut and I put together an illus-

can find me at the airport en route to a speak-

tration promo to get freelance work. That

ing engagement. I love what I do for a living

promo ended up landing me an illustration rep

and try as hard as I can to help others find a

and a job for one of my heroes; I migrated to

way to do what they love.

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DANATANAMACHI

Dana Tanamachi is a lettering art-

a Young Creative to Watch by HOW

ist and designer who enjoys living

Magazine, she has had the distinct

a quiet life and working with her

honor of creating custom cover art

hands. In 2009, an impromptu chalk

for O, HOW, and TIME Magazines.

installation for a Brooklyn house-

Dana’s first of three exclusive prod-

warming party landed Dana her first

uct collections with Target hit stores

commission for Google and set the

nationwide in 2013 and her book DIY

popular chalk-lettering trend—and

Type (Potter Style) was released in

her career—in motion. After work-

2014. In 2015 she relocated from

ing under design icon Louise Fili,

Brooklyn to Seattle and debuted

she opened Tanamachi Studio, a

Tanamachi Goods, a line of beau-

boutique design studio specializing

tifully hand-drawn print and gift

in custom typography and illustra-

products reflecting her personal aes-

tion for editorial, lifestyle, food, and

thetic and featuring mediums beyond

fashion brands. She has been com-

chalk.

missioned globally by clients such as

tanamachistudio.com

Nike, USPS, Penguin Books, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and West Elm. Named a Young Gun (YG9) by the Art Director’s Club in 2011 and

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A regular public speaker (Adobe Creative Max, Los Angeles; TEDx, Philadelphia; OFFF Festival, Paris; AIGA, New York and many others), his work has also been shown, awarded and documented in countless books, magazines and exhibitions in cities such as London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and more.

Now in its second edition and published in January of 2012, his first book ‘Popular Lies About Graphic Design’ immediately became an Amazon best seller. It has since been translated into German, Spanish and Chinese. wordsarepictures.co.uk

CRAIGWARD Craig Ward is a British born designer and art director currently based in New York.

Occasional artist, sometime author and contributor to several industry journals, he is known primarily for his pioneering typographic works. This website represents a selection of his output since his graduation in 2003.

His awards, amongst other agency credits, include ADC Young Gun (2008), recipient of the Type Directors Club Certificate of Typographic Excellence (2009, 2014) and the Communication Arts Award of Excellence (2014, 2015).

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TOBIASSAUL

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Tobias Saul, born in 1990, is a lettering artist and graphic designer from D端sseldorf, Germany. From an early age, he dealt with graffiti and illustration, which made it easy for him to develop a feeling for letters and layouts.

During his study of communication design, he got inspired by other hand lettering artists and quickly developed a great passion for this special symbiosis of lettering and illustration. His major fields include logo, branding and packaging design. Just like in old times, all of his works begin with pen and paper and get digitalized later to put the finishing touches. tobiassaul.de

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ALEXTROCHUT

Alex Trochut was born in 1981 in

design, illustration and typography for a

Barcelona, Spain. After completing his

diverse range of clients: Nike, Adidas, The

studies at Elisava Escola Superior de

Rolling Stones, Katy Perry, BBC, Coca-

Disseny, Alex established his own design

Cola, Pepsi, The Guardian, The New York

studio in Barcelona before relocating to

Times, Time Magazine and many others.

New York City. Through his design, illus-

Alex’s work has been internationally rec-

tration and typographic practice he has

ognized, appearing in in exhibitions and

developed an intuitive way of working that

publications worldwide. He has given talks

has resulted in his expressive visual style.

and been honored by the Art Directors Club––including being named a 2008

For Alex, typography functions on two

Young Gun––the Type Directors Club, and

hierarchical levels. First, there is the

the Creative Review, among others. His

image of the word we see; reading comes

monograph, More Is More, explores his

secondary. As a designer, Alex focuses

working methodologies and influences and

on the potential of language as a visual

was published in 2011.

medium, pushing language to its limits so that seeing and reading become the same

Alex currently lives and works in Brooklyn.

action and text and image become one

alextrochut.com

unified expression.

Mixing styles and genres and drawing equally from pop culture, street culture, fashion and music, Alex has created

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5

top

instagrams @jackdzn Jackson Alves is a type designer and teacher based in south Brazil.

Showing off his calligraphy and lettering skills, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better Instagram account

@thedailytype

for such examples. We’ve been drooling over his

This self-styled biggest

creations all afternoon and we think you will too.

Instagram collection of typography pictures

@typographyinsired

appears to live up to its

Arguably one of the

name, with a pleasing

most popular typogra-

variety of typography on

phy Instagram accounts,

show, covering everything from hand lettering

Typography Inspiration is

and typographical illustrations through to print

the perfect burst of illus-

design and those type-laden motivational post-

trated fonts for just about

ers that everyone loves. If you want a couple of

every style. Already

pieces of quality type to turn up in your stream

amassing over 23,000 followers, Typography

every day, you’ve come to the right place.

Inspiration is clearly doing something right. Join in on the font fun and you won’t regret it.

@jessicahische The queen of typography,

@bestdressedsigns

Jessica Hische creatives

If hand-painted typography is your bag,

beautiful fonts for a wide

you’ll instantly want to follow Boston-based

range of clients. The

Instagrammers Best

account offers up some

Dressed Signs. Rustling

sneak previews as well as

up a range of colourful

finished pieces. If you’re

and creative signage,

interested in seeing more from Jessica - namely

the typography on offer

cats, leggings, scrummy food and the occasional

is absolutely delicious.

baby, then you’d better get following.

Throw in a couple of cats and you know you’re doing the internet right.

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free fonts that don’t suck

chunk abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789

Chunk is an ultra-bold slab serif typeface that is reminiscent of old American Western woodcuts, broadsides, and newspaper headlines. Used mainly for display, the fat block lettering is unreserved yet refined for contemporary use.

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business

The

REVIVAL

of hand-painted signs

In America, small businesses are increasingly relying on visual artists to convey that their products aren’t mainstream or mass-produced.

by Ester Bloom

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ven in an age of emoji, when people revel

E

Sincich of J&S Signs. He and his partner Josh

in communicating online using a shared

Stover, both originally from Florida, now run

set of colorful icons, it makes sense that there

their business out of Portland, Oregon. “There’s

are still those who are able to eke out a living

a boom right now. Hand-painted is popular,”

painting signs for businesses by hand. What

he says. A hand-painted sign suggests that a

is more surprising is that many people do—

store has a personality, that its products aren’t

all over the country, from Utah to New York.

Indeed, an art form that seemed moribund as big-box stores and chain restaurants multiplied is relevant again, and lucrative. And although much has changed about the enterprise itself, the essentials remain largely the same.

“People want [their small businesses] to be individual, to stand out,” explains Jeffrey

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mainstream or mass-produced.

Appropriately, the pricing structure for signs can be as variable as the signs themselves.

Some artists charge by the project and others by the hour, and one sign can cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars. An industry pricing guide helps set and maintain baseline standards.

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“There’s a boom right now…

Hand painted is popular.”

—Jeffrey Sincich, J&S Signs

Most small businesses turn to local artists,

Some chains have adopted the practice, too,

since work often has to be done on-site and

because it can make them seem folksy and

sending large or delicate items through the

independent. The grocery store Trader Joe’s

mail can be dicey. Still, “there are tons of com-

has, despite nearly $10 billion in annual reve-

munities that could support this,” says the

nue in the U.S. alone, maintained its decidedly

visual artist Stephen Smolinski, who is encour-

non-corporate vibe in part by putting up hand-

aged by the success he and his compatriots

painted signs in its stores. Ashton Ludden,

have found in Goshen, Indiana, and who is

a visual artist, works for the Trader Joe’s in

segueing from making signs part-time to full-

Knoxville full-time, illustrating everything from

time. “Lots of creatives starting businesses

whimsical murals on the walls to descriptions

look to other creatives,” he says.

of dry goods on the shelves. “Some stores

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have a team of six artists,” Ludden says. “We

basketball courts can be done by artists by

have one and a half—me and another girl.”

hand. But much of an average sign painter’s

Though she doesn’t own anything she makes,

livelihood comes from smaller clients, like

she is proud of her contribution: “It’s a neat

local movie theaters, ad agencies, and restau-

experience to be anonymous. Even the cus-

rants. Shelby Rodeffer, who is originally from

tomers don’t know.”

Nashville, Tennessee, but now works full-time

Making signs for Trader Joe’s works well for Ludden, as it gives her a steady income and health care. And, when Ludden’s workday ends, she is free to focus on independent projects. “When you clock out, you’re done,” she says. “Work does not travel home.”

Other sizable entities employ sign painters,

in Chicago, says the country’s renewed enthusiasm for unique, hand-painted signs is based primarily on young consumers’ Etsy-type enthusiasm for distinctiveness and character and has flourished via social media. Indeed, the sign-painters I spoke to credited Instagram with helping them build their personal brand.

too, from Hollywood, which often requires

But, Rodeffer acknowledges, not everyone is

a specific look for its period movie sets, to

thrilled: The old guard, which saw their craft go

the theme park Dollywood, which has hired

into its deep decline in the ‘80s and ‘90s when

artists to help maintain its old-timey aes-

digitally produced signage went mainstream,

thetic for three decades now. Disney retains a

feels both shut out and resentful. “They’ve

team of sign painters to set the tone of some

been burned by our new generation,” she says.

attractions in its amusement parks. Even the

There’s a feeling that today’s upstarts are

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insufficiently respectful of the ways things used to be done.

“Forty years ago, you couldn’t be a renegade. The field required lots of tutelage,” Josh Stover says. “We’re all just picking up our tools and going for it.” He recalls that when he approached a member of the old guard to ask if he had any advice about joining the profession, the man said, “Yeah: Don’t do it.”

Apprenticeships do seem rarer and less necessary these days. And only one school in the country still focuses on teaching the craft—Los Angeles Trade Technical College, which offers a two-year associate’s degree in Sign Graphics. “I considered it, but I was already getting work,” says the artist BT Livermore of Minnesota and now Portland. Other sign painters hadn’t heard of the school’s program at all. Most of them have Bachelor’s degrees as well as Master’s or MFAs, so they wondered why they should take out more loans when they can simply prove themselves through their output and still get enough clients to make a living.

That ability, to make a living doing something they love, has made this generation of sign-makers optimistic. Sincich and Stover say that, based on current conditions, they “don’t see how they wouldn’t be able to make a living.” Rodeffer has found that she can charge $250 for a workshop and fill the room. Livermore,

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who also teaches workshops in the basics of lettering by hand, is confident that as long as there is capitalism, “there will always be a market for signage.” Rodeffer concurs, citing a saying popular in the field: “A business with no sign is the sign of no business.”

✌

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free fonts that don’t suck

mission abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789 !@#$%^&*( ) Mission Gothic is a relic; a ghost from an era where letters were hand-painted on wood and glass. Made up of five weights and two styles, Mission Gothic is one of the most expansive type families available from Lost Type Co-op.

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Designed by Dylan Stefanisko With the help of Univers, Caslon ITC, and Verdana. ✌

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Spring 2016

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