As a Graphic Designer, I believe it is my job to make people aware of an existing product or to promote a new one. My main interest lies within promoting brand identities, and retail graphics focussing on type as image. The designers that I have interviewed for this book all have an interest in hand crafting type in someway. This books purpose is to show how and why they work this way and how anyone can become successful at it.
(ABOVE) Chicken Tonight advert Sarah Coleman
What I think... “The beauty of handcrafted type, is that the material used to create it adds even more to the message and communicates it so much more successfully. Sarah Coleman has used the same style of type throughout the pieces of work I have included, yet the media, texture and colour she uses to create the type just gives it that extra quality.�
(ABOVE) Clarks shoes posters Sarah Coleman
(LEFT) Skinny Cow Hot Chocolate
In what context do you see your work is it a product or a piece of art? Since graduation from London’s Royal College of Art, Andy Smith has worked for many worldwide clients in advertising, print, publishing and animation. His work combines illustration and typography to create images that have humour, energy and optimism. Despite often being created digitally his graphics have the tactile feel of the hand made and hand printed. Andy Smith
“I try to do work just for myself, books, posters etc. that I guess is more a piece of art compared to illustrations done for clients. One of the things i like about illustration, is that it can be quite throwaway. Its often something thats seen and then forgotten. With the little books I produce, I try to make them feel like things you might read and then just put down and forget about, they are more about the ideas and the process of making them than an object thats to be ‘treasured’.”
What I think... “Andy incoporates his personality and sense of humour brilliantly in his type design. Every piece of text has its own personality and sense of character within it, this pushes the type to work more as an image causing us to read it differently.”
(Right) NOW magazine Front Cover Design
Andy Smith
“I think you need to get something of yourself in your work or it will just be bland and uninteresting. Its the bit that gives it life.”
What techniques do you use to create your work? I draw in pen and then scan it and compile the pictures in photoshop. I draw everything by hand. I think that images created on the computer can look quite cold and mechanical. Its the hand drawn feel that gives my work its livelinessl. I like the way when you draw by hand you might make a mistake etc and i try to bring this into the final artwork possible. Andy Smith
I like the spontaneity of doodles and want to try and keep that feel in my final illustration. Some of my work especially the type is quite structured and has less of a line drawing /doodled feel but I like the contrast between the two elements. I use mechanical dots to create tone which have a digital feel but i rough them up and distort them so that they do not appear too clean and smooth.
(Right) CNRS magazine Inside layout
“Making images with just type seems to have more scope for experimentation, theres somethings more restrictive with using just image� (Left) cover design 2009
Andy Smith
What I think... Nick Radfords is an inspiration to me, with the way he uses the aspects of images to create the character of a typeface. For instance the type in the image to the right, has been created to communicate the emotion of love, this has been produced by creating the type to be in the shape of a heart, so the message is communicated most successfully.
Nick Radford
(Right) ‘tummies to mummies booklet’
Would you say your work involves part of your identity? “I think it’s important to remain true to yourself stylistically without compromising too much within a brief or for a client, so yes my identity plays a big part in my work.”
(Left) ‘tummies to mummies booklet on what not to eat’
Nick Radford
What I think... Hand drawn type is an expressive way of communicating a message through the word, by giving the word itself a character. So when movement is applied to hand drawn type it is has even greater success at putting across its message. Geoff’s work for ‘where the wild things are’ shows this method working well.
(Right) ‘Where the wild tthings are’ Film Titiles
Nick Radford
How do you use text and fonts within your work? I love recombining words and forming slogans...turning language into graphics. But I never only use text. Always a combination of text and image and there should be no pauze between text and image, the text should almost function as subtitles. I try to super simplify text and make it seem found, so it looks like you’ve seen it before. So it’s not my voice.
Nick Radford
(Right) ‘Where the wild tthings are’ Film Titiles
“With new projects I go with my instinct. Like a really graphic project where i can deliver well and I still have a lot of fun doing this.�
Nick Radford
What I think... “Yulia Brodskaya has taken the handcrafted type technique to new a level by mixing it with the old fashioned paper quilling, she has shone a new light, not only onto how we designers create typography but how we read it aswell.�
(Above) Personal work Yulia Brodskaya
(Above) New Look Design Yulia Brodskaya
Yulia Brodskaya
(Above) New Look Design Yulia Brodskaya
“Digital images are not as fascintating to me, as handmade ones are�
Yulia Brodskaya
(Left) Students Owen Gildersleeve
Owen Gildersleeve
“Generally I’d class my own work as a product, which i produce for a client” (Left) Personal work Owen Gildersleeve
Owen Gildersleeve
“Sarah Coleman aka ‘inkymole’ is a creative all rounder, working full time in illustration and typography. Based in a small town in the midlands.”
(Right) Hand Cream porster Sarag Coleman
Sarah Coleman
In what context do you see your work? “Nibs and ink are my thing. I draw on paper and ink-heavy, wordsoaked imagery is my trademark. Though I creep into fashion and beauty, the worlds of advertising, fiction, packaging and music are where my work seems to fit most snugly. If ‘snug’ is the right word.”
(Right) Hand Cream porster Sarag Coleman
Sarah Coleman
What I think.... Handcrafed type can work successfully as an image, for instance with the following piece, if Sarah had created the type using a generic everyday font, this bed cover wouldn’t be as successful at projecting the words meaning. It’s the beauty of the type that draws you in and helps define it.
Sarah Coleman
(Right) Duvet cover Sarah Coleman
How do you work, How did you get into Graphics/ What is your Illustration? process? “Being a busy illustrator trying to couple heavyweight clients AND a conscience is difficult, and an ongoing daily dialogue is required to negotiate my way through the dilemmas presented by some of the creative opportunities that come my way.”
“I arrived at a full-time career in illustration and typography via extra time served in the bizarre and magical worlds of pirate radio, lecturing, youth work, theatre and local newspapers.”
(Right) Cheese Packaging Sarag Coleman
Sarah Coleman
What I think... “Logo’s are a neccessity and every business, product, designer etc. needs one. Using a hand rendered logo adds an edge of personality to the name other than using a generic font, it is purposely created for that business and wont be found anywhere else. This is exactly what Jessica Hische has done to with this logo for Prosecco ”
(Right) Logo for Prosecco Jessica Hische
Jessica Hische
(Above) Logo for Coseville Restaurant Jessica Hische
Jessica Hische
How has your work evolved since you were a student? “My type has got immensely better. Type is a skill that you can only improve on with a lot of practice. Drawing it day in and day out for three years has had a massive impact.�
(Right) Menu for Coseville Restaurant Jessica Hische
Jessica Hische
How do you work, What is your process? “All the work is done in Illustrator, even adding textures. For type I usually don’t do sketches unless absolutely necessary as most of my experimentation happens on the computer. I don’t use any fancy tricks or even a wacom tablet I hold a pen like a child holds a crayon in a tight fist that will only catalyze the carpal tunnel. I use the pen tool to draw all of my type and don’t use any magic tool to make my curves.” Jessica Hische
What is it you want to communicate with your style of working? “i like to try and communicate something that has not been communicated too many times. Like many others, i want to communicate something different. I like to communicate a very strong style and a strong personality of the client because i can be very client orientated.� Annabelle Fiset
(Left) Toast Leaflet Annabelle Fiset
(Above) Toast Business Card Annabelle Fiset
Annabelle Fiset
Andy Smith
Nick Radford
Annabelle Fiset
Owen Gildersleeve
Geoff Mcfetridge
Sarah Coleman
Jessica Hische
Yulia Brodskaya
andy@asmithillustration.com www.asmithillustration.com
annabellefi@gmail.com www.annabellefiset.com
geoff@championdontstop.com www.championdontstop.com
hello@jessica.hishe.com www.jessicahische.com
Bibliography
nick@frootful.co.uk www.frootful.co.uk
owen@eveningtweed.com www.owengildersleeve.com
sarah@inkymole.com www.inkymole.com
yulia@artyulia.com www.artyulia.com