Just My Type

Ouch, sorry for that terrible title pun - it will become evident when you read on - I just couldn't help myself.

I know I promised a second post yesterday, but well, I just didn't make it. I'm still sorting our house out after the painters finished. There is a fine layer of sanding dust that seems to keep reappearing over everything no matter how often I have wiped things down, swept, mopped, and cleaned. And I'm still moving things back to where they were and finding new homes for other things. You know when you move house and you unpack all the boxes and you leave the difficult ones to last? The ones that contain stuff that is really just bits and pieces, but it's stuff that you still want. Sort of. But you don't know where to put it. Stuff that you can't be bothered to sort out and make a decision about. Well that's the bit we're up to.

And I'm trying to fill orders from my website, get an email/newsletter with some special offers to my mailing list completed and sent, get my new Vintage Storybook Tiles up on the site, meet my graphic design deadlines, do the school run... oh, the list goes on. And on. We all live busy lives, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about. So blogging wasn't one of the things I got to tick off my list yesterday.

On to today's post. It's all about beautifully and imaginatively crafted type (hence the title with the bad pun), and it started with the link to Jessica Hische that Anke sent me. Anke was right in thinking that I'd love the retro vibe of Jessica's hand drawn type and illustration.


These were a series of covers for the Boston Globe "G" magazine. The beautiful colours, images and all the different type styles Jessica created are so magical and fitting for each concept.



Here's what Jessica says about the Shopping in Marrakech cover above:
A book cover I just completed at Louise Fili Ltd for our client The Little Bookroom. This project was so fun! First, I hand lettered the alphabet and designed the cover in illustrator. Next, I traced it onto fabric and hand stitched everything. This is what the actual piece looks like, no photoshop!
Amazing. Such lovely detail and execution.

Jessica's website has lots of beautiful examples of her illustration, here. And see her work in progress on her aptly named blog, I Love Type.

Another superbly talented typographer and illustrator with a distinctive style is Linzie Hunter. You're probably familiar with her spam project. Such a fun idea.

The colours Linzie has used in the first image below just make me swoon. I really admire people who have such a wonderful colour sense. It's evident in all Linzie's work.


Linzie's website has a wonderful section with pages from her sketchbook (one example above) - it's really worth checking out.



One last example of inspiring typography is this oil painting by Marion Bantjes for Spanish publication The Creator Studio. The theme was rituals around the full moon and Marion chose to illustrate the word 'spell'. You can see the 'incantation' and 'curse', the others in the series, here.


And although this isn't type, I just had to show you these breathtaking illustrations of snowflakes that Marion did for Saks Fith Avenue 2008 Christmas season. A quote from Marion's website about creating these incredible and unique snowflakes:
I drew some like feathers, like antlers, with little people, one made all of houses, some like sparkly lights, a hairy one, a few like ribbons, some were complex and three dimensional, others simple and flat …

Oh. My. Goodness.
.