Handmade Type

I decided that I would use some sort of handmade type within my work as it would give a more softer and crafted effect as opposed to using a digital typeface.

The book, 'Hand Job' from the library includes a whole range of artists and illustrators that have used handmade type within their practices. In particular I was a fan of Kate Bingaman-Burt who used a combination of hand written upper and lower case letters with illustrations created in fineliner. Her aesthetic is simple, charming and friendly (if drawings can be friendly?) working across many different media forms. 

My next three favourite hand-written typefaces are 'Adelaida','Heart and Soul' and Lisa Congdon's handwriting in the book, 'Whatever you are, be a good one'. I admire these in particular because they are delicately constructed and creative at the same time, as opposed to typical scrawly unable to read handwriting that a lot of people have. 

Adelaida is often associated as 'the hipster typeface', as many alternative stores such as Urban Outfitters use this within their products, and it is commonly used within online blogs and other products aimed at a younger audience. Its long and thin structure using upper case is gentle yet assertive and also easy to read, probably why it is so popular.

In contrast, Heart and Soul is particularly classy and in some ways quite feminine with its curled serifs and joined-up style. This too is popular among a young target audience, yet like Adelaida I get the impression that it is a little over-used? Although, it is so pretty, and it also comes with lots of delicate swirly patterns to add to the high decorative standard.

Lisa Congdon's handmade type is similar to Kate Bingaman-Burts in the fact that it is very charming and unique. Congdon uses a number of different original typefaces, some more curly and some more long and straight which shows strong versatility alongside her illustrations.

Experimenting

I had a go at copying out the styles of the different illustrators handmade types to get a feel of how they are constructed and how much accuracy and craft is required.

Despite how visually pleasing these typefaces may be, I thought it would be more original and challenging for me to develop my own hand type style, taking some inspiration from these to create a strong and appealing aesthetic.

Usually my handwriting is a bit too curly and unreadable, but putting more time and craft into each letter has enabled me to produce quite a good handmade typeface which I am happy with, and would be confident to develop and use in my final products. 

Plan of Action

• Find/come up with some quotations to use in the final outcomes
• Practice these in a number of different styles and materials