Design: Type

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cing

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ection.

Embracing imperfection:

Jay Roeder.

In light of the freeform nature of hand

lettering, I’ll try to keep my thoughts

organic and free as that would only be fair,

given the subject matter. Why do I like

hand-drawn typography? What inspires

me? Why do I think hand lettering is

important when used in the right

situations? I guess I’ve never really

thought about the answers to these

questions. Art school always seemed

to focus on establishing excellence in

traditional computer-based typography.

Maybe the reason that I enjoy hand-drawn

lettering so much is because it is

uncharted territory, where the rules

pertaining to traditional typography can

be broken. As different as hand lettering

appears to be at times, a foundation in

typography is an absolute necessity—

but you already knew that.

I have always been an avid fan of hand

lettering primarily because it adds a

human side to an otherwise

computer-dominated era of typography.

Computer fonts can sometimes have

limitations, whereas the free-form “break

all the rules” aesthetic of hand-drawn

typography can provide a useful solution

for the right project. For instance, it’s not

too often that you can switch typefaces in

the middle of a thought without it looking

completely out of place; whereas, hand

lettering is defined by “malpractices” such

as these. Don’t get me wrong, I love

computers and their seemingly infinite

well of fonts that obviously play a huge

role in any designer’s workflow, but it is

important to understand when to use

them and for what kinds of projects.

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Embr

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Before computers, the craft of hand

lettering was much more widespread.

The arrival of postscript fonts and desktop

computing caused it drop out of favor to a

degree and hand lettering was the last

thing anyone was interested in, but it is

currently experiencing a popular revival.

This new hand-lettering revolution could

be a result of the dust settling on the

excitement that grew up around the

technological era and all things digital.

If anything, hand lettering has the ability

to reveal the hand of its creator and at a

minimum, convey a sense of gestural

human craft. Although working by hand

can be extremely time inefficient, the

finished product always has a unique

quality that stands on its own.

I love describing my style as embraced

imperfection. Being a perfectionist, it was

not until I learned how to accept the

crooked lines, misaligned type, and

illegibility that my lettering took on

character and interest. As odd as it seems,

these imperfections can have just as

much craft as perfection. If you look at any

great hand-lettering artist’s work, you will

see these “errors” are not accidents at all.

I have always felt that my lettering projects

and daily drawings reflect the world and

its many inspirations from my own

perspective. There isn’t a day that goes by

where I don’t see or hear something that

inspires me, which is why I keep a list of

neverending thoughts and phrases that I

plan to draw— all inspired by my every day

life. I like to think that viewing an artist’s

hand lettering can tell you a lot about him

or her when taking into consideration the

style and content. Since music and art are

a huge part of who I am, my lettering is

primarily a fusion of those two subjects,

which in turn allows me to keep a certain

dedication and passion behind my work.

Then again, the connection between

music and hand lettering is nothing

new—just look at the infinite amount of

band posters, flyers, and shirts out there.

It’s overwhelming and ridiculously

inspiring!

Aside from my own inspirations,

something needs to be said about the

importance of looking at and studying all

of the other art out there, especially those

styles relevant to your own. In retrospect, I

can’t tell you how many artists (many of

whom are featured in this book) have

played an integral role in the evolution

of my own work. Their passion and

dedication is palpable, and that is

contagious.

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Free-form:

Type

Jay Roeder:

USA

Project: T-Shirt & Sneaks.

Art Director: Jay Roeder.

Designer: Jay Roeder.

Jay Roeder:

USA

Project: Lower Case G.

Art Director: Jay Roeder.

Designer: Jay Roeder.

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145

Free-form:

Type

Jay

Roeder:

USA

Alex

Trochut:

Spain

Project: Inspired Since ’84.

Art Director: Jay Roeder.

Designer: Jay Roeder.

Project: Proposal for the

Cadbury’s print campaign.

Art Director: Alex Trochut.