I have long admired Jessica Hische's beautiful lettering, and the moment AIGA KC announced she would be speaking I immediately bought a ticket. Here are a few quick takeaways from her talk, I can't wait to read her new book In Progress, which I was lucky enough to get signed! Thanks, AIGA, for bringing such a wonderful speaker to KC.
- Jessica talked about how she was most motivated when she could picture someone using/enjoying the end result of the project.
- She has found that it's best to do the heavy lifting of a project through sketching (more work in analog=less work in vector).
- Her process order includes researching, brainstorming, thumbnail sketches, real sketches, and vector drawing, and she has found that a consistent process matters a lot.
- She recommended visiting the Letterform Archive in SF
- Something I found really relatable was when she talked about how it is necessary to start to vary the skeleton of your letterforms in order to create more unique lettering. I have seen in my own work that I have often changed the "dress" of the lettering, rather that starting with a different and unique skeleton. This is something I hope to continue to develop in my future lettering work.
- In her final remarks she listed some practical (life) tips, which included a remark about how designers are like indoor cats. Of course I couldn't resist including that in my notes. But seriously, I truly appreciated her humor and willingness to be open about how she works and also how she interacts with clients. Thanks again, Jessica and AIGA KC!