• Type Illustration: Transform Your Inspiration

    Type Illustration: Transform Your Inspiration

    How to transform your reference images into graphics for your next type illustration project Type illustration has existed for centuries: woodcut initials are some of the earliest examples, which can be found in medieval books and old bibles. Some are so detailed that they are like small stand-alone works of art. Combining type and illustration is a powerful tool that can captivate our attention and convey a message. It can transform the meaning of a word because not only are you reading it, you are seeing it. “As soon as you start to illustrate a word, you give it some special kind of feeling,” says Birgit Palma (@birgitpalma), a Barcelona-based artist specializing in illustration and lettering. “You can make the word stronger, but you can also destroy the word, depending on the type of illustration you use.” Illustrated type can send subliminal messages that convey an impactful meaning.

  • Creating a Digital Pen for Lettering Projects

    Creating a Digital Pen for Lettering Projects

    Sindy Ethel explains how to create a digital pen to work on Photoshop as you would with regular pens Using an ordinary Photoshop brush for your lettering projects can be the right tool to create neon, monoline, or other effects with few variations in the stroke. However, Sindy Ethel (@sindyethel) explains how to create a digital pen for lettering projects on Adobe Photoshop, that much more suitable for those occasions when we are looking for a more organic and similar effect to the one we could achieve with drawing and writing tools such as fountain pens or bird feathers.

  • Brush Pen Tutorial: Basic Strokes of the Letters

    Brush Pen Tutorial: Basic Strokes of the Letters

    Learn the basics of how to handle a brush and gain confidence and fluidity using a brush pen, with Bego Viñuela Nearly everyone who was taught to write as a child had to do exercises to improve the fluidity of their handwriting. Practicing strokes, curves, ovals, waves... the shapes that build the letters that allow us to express our ideas and feelings, recording an infinite amount of stories. Italic calligraphy goes one step further in the art of handwriting. Characterized by elegant and decorative lines, refined curves, and a lot of expressiveness, it is more than a means to convey a message: it is the message itself. Calligrapher Bego Viñuela (@caligrafiabilbao) is an expert in this technique, and here she teaches us the basics of how to handle a brush and create beautiful letters full of strength and visual impact. "There are traits that are shared among the letters. If we work on them a little more and put emphasis on perfecting them, then the letters will be stronger," says Viñuela. Find out below:

  • What Is The Brush Pen?

    What Is The Brush Pen?

    Many calligraphers and lettering artists consider the brush pen their favorite tool. Today, we will explain to you what it is and how to choose one Used primarily in calligraphy, the brush pen is a favorite tool for those who work with letters. What is a brush pen, you say? It is a marker with a synthetic fiber tip that imitates a brush. This allows the artist to obtain different stroke thicknesses in a single movement, varying the pressure exerted on the paper and/or the inclination.

  • What Is Calligraphy and What Is Lettering?

    What Is Calligraphy and What Is Lettering?

    Discover what these two handwriting techniques are and what sets them apart with TECK24 Confusing calligraphy with lettering is a common mistake: both techniques build unique and personalized letters; require a specific knowledge; and, to some extent, share tools and artists that make both. But calligraphy and lettering are not the same. In the following video, TECK24 (@teck24horas), graffiti artist and expert in the world of letters, explains the basics that will help us differentiate between calligraphy and lettering, two techniques that may look similar but are actually quite different. Discover the video below:

  • Calligraphy Tutorial: Basic Brush Pen Strokes

    Calligraphy Tutorial: Basic Brush Pen Strokes

    Learn the basic strokes of brush pen calligraphy with Ana Hernandez The brush pen, with its ability to create organic calligraphies, has become one of the most used tools by some of the most remarkable artists in calligraphy. Although mastering a brush pen requires time, there is no doubt that it is one of the most amenable techniques for those who are just beginning to create letters. In the following video tutorial, graphic designer and specialist in calligraphy and lettering Ana Hernández (@ana_hera) shares a few basic brush pen strokes to get you started in the art of calligraphy. Discover more below:

  • A Brief History of Italic Calligraphy

    A Brief History of Italic Calligraphy

    Ivan Castro tells us about the origin of Italics, the historic handwriting that inspires his brush calligraphy Ivan Castro (@ivancastro) has had a passion for letters since he was a child. Calligraphy and lettering have become his profession, which he practices from his studio in Barcelona, working for clients all over the world with his characteristic style that draws from both classic and modern fonts. His work requires a lot of practice but also an arduous research process. For Ivan Castro, knowing the origin of writing styles, the tools required, and the way they are built, is extremely important. That's why he has shared the fascinating history of Italics with Domestika: Goodbye, Gothic. Hello, Italics At the end of the 15th century, after the invention of Gutenberg's printing press and a growing preference for a more easily read style to Gothic, Italian intellectuals promoted a new model of writing based on ease and speed of execution: Italic or Chancellor's writing began. This hand of continuous strokes, allows words to be written without lifting the pen from the paper. Thanks to its rapid execution, it is completely customizable and adaptable to whatever register one wishes to give it, allowing more expressive letterforms.

  • Elliot Tupac’s Street Art

    Elliot Tupac’s Street Art

    Be inspired by the work and career of this graphic artist and printmaker from Peru Elliot Tupac (@elliottupac) is a Peruvian graphic artist and printmaker who channels his passion for screen printing, calligraphy, and lettering into creating pop art and marketing tools. His style–characterized by spontaneity and color–makes his work stand out; Elliot has redefined both a traditional art form and what it means to be a lettering artist in his native Peru.

  • Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Lettering

    Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Lettering

    These pro tips from Chisko Romo will give new life to your lettering (and get you more likes on Instagram) Chisko Romo (@chisko_romo) is a graphic designer with more than seven years experience as a lettering artist. Throughout his professional career, he has collaborated with brands such as Adidas, Ted Baker, Moleskine, Apple Music and American Eagle, among many other great brands. He enjoys experimenting with shapes and volumes in lettering, interpreting letters as graphic forms that convey feelings, and creating compositions in different styles that he shares on his Instagram. That's why Chisko has given us three simple tips and tricks that will help you edit your photos or add effects in Illustrator, to turn your compositions into pieces worth showing the world with pride. Here are Chisko’s tips for lettering that will pop: 1. Remove unsightly edges Chisko makes physical letters using engraving and laser cutting techniques, so the final pieces often have burn marks, especially on the edges. To show a perfect piece, without marks or stains, the designer uses the Smudge tool on Photoshop that simulates the effect achieved by passing a finger through fresh paint.

  • Domestika Diary: Nubikini

    Domestika Diary: Nubikini

    The lettering artist Nubia Navarro, better known as Nubikini, explains her routine to fight creative block without leaving home Going from working in an agency surrounded by people to managing all your artistic projects from home can be a challenge, even for a creative who is used to managing her freelance commissions alone. Venezuelan graphic designer and lettering artist Nubikini shows us how she lives day to day in this situation, both professionally and creatively, from her studio in Bogotá. She also shares her tips to fight the creative block that can affect us all if we do not exercise our mind during confinement. Find out below:

  • Tips for illustrating your own lettering

    Tips for illustrating your own lettering

    Sindy Ethel shows you techniques to illustrate letters by hand Combining lettering and illustration will help you create unique and eye-catching designs. Bringing these disciplines together will also allow you to experiment with different analog and digital techniques to obtain results that will surprise you. Below, designer Sindy Ethel shows you some simple tricks to familiarize yourself with letter shapes and get you started drawing your own:

  • What is Chalk Lettering and Why is it So Effective?

    What is Chalk Lettering and Why is it So Effective?

    Find out what chalk lettering is and why this vintage style is blowing up once again While it might bring up memories of bad math classes or, for members of Generation Z, movies about bad math classes, chalk lettering is a world away from stuffy classrooms and equations. The intricate discipline has experienced a renaissance in recent years as brands and businesses look to the visual appeal it offers to present their work. Chalk lettering is a discipline of the people. It’s cheap, accessible, and we’ve all done it: everyone remembers scrawling something in chalk as a kid, onto a pavement or in a classroom, getting chalk dust under their nails as they blend their masterpiece or erase a mistake.

  • Lettering Tutorial: The Basics of Beginning with a Brush

    Lettering Tutorial: The Basics of Beginning with a Brush

    Learn the basics of how to begin hand lettering with James Lewis Hand lettering only continues to grow more popular, and not just as a hobby. Beyond the satisfying time-lapses that are a favorite on social media, more companies are also using hand lettered designs to roll out logos and marketing campaigns. While the effortless elegance of hand lettering is what makes it so visually appealing, it’s also what can make it intimidating to those just starting out. In this tutorial, professional lettering artist James Lewis (@jamesllewis) shares the basics of how to begin with a brush, from how to prepare your materials, to how to position your hands, to even how to correct small mistakes. By practicing these techniques and brush strokes, you’ll be able to learn the basic shapes you’ll need to tackle any lettering project.

  • Top 10: Typefaces from TV Series

    Top 10: Typefaces from TV Series

    Appreciate ten of the best fonts from series throughout TV history We often remember a television series for its shocking scenes or endearing characters. Their theme tunes can take us back to the first time we saw them. Here we have compiled ten of our favorite fonts that accompany that helped define these shows. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) A classic series that laid the foundation for fantasy, science fiction, thriller, and horror television. The unmistakable logo invoked a sense of anguish and mystery, of course, accompanied by Marius Constant's musical score. Fonts: Bernhard Mod., Venus

  • Typography Tutorial: Tips for Choosing the Perfect Font

    Typography Tutorial: Tips for Choosing the Perfect Font

    Discover the keys to choosing the most suitable typography for your editorial project with Violeta Hernández Choosing the ideal typography for a project is, for many, the most complicated aspect of editorial design. There is no one perfect typography that can do everything, or universal rules that limit the options available to us, which can make our work very complicated. That's why Violeta Hernández (@soyvioleta), graphic designer, artist, and illustrator, has given us a series of tips to help make this important decision and choose a typography that fits and contributes to our projects. Learn these keys in the following tutorial:

  • The Amazing Letters of James Lewis

    The Amazing Letters of James Lewis

    This British artist’s lettering projects certainly stand out, literally and figuratively If you are interested in typography and lettering, it is very likely that you have stumbled upon some of James Lewis' videos on Instagram or TikTok. This British artist has become one of the most viral lettering artists on social media thanks to his amazingly precise and totally hand-drawn 3D characters. Learn more about his work watching his Domestika Live chat. James (@jamesllewis) makes a live logo painting and also discusses the impact that working from home can have on creativity.

  • Letterform Archive: 1000 Years of Typography Online In Ultra-high Quality

    Letterform Archive: 1000 Years of Typography Online In Ultra-high Quality

    Let the Letterform Archive’s ultra-high quality digital collection inspire your typography Letterform Archive was founded by Rob Saunders, a letter arts collector who wanted to share his collection with the public. They have been a reference for over 10,000 visitors in the last five years, but visiting their diverse collection of typographies, calligraphies, artworks, and texts has become impossible in quarantine. However, whether it’s a loose page from a Qur’an from 1150 or every copy of the boundary-breaking design magazine, Emigre, they’ve gone to extraordinary measures to bring the artwork to you.

  • 10 Typefaces From Movies

    10 Typefaces From Movies

    Discover typefaces used in movie posters, promotional materials, and title sequences If you’re a fan of typography, you’re sure to love seeing it on the big screen. From being featured in trailers to staring back at us on movie posters, typography captivates our attention and plays a key role in convincing us that we want to see a film. Here we have put together a list of 10 movies that feature outstanding examples of typography. We share the names of the designers and agencies who worked on them, as well as which fonts they used. It’s important to point out that in some cases the typefaces were slightly modified. Vertigo (1958) The legendary designer Saul Bass created the titles for this spectacular film from Alfred Hitchcock. Just like in many of his other creations, the credits are a fine example of creating a perfect harmony between the typeface and footage, which only a genius like Bass can achieve. These credits laid the foundations for a new school of movie title design. The spiral sequence was created by John Whitney, a pioneer of computer animation, under the direction of Bass. Main Typefaces: Claredom and News Gothic.

  • Basic Script Lettering Tools and Stationery

    Basic Script Lettering Tools and Stationery

    Discover the markers, pencils, and papers that will open up the world of calligraphy When starting out in lettering, it’s essential to learn the basics, like the difference between calligraphy, lettering and typography; the foundations of cursive letters; and the toolkit to practice and achieve fluency and dynamism in your script. That’s why Ximena Jiménez (@jimenezlettering)–a graphic designer specialized in drawing letters of all kinds, shapes, and formats–has shown us how to put together this toolkit so you can begin to paint and draw your own letters.

  • 5 Typographic Portrait Artists That Will Inspire You

    5 Typographic Portrait Artists That Will Inspire You

    These illustrators play with words and typefaces to create unique and powerful images We know a picture can be worth more than a thousand words. It can also be made of dozens of them. Typographic portraiture is a booming genre in the world of illustration that combines the beauty of lettering with a powerful illustration to create a striking image, often loaded with meaning. These five designers have elevated typographic portraiture into an art. Each of them employs a distinct style but with equally surprising results. Sarah King (@sarahkingart) Inspired by the animal world, science, surf, and snow, Sarah King's illustrations overflow with expressiveness and motivational words. This English artist, now based in Canada, has collaborated with large publications and companies such as the Washington Post, Oprah magazine or the New York Times.

  • What is the Color Font Trend?

    What is the Color Font Trend?

    We speak to Alex Trochut about one of the most interesting typography trends right now: color font Alex Trochut (@trochut), works in graphic design, typography, and illustration. He takes language further with innovative letter designs. In a journey of discovery, through fun and amazement, Trochut worked out that words and designs must be legible but can also transmit meaning visually in a less conventional way. We decided he was best qualified to explain what a color font is. Learn more about this new colorful typographic concept, and the impact it can have on digital design.

  • Download a Free Escher-inspired Typeface, by Manolo Guerrero

    Download a Free Escher-inspired Typeface, by Manolo Guerrero

    The Mexican designer has created a typeface from the alphabet he designed for 36 Days of Type and he’s sharing it for free 36 Days of Type–the challenge that invites graphic creators from around the world to design an alphabet, making one letter a day for over a month and publishing it on their Instagram profiles–is an incredible opportunity to get inspired and see how others approach the same brief in a completely different way, adapting it to their own styles and skills. It’s also the perfect breeding ground for projects like this typeface by Manolo Guerrero (@bluetypo), the Mexican graphic designer who heads Blue Typo who has shared it completely free for anyone who wants to use it. It’s a completely experimental typeface with which Guerrero wanted to play with perspective, creating a design reminiscent of Escher’s most interesting work.

  • Calligraphy Tutorial: How to Care for Your Tools

    Calligraphy Tutorial: How to Care for Your Tools

    Learn the techniques to clean, dry, and keep your calligraphy tools in great condition with Bego Viñuela When we finish our work, the last thing we might want to do is clean our tools. However, while our work dries, we have to clean and take care of our them. Calligrapher Bego Viñuela shares how to maintain our brushes, brush pens and watercolor palettes so they last longer.

  • Marion Bisserier: A Fresh Look at Typography

    Marion Bisserier: A Fresh Look at Typography

    Get to know this young designer and her contemporary approach to type design Marion Bisserier is a French designer, raised in Amsterdam and currently based in London. She recently graduated (with honors) with a BA in Graphic and Media Design from the London College of Communication. She is passionate about type and its potential to visually convey meaning beyond language. She also enjoys writing on typography and graphic design. We talked to her to discover more about her successful type Good Girl, her work experience in important design studios, creative process and practical advice for anyone interested in type design.

  • What is Molecular Typography?

    What is Molecular Typography?

    An unexpected perspective on letters as living beings Molecular typography is the study of letters from a radically new perspective. In molecular typography, letters are considered molecules and have certain physical and chemical properties. All characters are formed from seven basic atomic blocks called typtoms. When these are combined, letters, numbers, and punctuation are formed, just as in chemistry different simple elements can form complex molecules.

  • Calligraphy Tutorial: how to make a calamus pen

    Calligraphy Tutorial: how to make a calamus pen

    Learn, step by step, how to make this old calligraphy tool, with Joaquín Seguí You may never have heard of calamos, but the truth is that they are one of the oldest handwriting tools in existence. In essence, a calamus is a hollow reed, cut obliquely at one end, which is used for writing thanks to its ability to accumulate ink and allow us to draw on the sheet. Its usefulness in calligraphic writing forms such as the uncial is key, as it allows us to generate compact but organic shapes on the sheet, and also using a callus will allow us to let our hand free if we want to get started in calligraphy. So, if you want to know how to build your own homemade calligraphy callus using just a handful of cheap materials, don't miss the following video tutorial by graphic designer specialized in calligraphy Joaquín Seguí (@joaquinsegui):