Vibrant Lettering: Find Your Style Through Pop Culture
A course by Rich Tu , Designer and Creative Director
Explore your personality and the pop culture references you identify with to create a unique design that combines hand-lettering with illustration
Widely recognized for his impact on the creative industry, Rich Tu is a highly influential leader across multiple areas of design, bringing his eclectic point of view and powerful aesthetic to a multitude of globally-renowned brands. He has been the vice president of digital design for the MTV Entertainment Group, held a leading graphic design role at Nike, and collaborated with brands like Uniqlo and Mini. As a first generation Filipino-American artist, creative director, and designer, he has established a career that showcases his commitment to expressing personal identity and dedication to raising awareness for inclusion and diversity, as well as his passion for pop culture.
What do you get from this course?
“I’ll walk you through my process of creative discovery, expressive design, and how the convergence of illustration and typography lead to personal vision.”
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 14 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (15)
- 409 students
- 18 lessons (5h 6m)
- 14 additional resources (6 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
By the end of this course, you will have created a bold hand-lettered illustration that showcases your own recognizable aesthetic.
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone looking to elevate themselves as designers, whether you are seeking to find your personal style through illustration and lettering, or you’re an experienced designer looking for valuable guidance.
Requirements and materials
In terms of materials, Rich will be using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, but you are free to use whatever tools you like, even pen and paper.
Reviews
Rich Tu
A course by Rich Tu
Rich is a first generation Filipino-American and award-winning artist residing in Brooklyn, NY. He is a graduate of SVA’s Illustration as Visual Essay program and takes inspiration from his heritage, pop culture, and the energy of New York City. Creatively, his focus is on emerging audiences and energetic brands that benefit from an eclectic and unique point of view.
Rich is the Group Creative Director at Jones Knowles Ritchie in New York City, and is the co-founder of the COLORFUL grant program, helping young BIPOC creatives express themselves. Rich has previously held high-profile roles in large companies like MTV Entertainment Group, and Nike Inc. His clients include Uniqlo, Mini, adidas, Coca-Cola, NorthFace, and The New York Times, among others.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Getting Briefed and Getting to Work
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Expressive Design
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The Brief: A Conversation with the Client
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Finding Inspiration in Pop Culture 1
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Finding Inspiration in Pop Culture 2
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U3
Coming up with an Idea
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Defining the Phrase
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Starting to Sketch 1
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Starting to Sketch 2
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Embellishing and Refining 1
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Embellishing and Refining 2
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Embellishing and Refining 3
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The Power of Color 1
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The Power of Color 2
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The Power of Color 3
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U4
Sharing the Artwork
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A Mock-up for the Presentation 1
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A Mock-up for the Presentation 2
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Taking It to the Next Level
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FP
Final project
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Vibrant Lettering: Find Your Style Through Pop Culture
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate-level creatives who want to advance their skills in brand design, illustration, and portfolio development.
You will need access to Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, a Wacom tablet or similar drawing device, and basic stationery for sketching. Google Slides is also recommended for mood board creation.
You'll learn to develop illustration portfolios, pitch to art directors, design sneaker graphics, create mood boards, master hand lettering, and build impactful brand visuals using both digital and analog techniques.
Yes, the course includes strategies for pitching your portfolio and negotiating project deliverables with art directors and clients.
Absolutely. The course teaches you to build and organize mood boards using pop culture, sports, music, and fashion references as inspiration.
Yes, you'll explore expressive hand lettering workflows, phrase development, and combining digital and analog lettering techniques.
Yes, you’ll learn how to create apparel graphics, including all-over print designs and sneaker graphics, with case studies from brands like Nike.
Great course and instructor. Highly recommended!
Very inspiring and motivating to make you a better artist :)
a great course. simple, clear and rewarding
Es un curso fascinante, Rich Tu te evidencia todo su conocimiento a través de sus anécdotas y excelentes referencias, su forma de expresarse es muy amigable y además te guía de manera eficaz para conseguir los productos finales.
I love this class so much. It helps me a lot in using tools in Photoshop and Illustrator.