May 8, 2014 | Handwriting Design
I recently completed a branding project for Le Jun, a new fashion company in Japan. I was originally contacted to do lettering for embroidered labels for the clothing, and then the project expanded to include cards and a positioning line for the website. The style design brief changed many times, which gave me the opportunity to try a lot of different lettering tools. The overall guide was for something “informal” yet with that intangible “something” that makes it special (and very legible to a Japanese audience.) Below is part of the evolution of the style.
The final direction was chosen from these last four samples above: simple, monoline, but done by hand, not vector, for a human touch — as close to artless handwriting as possible. Below are some of the cards. The style of lettering extended to about a dozen labels, where the simple monoline style translated very well to embroidery at a small scale.
A slightly different, more condensed style was used for the
Le Jun website:
It’s great to work with a client who understands the nuances of handwriting. A standard script font can never provide this authenticity of expression. By using custom handwritten script the brand enhances its unique attitude and positioning. See more handwriting for advertising in the
handwriting section of my website.
Apr 20, 2014 | Hand Lettered Quotations & Calligraphy
From the Bard, for Easter, one of my favorite quotes about love.
Brush Calligraphy by Iskra.
Apr 14, 2014 | Hand Lettered Quotations & Calligraphy
Something in a lunar mode, in honor of the eclipse. Two versions, experimenting with media and techniques including rubber stamp, and hand-drawn type in Egyptian and wood-type styles.
Mizuta Masahide’s wonderful quotation about the moon in wild west style, hand drawn typography and watercolor. © Iskra Design
Mar 30, 2014 | Calligraphy
A little celebration of Spring. This flower breaks my heart, especially in the rain. Just cut one stem and put in a shallow bowl, and the entire room changes.
Flowering Quince Calligraphy, on collaged background. © Iskra Johnson
Mar 19, 2014 | Calligraphy
Sometimes a word comes along that has all the right letters: it can do no wrong. Rasputin may not have been a sweet guy, but I sure love his name. In theory I am breaking some rules of letterform design here. The R is supposed to be bold on the downstroke — but I ask myself, what would Rasputin do, and I think he would be confident enough to let momentum carry the day. This week’s new brush calligraphy, experimenting with new brushes in the studio:
Brush calligraphy by Iskra. See more brush calligraphy here.