Jul 20, 2016 | Book Covers, Calligraphy, Recent Posts
Olde skool tools for modern tymes. In my process I use everything, but I have a special place in my heart for these timeless shapers of letters.
Designing a cover for a women’s novel isn’t as easy as it used to be. The line between “romance” and “literature” is getting increasingly blurry, and all of a sudden (with the merciless invention of the Kindle) nobody seems to want to be caught reading something that looks like a romance. So even if a book is about Love, somehow it has to look neutral. Yeah, Love. Whatever. I’ll call you, but maybe not. It’s cool . . . .
This cover for author Emily Giffin was a lengthy process. There is a lot at stake in a cover design for a major author. Even if a book is found online and is never picked up before purchase, the little half-inch avatar on the screen that represents the book has to capture the imagination. Once the book is in someone’s hands the job of the book cover is to support the reader’s belief in the words inside and to create a loyal bond. The book jacket also has to sit around, sometimes for years, when it isn’t being read. While it seems to be languishing idly on coffee tables and night stands it is actually working hard, whispering to anyone who walks into the room, come over here, sit down, fall in love with the world between these covers. It has to have presence.
I started out this cover design by testing scripts that could express different flavors of modern love. Casual, sophisticated, breezy, or nostalgic (just a little) for the days of holding hands.
New direction came in to go a bit retro, and “ornamental/but not.” Very tricky to get these particular words to lock up decoratively, and still read quickly at one-half inch on a small smartphone, the ultimate test these days. This one was drawn with pens and curves and then I laid in color and charcoal.
Another meeting, a new direction: let butterflies say romance and dial the letterforms back to a classic hand-drawn typography. (I did not do the butterflies or other illustrative elements, and it was decided early on to keep the author’s name in a font.)
On the other hand . . . maybe hand drawn is where we want to be, but looser. Pen calligraphy with watercolor, letting mistakes happen and not trying to control the process very much.
I refined and clarified the script design, returning to a typographically drawn style, and the charcoal texture I created was further distressed and integrated into the whole. The finished cover is very spare and open. When I see this book in a field of covers that rely for impact on color photography it stands out for its feeling of light and optimism, as well as the simplicity of the elements. This is an unusual combination of modern and retro styling, and it could only have emerged out of the process of a lot of back and forth and human collaboration. (#designbyhumans #notatemplate )
To see more of my book cover design and lettering check out my full portfolio here.
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Jul 18, 2016 | Brush Calligraphy, Calligraphy, Recent Posts
Calligraphy brush logo with watercolor by Iskra Design
I am having a month of orange. Stay tuned for more of this color, which I can’t get enough of! Here is a fun interpretation of a logo I usually show in black and white. I have revisited it in watercolor, creating a background that suggests a lively dinner party with a slightly ’50’s vibe. The original logotype calligraphy was done with an edged brush, pointed brush and gouache on rough paper, combined with a set font.
Jan 13, 2016 | Calligraphy, Handwriting Design, New Work, Recent Posts
Last year I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful photographer on a new identity for her business. “Simply Ania” already had a pretty fine site and look, but Ania wanted something even better, more customized, that would express her personality and the quality of her work. Ania specializes in portraiture of babies, and after seeing her portfolio I couldn’t wait to see what we could create for her.
After reviewing her inspiration file and gathering styles from my site we established a general parameter. I would focus on her name, “simply” would remain set in type, and I would explore a range of directions, from informal to elegant, blending femininity and strength.
Above, the final choice, as it appears on the Simply Ania website. One of the unique challenges of this project was the very shortness of the name involved. Also, repeated letters. It can take many tests and variations to balance out repeated letters so they look different in a way that looks intentional. An upper case A would have given more variation to the logo, but the choice of lowercase adds approachability. When a logo is signature based there is always a key question to ask: is the main goal of the logo to amplify the identity and image of the business so that it becomes aspirational by association? Or is it to open a door and create a relationship with prospective clients? When I work on celebrity logos we usually take an aspirational approach and put the focus on expressing the celebrity brand. In a service business, particularly one where relationship is as important as it is in portrait photography, a quieter approach can be more appropriate. It is a subtle difference, and is one of the elements I love working with in creating custom logo design. You can see more examples of custom calligraphy logos in my handwriting portfolios.
Jan 7, 2016 | Book Covers, Brush Calligraphy, Calligraphy
This book cover titling project was recently finalized and I am very happy with how it turned out. The reversed brush lettering really sparkles in reverse, and I like the way the drybrush texture complements the starry sky.
You can see more of my custom typography and hand lettering for book covers here.
Dec 21, 2015 | Brush Calligraphy, Calligraphy, New Work
Solstice brush calligraphy and original photocollage © Iskra Design
This time of year I always look backwards to July, at the same time I am looking forward to July. The light in the poppies, the scalding heat, the pond and the little breeze in the afternoon. Meanwhile, it could be snowing. And that is the magic of the Solstice. A place in between, to reflect and resonate in time, without, for a moment, going anywhere but now.
Designer, calligrapher, lettering artist. 