Alphabet Road Trip | the blog of Iskra Design

Category: Expressive Lettering

Brush Lettering: Expressive Styles

Brush Lettering: Contemporary Style Collection

Brush lettering for identity, campaigns, and social commentary

This collection of brush lettering shows a wide range of styles, all made with the brush. I use many different papers to achieve the different effects. These examples are a mix of projects done for clients and ongoing studio work. I am always looking for new ways to use lettering to express voice and contemporary culture.

 

Beautiful brush script portfolio by Iskra Design

Brush script by Iskra, "Blue Sky"

"Seductively French" brush script logo design by Iskra

Brush Script hashtags and twitter

"Take Back the Night" brush lettering by IskraSocial Media brush lettering and social commentary My-Life-My-Phone-Brush-Lettering

Brush lettering for packaging and food identityBrush Script design for packagingFresstyle brush calligraphy "Big Brother"

 

Brush lettering concept for a book cover"Help, Heal, Hope" brush script by Iskra

Brush Lettering: Design Through Gesture

The brush is one of the best tools for creating expressive lettering. The softness of the brush makes it feel like an extension of the hand, flowing, organic, and natural. Synthetic brushes or other brushes with a stiff fiber can be used for controlled forms that look almost drawn, like “Loveables” above. I almost always start a project with the brush, as a way of thinking. Then if the work needs to be refined or vectorized with very crisp edges or particular adjustments for style or legibility, I am at least working from something that started with life-force, connected to intuition.

When I design a logo in a contemporary brush style I go back and forth between pencil sketches, napkin doodles, and direct work with the brush. Direct work is based in calligraphy, the act of designing with gesture in the moment. Instead of planning and designing each mark I trust in the motion of the brush to find interesting patterns of shape and space.

Other portfolios in the Calligraphy and Expressive Lettering Collections mix brush technique in with other styles. This set gives you a good idea of what pure brush lettering looks like, so if you are trying to find a look for a project you can visualize it and give a name to what you have in mind.

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Expressive Lettering Collection Introduction

Expressive Lettering Collection: Introduction

A collection of expressive lettering and calligraphy projects showcasing a wide range of styles

Expressive lettering collection introductionexpressive lettering collection  overview of stylesexpressive lettering and calligraphy overviewLucky Life watercolor calligraphy

There are infinite ways to express emotion and character through lettering. This collection is an overview showing expressive lettering commissioned for packaging, corporate identity, museum exhibit and event logos. I may create the letters with brushes, pens, eye droppers, or any number of mark-making tools depending on the mood and feeling the word expresses. I let the meaning of the words determine style, so that each project is unique.

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Lettering and Calligraphy for Packaging

Lettering and Calligraphy for Packaging

Casual scripts and hand drawn typography for food and beverage packaging design

Custom Lettering, calligraphy and hand drawn type for packagingScript lettering for packaging designHand lettered type for packaging identityTypical samples of product logo hand letteringCustom lettering design for packaging logosHand lettered logos for packaginglettering for packaging collection

 

This collection of custom lettering focuses on food and beverage packaging. Usually a product logo goes through many explorations and variations of style. I work in a lot of different styles so I am often commissioned for a complete discovery process, brought in to the project early to develop ideas for presentation. I can do hand lettered typographic solutions or casual expressive scripts and everything in between, to reflect different product niches. This collection includes final logos as well as exploratory concepts, which are often as complete and interesting as the final art.

All artwork © Iskra Design

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The UnFacebook Like Project

The Un-Facebook Like Project

A free download of stickers that let you like (or love) 18 different ways

The Like Stickers -- A downloadable pdf with stickers that allow you to "like" things in many ways

This project was launched as a Valentine, but you can express your affections 12 months a year. Get your free download of UnFacebook “like” stickers here.

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Asian Style Calligraphy in Advertising and Design

Asian Style Calligraphy in Advertising & Design

Asian-influenced modern calligraphy for advertising campaigns and book coversAsian brushwork in a logo design for a soft drinkAsian brush style logos for packaging and book coversMy brush calligraphy is influenced by many years of studying and practicing Asian calligraphy. I use mostly Japanese sumi brushes and ink. The texture of the papers I use adds unique character to the strokes. I also use some of the same techniques with pens, twisting and turning them to give a similar feeling to the characters but with a crisper edge. Sometimes a project brief requires that the work “look Asian” which is tricky because when styling a Roman alphabet with a sumi brush it is easy to make something that looks “Oriental” in a cheesy way, with the kind of retro typographic colonialism popular in the ’40’s and ’50’s. I try to steer away from that whenever possible.  Where Madmen meets Zen one hopes to create work in good taste. Projects here include a fashion line for Harley Davidson, branding for restaurants, icons for Neiman Marcus and title design for books. The practice of this kind of work requires stillness and extreme focus. It is both spontaneous and completely controlled. When I have a commission for brush work I turn off the internet, put on hypnotic groove music or Indian raga and dive into another world.Empty mind zen calligraphy

 

 

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