I was recently asked to design a poster for one of our core values. As I love poster design and typography, I jumped at the chance. One of my most favorite designer/illustrators (aka “designistrator) that I stalk on a regular basis is Jessica Hische.
She is very accomplished at her young age, but is best known for her hand-drawn typography such as her Daily Drop Cap where she illustrated a letter a day, completing 12 uniquely custom alphabets.
What I love most about her work other than the custom nature of the type itself is her extreme attention to detail. Every nook and cranny of her designs have just the right touch of flair.
I knew right away the piece of inspiration for my assigned core value (we put all 5 in a hat and drew at random). Our only direction from our project management leaders was to keep our design pretty monochromatic while utilizing the redpepper red. This is the piece of inspiration I based my design from.
Notice how the design and supporting graphic elements are not too overwhelming. The type is the hero and the graphic elements add just the right amount of support for the overall design. This is what I wished to accomplish with my poster design and keep the same vintage feel that this book cover displays. It definitely didn’t hurt that the color scheme was extremely similar as well.
This is an area I wish to continually push myself - the details. I’m sure for Ms. Hische, the details happen concurrently with the design. As for my process, historically I layout the type first and then focus on the details. My future growth goal is to think of them as one whole and not one before the other. After all, if we aren’t changing, we’re dying.
