The art of handlettering is one of the more striking and elegant forms of type design. Requiring a keen sense of style and control, it’s popular for its versatility and elegance, allowing artists to imprint their own unique style through each stroke. With a practiced hand, designers create visual interest in letters. Characters can be augmented through traditional and newer techniques like sketching, laser cutting, and digital software.
Designers new to handlettering can experiment with different objects to see what tools evoke the right expression. A mastery of many tools (and not just the normal ones) help pro typographers employ unique lettering designs.
In this video typographic designer Yomar Augusto shows the various examples of shape and contrast made using different handlettering tools. Tools like the pen, point brush, and unconventional items like a toothbrush and pair of chopsticks show the different “reactions” in line thickness, shade, and texture.
This video comes from the free online course Custom Handlettering. Learn more by enrolling in the course, active now.
Custom Handlettering
School of Visual Arts