I'd describe myself as industrious, optimistic and tired, my work as 'harder working typography'. You know exactly what I specialise in, my inspiration comes from anywhere you see type doing something it wasn't meant to: peeling painted signs, torn posters, badly printed newspapers, street markings, environmental typography etc etc. I worked at, in order, CMW, Elvis, MCBD, CHI & Partners and now Grey in New York. In terms of advice, do one thing well and eventually someone will take notice and you can never do too much self promotion - as long as the work is worth it. I made a lot of work straight out of uni but my work sucked so no-one paid any attention. I didn't send out another email or mailer for 3 years. My work is used primarily in publishing and advertising and the only quote I live by is 'Moderation is great in moderation'.
Are you a serif or a sans-serif kinda girl?
Hard to say, I think generally sans-serif. Everything I draw starts as sans-serif and then I decide later if I want to make it have serifs.
What fonts do you like?
I have short love affairs with certain fonts, most of them coming out of H&FJ. I had a torrid affair with Archer a few months back. I can’t stop using Gotham on everything I make (for the tiny type that isn’t worth hand-lettering). I also love Coquette, though it can be a little funky. The numbers are GREAT. Bulmer is a great text type which has an AWESOME italic. Neutraface’s italic is really good too.
When do you know that you’ve “made it” in the typography world?
I don’t know when you can say you’ve “made it” in design/type, but I think the ultimate goal is to be able to say “I pay my bills by making pretty things”.
Why do you think people get so passionate about fonts and typography?
I think people generally love language, words, phrases, and quotes so to see a great word illustrated appropriately typographically can be beautiful. Illustrated type is a very accessible kind of art. People with no background in art or design can look at a really beautifully drawn word and appreciate it and you don’t have to be on some higher cerebral plane to get the meaning of it. I think designers get passionate about fonts because to be an “expert” in font use and recognition makes them feel as though they are “expert” designers. But like anything, just because you have the knowledge doesn’t mean you can apply it perfectly in every context. In my opinion, the really great designers are ones who have a good working knowledge of fonts (but maybe aren’t a walking font encyclopedia), and are really just good at using what they know appropriately for each project.
Describe your design in one sentence.
“Jessica Hische’s work combines equal parts design, typography, illustration, brown sugar, and heavy cream.” (Thanks, Jason from the Heads of State, for that one!)
What is your favorite Letter?
R or K
How has internet exposure helped promote your work?
Internet exposure has helped immensely. I get a ton of emails from clients that have found my work on design blogs or have been passed my site from a friend or co-worker. The only downside to a lot of internet exposure is that you get a ton of requests for work from people that want a logo for $200.
What advice do you have for a young illustrator or graphic designer?
When you’re not doing client work, do a lot of personal work. It takes a lot of practice and exploration to be a great designer, so do it in any way possible. When looking for a day job, decide what is important to you. Jobs at big places or advertising firms tend to pay better but the work is less creative. Jobs at small studios pay less (much less sometimes) but the work can be really creative and rewarding. Plan ahead. think of the kind of work you want to be doing and try to find the most direct path to that.
How do you work? What is your process?
Almost everything I make is made in Adobe Illustrator. All the work is done in Illustrator, even adding textures and whatnot. When I send finals to clients I send tiffs, because the files are usually too complex to hand over as is. For illustration work, I do sketches first which are REALLY rough and mostly to communicate ideas rather than a direct composition interpretation. For type I usually don’t do sketches unless absolutely necessary as most of my experimentation happens on the computer. I don’t use any fancy tricks or even a wacom tablet (I hold a pen like a child holds a crayon (in a tight fist that will only catalyze the carpal tunnel)). I use the pen tool to draw all of my type and don’t use any magic tool to make my curves. I usually work with the grid on at first, starting with a single weight line and then adding thickness or ornament later depending on what I’m trying to achieve. I make general decisions at the beginning to figure out what kind of type I want to draw (a script? slanted or upright? thick or thin? sans serif? retro feeling or more modern feeling?) and then add decoration / ornamentation after the “skeleton” is drawn.
What other designers / illustrators inspire you?
So many its hard to say. I have a major design crush on Marion Bantjes and a brain/concept crush on Christoph Niemann (you should reread the illustrated article he did for Print a few years back (2005? 2006?) on being an illustrator). I have a really talented group of friends that also keep my motivation high. I see work every day on sites like ffffound, the dieline, etc. that makes me seethe with jealousy. Envy can be a big motivator.
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