The Professional Photoshop Book - Volume 7 2015

© Alexander Klement

© Martin Schmetzer

© Anastasia Stankevich

© Linzie Hunter

SPRING: Anastasia Stankevich likes “the

idea of using type as an illustration in and of itself and being able to create a

visual message with both the word and the imagery”

Renaissance Raven: “I guess my style is

a fusion of old and new, vintage 1900s-era feel with a full-blown street

graffiti temperament,” says Martin Schmetzer, who did this piece for

Baltimore Magazine

what’s being said, whereas illustration requires a

consistency of style to be applied to different subject

matter, so that the work is recognisably that of the

mercantile-minded illustrator.”

As Andy Hau puts it, “lettering and typography need

to convey a deeper level of meaning that isn’t

expressed in the words. All design needs to have a

story and a concept – it’s what makes the product

interesting, engaging, resonant and ultimately, sincere.”

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and

in effect, the typographer is providing the picture for

those words. Different typefaces, sizes, weights and

so on, all impact on the message and meaning that

the text itself conveys. For Anastasia Stankevich, that

means using “ornamental and decorative typefaces,

something that has concept and detail as it’s close to

what I like to create.” To create the letters for her

piece SPRING, she “used plants, flowers, butterflies

and birds to create and decorate the letters, with

more light and pastel colours to complement the

‘fresh’ spring look. The LOVE illustration called for a

romantic feeling so I combined roses with delicate

evening colours.”

Mood and meaning have to be at the fore of your

mind in advertising work. Brandon Nickerson

explains that, if he’s “creating packaging for a

shaving brand, I’m most likely going to use a clean

legible font (to play off of the clean and crisp look

you have after shaving) that has some sort of

approachable aspect to it (to play off of the fact that

you are putting a razor to your face and throat, so

you don’t want to come off too edgy). What helps is

breaking down whatever it is you are trying to say

and play off of those certain aspects that stick out.”

Nickerson says that your type design is “creating

the visual voice of the brand.” This requires serious

thought, only “don’t think too hard or you’ll

overthink it.”

© Anastasia Stankevich

Graphics & new media

146 The Professional Photoshop Book

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