Design organic type

Decorative, hand-made illustration can really enhance your lettering and bring a quirky sense of individuality to your work. One of my most popular styles, for example, is created with a specific type of nib, ink and bleach.

However, working by hand can have some major disadvantages: it can be fiddly or messy, the piece must be done in one take, and it's difficult to alter when clients want changes. This project walks you through how to recreate a similar look digitally, allowing you to make changes throughout the process. Crucially it also gives you speed of turnaround, which is particularly important when you're working to a tight deadline.

I've used hand-drawn lettering in the following steps, and concentrated on preserving the integrity and beauty of the autographic line, even when it's turned into a vector - an important issue for any lettering artist. I then use this type to digitally create an organic, watery, textured piece that looks every bit as though it's been dried to a crisp in the sun.

Click here to download the support files (10.8MB)

Click here to download the tutorial for free