Title Page and Spine Lettering for Lang Fairy Tales, The Folio Society

Even if you’re not a fairy tale fanatic as I am, who could fail to be inspired by these beautifully written stories by renowned folk tale writer and collector, Andrew Lang.

Gloriously illustrated by Caitlin Hackett and Kate Baylay, these luxuriant, boxed tomes, the Olive and Lilac Fairy Books, published by The Folio Society, are reminiscent of the old, linen-bound Edwardian books in my collection from childhood. With this in mind, I took Edwardian type as my inspiration and drew up the letters by hand, fitting them line by line within the illustrative borders of the title pages.

You can see more work I've done for both children's and adults books in the publishing folder on my portfolio site.

Katie Piper Author Lettering

I was asked to work on Katie Piper's author lettering by Quercus Publishing. She's well known here in the UK as an inspiration to many, due to her positive outlook and sheer determination to survive a brutal rape and acid attack that left her with deep physical and emotional scars. Things Get Better is a book written to support those who have suffered trauma, drawing on her own experiences and the letters of other survivors.

The aim was to keep the style fresh, dynamic and approachable to reflect the writer's strength and compassion - I was delighted when is was decided to use it on her next book, Start Your Day With Katie.

To see more of my book lettering click onto my word>publishing folder on my online portfolio.

The Testament of Jessie Lamb

This recently hand lettered title for Edinburgh publishing house, Canongate Books, works with the evocative image to give the cover an intimate, confessional feel.

To see more of my publishing work click on the word>publishing folder in my online portfolio.

The Olive Farm Series by Carol Drinkwater

Lately I've been working with Orion Publishing on a series of titles for Carol Drinkwater's books, the Olive Farm series. I was delighted to learn that Lara Harwood, one of my favourite illustrators would be working on the project. Lara's beautiful, lyrical watercolours are combined with my soft, linear lettering for a warm Mediterranean feel. I look forward to working on the next title in the series.

You can see more of my title lettering in my publishing folder on my online portfolio site.

Jennifer Weiner Titles

I was asked to work on some hand lettered titles for talented designer/illustrator Lizzie Gardiner at Simon & Schuster Publishing. The lettering had to compliment Lizzie's stylish illustrations for an eye catching series of covers for Jennifer Weiner's latest novels. You may have seen the film of her book, In Her Shoes with Cameron Diaz.

The soft brush curves and playful flourishes give the lettering feminine appeal while still being bold and legible enough to stand out on the shelf. There's more in the set - so watch out for them in your local bookstore ...

You can see more of my publishing work in my word>publishing folder on my portfolio website.

Celebrity Books

I enjoy working for the publishing industry and that work can take various forms; titles for covers, part headings for inside the book, quotes for the back cover as well as author logos that work across a range of books.

Genres can vary but recently I've noticed I've been working on quite a few celebrity books. I think the reason why hand lettering works so well with this type of cover is because it often features a photograph of the author. A simple hand lettered title dropped over the photography can soften the design and give it a human touch.This is particularly true of autobiographies when the personal feel of lettering can remind us that we're reading the celebrity's own thoughts.

To see more of my book cover work click through to my publishing folder on my site.

Tasmina Perry - a new book a new look

I do a lot of work for the publishing industry and as an avid reader it's work I always enjoy. I'm often asked to hand letter logos for new authors for use across their future book covers or alternatively for more established writers to refresh their image or repackage their backlist.

Recently Headline Publishing asked me to take another look at Tasmina Perry's name. I'd worked on the logo previously for Harper Collins and they wanted something different to launch her latest book. I worked on a range of options focussing on a fresh, spontaneous feel with a touch of sophistication that would appeal to her readers. The lettering also had to be strong enough to stand alone on the cover as the designer wanted it to be a prominent feature of the over all design.

I don't know about you but it makes me look forward to my Summer holiday!