Hand Lettering for Can I Speak to Someone in Charge by Emily Clarkson

By Ruth Rowland

Publishing: Pretty Normal Me l Simon & Schuster 

I was delighted to be asked by publishers, Simon & Schuster to work on a the hand lettered book title for popular blogger, Emily Clarkson, founder of Pretty Normal Me: 

‘Pretty Normal Me was founded by Em Clarkson to help women be the happiest versions of themselves.’ 

Her new book, Can I Speak to Someone in Charge, is an expansion of the blog. The casual brush lettered title and side copy make for a fresh, dynamic cover and reflect the subjects she discusses in her pertinent posts.

Over the years I've worked on an interesting range of book covers, you can see more of my hand lettered titles and author logos in the publishing folder on my website.

Digital Dalliances

I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with the latest iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Much as I love my pen and ink, it's been interesting to see just how sensitive pixels can be …

If you're interested in how digital brushes compare to conventional ones, I'll be posting further experiments on my Instagram and FB accounts.

Lettering for Four Four Two Magazine Messi Issue

It was great fun working on the hand lettering for the July issue of FourFourTwo Magazine with guest editor Messi. 

The work extended beyond the double cover to the opening article title lettering and can also be seen throughout the magazine in the form of smaller playful notes and jottings.

Guest edited by celebrated footballer, Messi, the design team at FourFourTwo wanted to give the magazine the personal touch with casual handwritten elements to complement the bold design.

As with all magazine work, the timings were tight so I worked closely with the Deputy Art Editor as the copy evolved and the design was finalised, both to the satisfaction of the design team and Messi’s sponsors, Adidas. It was a fast and furious job but a satisfying one - plus, I know a lot more about Messi than I did at the start of the project!

If you'd like to see more of my lettering and illustration for magazines, head over to the editorial folder on my portfolio site where you'll see an interesting variety of commissions for different publications.

Latest Welcome Campaign at Heathrow Airport

I have to confess I was pretty psyched to see the wonderful Tim Peake standing in front of my lettering at Heathrow … This is one of a series of large format posters for the latest Heathrow Welcome Campaign featuring my hand lettering. 

The posters can be seen looming large across the walls at the airport’s arrivals and departures areas and is one of the jobs that people tend to mention to me most, normally seen when returning from holiday. 

As with the Tim Peake’s poster, real people rather than models were used and a zoo keeper, a town crier, a Red Arrows pilot and even Santa (yes, he’s real!) amongst others, stand alongside the famous astronaut. See the full set of posters on the advertising page on my portfolio site.

I was commissioned by Chaos Design to create different styles of hand lettering to capture the personalities of the featured people as they welcome travellers to London. 

As you can imagine, the Welcome Campaign at Heathrow Airport is always a great project to work on but the added excitement of Tim Peake's inclusion made it an extra special commission.

Isabelle Broom Book Title Lettering plus Brush Lettering Demonstration

Having worked on the title for Isabelle Broom's debut novel published by Penguin Michael Joseph, I was delighted to be asked to work on more of her books.

Loose brush lettering was chosen to work with the atmospheric background imagery of the first novel, My Map of You and we continued in style with flowing lines and textures to draw the reader in. 

If you're an Isabelle Broom fan, there's more to look forward to, as I'm currently working on the next in the series ...

If you'd like to see more of my book cover lettering, click through to the publishing folder on my portfolio website.

Brush Lettering Demo at the SSI Lay Members' Day, London

I was thrilled to be asked to demonstrate and talk about my lettering work in the graphics industry at the celebrated Society of Scribes and Illuminators' Lay Members' Day on Saturday 29th April, 10am to 1pm. As time is short, I've decided to focus on a couple of my ongoing jobs - Country Living Magazine and Heathrow Welcome Campaign. I'll be bringing along samples of these jobs and a selection of my other work to show and discuss, while demonstrating brush pen lettering.

If you're interested in attending or would just like to see what's on, you can see details on the day's events here. Hope to see you there!

New Logo for St Luke's Hospice

I always enjoy working on branding, so when Ledgard Jepson Design contacted me to help out with a new logo for St Luke’s Hospice, Sheffield, I jumped at the chance.

Ledgard Jepson, specialists in branding and well known for their recent rebrand of Birmingham Museums Trust, worked closely with the client to develop a logo that evokes a positive, upbeat message. After much care and consideration, it was decided this was best achieved with a piece of custom lettering, giving St Luke’s Hospice a unique, hand drawn mark that is instantly recognisable. 

Once briefed, I collaborated with the creative team at Ledgard Jepson, providing initial brush drawn options. These were gradually developed and drawn up digitally, while taking care to retain the hand drawn appeal of the script.

The warm colour, soft curves and playful nod at smiles and hearts keep the lettering fresh and friendly, while the bold weight and clean design give it the visual strength to work across a range of applications.

You can see more of my lettering for branding in the logos folder on my portfolio website.

Hand Lettered Pilot Pens Ad Campaign

It was great to be asked to work on this follow up campaign for Pilot Pens.

Each ad was hand written using the featured pen. I had great fun working with the stylish erasable FriXion Clicker, the edgy MR Animal Collection fountain pen and the intriguing and beautifully designed Vanishing Point, with its unusual retractable fountain pen nib. The perfect job for someone who loves pens!

If you’d like to see more of my work for Pilot Pens or advertising in general click through to my website.

Lettering for Van Morrison Duets: Re-working the Catalogue

I was thrilled to be asked to work on musical icon, Van Morrison’s latest album release, Duets: Re-working the Catalogue on RCA Records.

Having steered away from some of his more well-known classics, Van Morrison enlisted the help of some of the artists he most respects to perform and re-craft the songs with him.

This theme of re-working is reflected in the sketchbook feel of the design with pencil lettering, notes and doodles used throughout the CD cover, booklet and disc. Sensitively designed by Michela Comisso, I was asked to reference Van Morrison’s own notebooks and handwriting for style, complimenting the soft hues and textured papers of Michela’s beautifully conceived packaging.

If you’d like to see more of my album cover work check out the music folder on my portfolio website or follow my day-to-day posts from the studio on my new Facebook Page.

Smartphone Satellite Lettering for Wired Magazine

It was great to work with stylish Wired Magazine again on this fascinating article about satellite technology, the story of how DIY team, Planet Labs, 'used smartphone tech and energy bars to take on national governments …’

This textural marker pen lettering adds a casual touch to the vibrant imagery and clean typography throughout the article. Its informal ‘notepad’ layout, arrows and underscores reflecting the hands on approach of Planet Labs as they launch satellites, using off-the-shelf smartphone components and in-house production to monitor our real-time world.

If you’d like to see more of my work with Wired Magazine you’ll find it in the editorial folder on my website.