Ruth Rowland

Snow Queen Trail

2011-12-16T11:44:00.004Z

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Rose Theatre, Kingston has been presenting a range of special performances to celebrate their adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen.

I was asked to create an illustrated map that would show the route of the four story houses, where the events are taking place. Using storytelling and songs, a group of travelling players are performing short adaptations of some of Andersen's fairy tales, creating a magical trail though Kingston's streets.

Click here to see more of my illustrated maps on my portfolio site.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Twiggy - Romantically Yours

2011-11-30T11:34:00.004Z

Having worked on the latest release from Cliff Richard this summer, it was great to be asked to work for another British icon - Twiggy. Released by EMI, Twiggy's brand new album Romantically Yours marks a return to her music career with a collection of her hand-picked favourites.

I was asked to work on the artist's name for the CD cover and started by taking her signature as my original reference. Using a dip ink pen that was sympathetic to the line quality and flow of the signature, I fine tuned the letter forms and opened up the letter spacing to maximise legibility while trying to keep the spontaneity and character of the original.

To see more of my music work - click through to my word>music folder on my portfolio site.

Cliff Richard - Soulicious

2011-10-28T15:26:00.005+01:00

Released by EMI, Soulicious is the latest album from Cliff Richard, a collection of duets featuring some of the most respected names in soul music, including Roberta Flack, Dennis Edwards and Freda Payne.

I was delighted to be asked to produce the album title, using sophisticated thick and thin curves to add a lyrical flow to the letters. The hand drawn lettering was commissioned to give a personal touch to the elegant cover design. More lettering and calligraphic swashes continue the style across the CD packaging.

You can see more of my music work by clicking through to the word>music folder on my portfolio.

We {Heart} Art for Teaching Tolerance Magazine

2011-09-28T15:19:00.005+01:00

This month Teaching Tolerance Magazine features my hand lettered illustration on the opening page of its article, We {Heart} Art. The chalkboard style illustration combines word and image, using the opening copy to outline the affects on American pupils when vital arts programmes are cut.

This was one of several school-related options presented to the art director, who when he saw the chalkboard route, asked me to extend the illustration behind and around the opening paragraph to make a full page illustration, neatly combining the hand drawn lettering and typography.

You can see more of my illustrative work on the images page of my online portfolio.

One from the Archives: Bede's World

2011-08-31T15:44:00.013+01:00

In the Spring I took a driving holiday through the beautiful landscape of Yorkshire and up into the North East of England. It was a nostalgic trip for me as I'd studied as an undergraduate at Newcastle Upon Tyne. While there I decided to take a look around Bede's World, Jarrow, a museum that celebrates the life and achievements of the Venerable Bede, a remarkable Anglo-Saxon monk, famous today as the first historian of the English people.

In 2000 I was commissioned to work on the lettering for the 'The Age of Bede' Exhibition in the new museum building. I'd never seen the lettering in situ, so it was a great thrill to see how well the exhibition had been put together with lettering, murals and models skilfully combined to make an informative and interesting tour through the Anglo-Saxon way of life in Northumbria.

The uncial lettering had to reflect this specific place and time, samples were provided by the museum so that I could fine tune the style to be as authentic to the period as possible. It can be seen throughout the exhibition on walls and panels - I've worked on a wide range of projects over the years but it's always a pleasant surprise to see my work reproduced at a large size and so well integrated into the overall design.

One from the Archives is one in an occasional series I'll be posting about jobs I've worked on over the years. If you have any suggestions of jobs you'd like me to talk about - just drop me a line!

The Olive Farm Series by Carol Drinkwater

2011-07-29T16:47:00.009+01:00

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.

Delta Sky Magazine

2011-06-28T15:43:00.005+01:00

Delta Airways Sky Magazine asked me to produce some hand lettered titles and a map of Paris for their stylish article about contemporary French culture.

This casual, edgy style of lettering was developed using a marker pen and runs throughout the article as subheadings, highlighting the work and opinions of an eclectic mix of influential French celebrities.

The map of Paris has a deliberately simple, casual style, reflecting it's subject - the bohemian Left Bank and the new areas now populated by artistes and academics in the working-class districts of the city's East End.

Paris is one of my favourite city's to walk around, so discovering a new area to explore just gives me another reason to visit. If you'd like to see more of my maps - click through to my image>maps folder on my portfolio site.

Mapping the Dolomites

2011-05-31T11:09:00.007+01:00

I was delighted to be commissioned to illustrate a map for the American Automobile Association, AAA Traveler Magazine.

The article describes a drive through the beautiful Dolomite mountains in Italy. Small spot illustrations mark the main towns along the way and the loose brush lettering was also used throughout the copy as a visual link between word and image.

I've travelled to Italy frequently over the last few years and was delighted to explore an area of it that's new to me - now I just need to visit!

You can see more of my maps on my image>maps folder on my portfolio site.

Jennifer Weiner Titles

2011-04-30T15:22:00.006+01:00

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.

BAA Welcome Campaign At Heathrow Airport

2011-03-23T12:00:00.008Z

I've been working on the lettering for a series of large posters for a BAA Welcome Campaign at Heathrow Airport. The idea is for recognisable London characters to welcome passengers on their arrival - real people rather than models were used - this is a real Guardsman!

So far there have been 11 characters used - you can see the Carnival Queen and Chelsea Pensioner above, followed by the Doorman and the Policeman. I was asked to write the word Welcome in a style to reflect all their different personalities.

These posters can be seen along the Terminal 4 Travelator at Heathrow. So if you're flying into Heathrow this Summer look out for this eye catching series of cheery Londoners! See more posters in my word>advertising folder on my portfolio website.

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T13:41:00.009Z

This design is for a gift card for sale in Europe this Spring. You can see more of my greeting cards in the image>greeting folder on my portfolio site.

Talking Business!

2011-01-31T11:44:00.004Z

Letter Exchange, the society for professionals in the lettering arts, has asked me to talk about my work this Spring. I'll be giving a brief overview of my career to date - concentrating on the fields of music, publishing, packaging, editorial, advertising and corporate design. I've been working as a professional lettering artist for over 20 years and have been commissioned by a wide range of clients. In that time there's been a radical change in the type of technology used which has meant I've changed from being primarily UK based to competing in a global market.

If you'd like to come along, the talk is on Wed 16th Feb at The Artworkers Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT. It starts at 6.30pm and tickets can be bought on the door - members £6, non-members £8 and students £4. I'll be sharing the evening with talented calligrapher Mary Noble who'll also be talking about her work. There will be drinks afterwards if you want to ask any questions or just say hello. If you've never been to the Artworkers Guild, this beautiful building is well worth a visit.

Hope to see you there!

jingle bells ... jingle bells ...

2010-12-24T14:03:00.008Z

Wishing you all a magical Christmas and an inspirational New Year!

Get the festive spirit with Ruta 40!

2010-12-13T15:07:00.007Z

Ruta 40 is a supplier of Argentinean boutique wines, all sourced from small and independent bodegas connected by the legendary road. I was asked by the Ruta 40 team to develop a logo to reflect this exciting new venture.

Ruta 40 is the name of the longest road in Argentina. From La Quiaca in the north to Punta Loyola at the southern Atlantic coast, it crosses every significant wine making region in the country and was the inspiration behind the visual work. My client wanted the logo to capture something of the raw beauty and energy of the landscape combined with their own drive and passion for the wine.

Along with the logo, I was asked to provide a set of imagery that could be used alongside it to unify the brand. The starkly beautiful landscape dictated my approach to the illustrations - rough, grainy pen marks for an earthy, textural quality and erratic, organic line work for the twining vines and mesmerising sun.

You can see more of my packaging work and logos on my website.

Images 35 and LX Talk

2010-11-15T15:18:00.009Z

This month I have two pieces of news.

The first is that I've had two of my Aruba posters accepted into the Association of Illustrators Images 35. I blogged about the campaign in March, you can see it here. I'm delighted the work has been accepted - the ads will be printed in the Images 35 Illustration Annual and the exhibition is in London in September 2011. It's an important year for Images - the AOI will be celebrating its 35th anniversary with an illustration festival centred around the show.

My second piece of news is that I've had the date of my Letter Exchange talk confirmed - the 16th February 2011. Letter Exchange is an association for professionals in the lettering arts, I'll be sharing the evening with talented calligrapher, Mary Noble. I plan to talk about my career as a lettering artist, I'll blog more about the talk in January but if you're in London around that time come along and say hello!

James Blunt Album

2010-10-29T16:35:00.011+01:00

It's been a musical Summer - hot on the heels of the Lennon job, I was asked to work on James Blunt's new album, Some Kind Of Trouble plus his latest single, Stay The Night. The album is due to be released on the 8th November and the single on the 25th October.

The loose brush lettering was created to work with the overall design of the packaging which has an old school, scrapbook feel. The layouts were put together traditionally with sellotape and paper and then photographed, so I felt my lettering needed to be as raw and immediate as possible to work with the designs. The style was also taken through to James Blunt's new website: www.jamesblunt.com

If you'd like to see more of my music work take a look at my word>music folder on my website.

Celebrity Books

2010-09-30T15:49:00.005+01:00

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.

John Lennon's 70th Birthday

2010-08-31T14:24:00.018+01:00

I was thrilled to be asked to work on the John Lennon 'Gimme Some Truth' Campaign to commemorate his 70th birthday, which falls on 9th October.

Overseen by Yoko Ono and EMI Music, the campaign will launch on 4 October (5 October in North America) with the worldwide release of eight digitally remastered studio albums and several newly-compiled titles. 'Double Fantasy', 1980’s GRAMMY Award winner for Album of the Year, will be presented in a new 'Stripped Down' version remixed and produced by Yoko Ono and Jack Douglas, co-producers of the original mix with John Lennon.

I was asked to develop hand drawn lettering to match Lennon's own handwriting which would then be used across the albums. This involved pulling together as many samples of his handwriting as possible so that I could develop the style - research that kept me smiling as his notes were great examples of his dry wit. A reminder of Lennon's art school background, his writing often included playful drawings and sketches. To capture some of this light humour, the logo for the campaign was inspired by the small calligraphic self portraits that often accompanied his signature.

I was born and raised in Liverpool so this project held particular significance for me, it was wonderful to be to be involved. You can see more of my music work in my word>music folder on my site.

Meshminds Interview

2010-07-21T14:41:00.006+01:00

I was recently interviewed about my work by Meshminds.com.

Meshminds is a support network for artists based in Southeast Asia and the UK. If you're interested in reading the interview or would like to know more about the site's aims click here.

One of the images featured is a personal piece inspired by the song Wild Thing by the Troggs. I started my career as a lettering artist in the 1980s working mostly for the music industry. My personal work is usually inspired by either music or literature and I always like to have a project on the go that I work on between commissioned jobs. You can see some of this work in my image>text folder.

If you're a student or would just like to know how I started out - you can read more about it in an article I posted on my blog last year. I've also been asked to present a talk about my work here in London in the Spring - I'll give more details nearer the time!

Tasmina Perry - a new book a new look

2010-06-03T14:35:00.007+01:00

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!

Mapping the World

2010-04-30T11:23:00.007+01:00

Recently I've been asked to illustrate some maps. This is a relatively new area of work for me and something I'm enjoying immensely. Maps allow me to combine my interests in lettering and illustration with my love of travel.

The Wall Street Journal Asia asked me to produce an illustrated map for their latest City Walk article for the colourful city of Mumbai. These maps involve quite a bit of research - luckily I'm helped by the journalists in situ who will answer questions and send images of anything I can't find online - between us we aim to capture the flavour of the city. The article it illustrates describes a walk through the city streets and I'm asked to read through the copy, pulling out any places I'd like to illustrate while highlighting the street names on the route. An image from the map is used on the second page of the article, I chose to develop the Joy Shoes illustration - somewhere I'd definitely like to shop!

The second map was commissioned by Food and Travel Magazine - two of my favourite subjects. This is a much simpler design for their current pull-out magazine on Flanders. I enjoyed playing around with the fresh colours and open textures on this one. It will be printed quite small so it needed to be clear enough to be legible at a small size.

Two maps with very different solutions!

Keeping Warm With Aruba!

2010-03-22T12:27:00.011Z

While it was snowing outside, I was keeping warm by working on a new set of seven posters for the beautiful island of Aruba. With photography by Jonas Kaarlson, the subjects were selected from the inhabitants of this idyllic island and then asked to provide me with samples of their handwriting. Taking these samples as a starting point I developed a style of lettering combined with spot illustrations for each poster that reflects something of their personalities and interests. With such a wide range of characters it was an interesting and challenging job!

If you want to see more of my poster work - take a look at the advertising folder in my online portfolio.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-09T16:41:00.008Z

Valentine's Day falls on February 14th here in the UK and to celebrate I have a card on sale in Waterstones, Selfridges and Harrods. 30 pence from each sale is donated to the Kiss it Better annual Valentine's appeal for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, raising funds for research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.

To see more of my greetings cards click through to my online portfolio.

The Joy of Books

2010-01-19T13:59:00.017Z

I've recently received some samples of book covers which feature my lettering.

I do a lot of work for the publishing industry and enjoy seeing styles change as the designers I work for tackle the constant problem of standing out in a competitive market. Recent years have seen the development of the author logo which is designed for use across a range of books and help to promote the author as a recognisable brand.

Hand lettered titles are designed to work with specific photos or illustrations so often give a cover a more personal, emotive and unified feel. I work in a wide range of lettering styles from chick lit to historical and love the variety the commissions give me. I also get to work for some of my favourite authors so it's not surprising that publishing jobs are some of my favourites!

You can see more of my lettering for books in my word>publishing folder on my website.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-27T17:21:00.006Z

Wishing you all a creative and prosperous year ahead.

The Very Best of Enya

2009-12-14T12:03:00.008Z

I was thrilled when asked to work on the booklet for The Very Best of Enya album, a wonderful retrospective of her musical career spanning 20 years released this Christmas by Warner Records.

The commission involved hand lettering key lyrics for the CD which were then dropped over these sumptuous photographs by Simon Fowler. A very collectible Limited Edition Box Set of deluxe CD/DVD and 12" vinyl picture disc has also been released in which all the lyrics are hand lettered. Her original logo has been retained and my hand lettering used as a visual link throughout the inside of the booklet.

Anyone who is familiar with my work will know that I started freelancing as a lettering artist in the 1980's working primarily for the record industry. Enya released her debut album in 1987 to much acclaim and it's been great to get the opportunity to work for her after all these years.

If you'd like see who else I've worked for click through to my music folder on my portfolio site and if you'd like to buy The Very Best of Enya you'll find it available on Enya's official website.

Speak Out For Understanding

2009-11-16T15:29:00.006Z

It was great to be was asked by the Southern Poverty Law Center to illustrate an article in their magazine Teaching Tolerance. It talks about a powerful and moving film created by a group of students at Vermont High School, USA. Made on a tiny budget, Speak Out For Understanding, the award winning documentary gives viewers a close look at the real lives of four students who have learning disabilities and tries to teach a new way of talking about people who have them.

My work included a full page opening illustration, title lettering and a spot illustration for the magazine article. You can see how the illustrations work in their page layouts in my editorial folder in my portfolio. It was such an inspirational subject that I put together several roughs - this 'note pad' style proving to be the most popular with the design team at SPLC. The casual marker pen lettering, scribbles and doodles echoing the students enthusiastic approach to their subject.

If you'd like to learn more about SOFU, you can go to the projects webpage.

CAFOD Posters

2009-10-01T11:11:00.008+01:00

Primary School Poster

Secondary School Poster

Collection Envelope

I was delighted when asked to work on the hand drawn lettering for the Catholic Agency For Overseas Development's Harvest Fast Day Pack - comprising of two posters and a collection envelope. The packs are distributed to primary and secondary schools and draw the attention of both teacher and pupils to the current fund raising theme. This year it's the rights of the child and the focus country is Brazil.

It was great to work with the creative team at CAFOD, who made the job easy with an organised, informative brief and thoughtful art direction throughout. The stunning poster photography by Marcella Haddad also inspired my choice of lettering, spot illustrations and colours - a playful approach to a serious subject.

To learn more about this worthy project click through to the CAFOD site where you can find videos and downloadable resource materials (including pdfs of the posters!).

Eid Mubarak!

2009-09-10T10:33:00.005+01:00

The festival of Eid starts on the 20th September this year and if you'd like to celebrate by sending a card I have this one available for sale with 12% of the order value going to charity.

Aruba Revisited!

2009-08-06T14:53:00.007+01:00

Following the success of the first campaign earlier this year, Lowe NY asked me to develop some more lettering and spot illustrations to promote the beautiful island of Aruba.

The lettering is created specifically to give each Aruban a distinctive voice - personalising the poster campaign in keeping with it's central theme: 'ARUBA - 90,000 FRIENDS YOU HAVEN'T MET YET.' These large format posters can be seen throughout the US on subways and bus shelters. See the first campaign in the advertising folder on my portfolio site.

Map for Wall Street Journal

2009-07-07T15:35:00.010+01:00

In a month when I've been working for the UK, Germany, France and the US - I was delighted to receive an e-mail from Hong Kong requesting a map for the illustrious Wall Street Journal, Asia.

A piece for their travel section, the brief was to illustrate a walk around the vibrant city of Brisbane, picking out key features from the accompanying article and tracing the path of the walk through the city. It was great fun to work on - having never been to Brisbane I now harbour a burning desire to visit - and I shouldn't have any problems finding my way around!

Jewel of a Job for the Emerald Isle

2009-06-10T14:47:00.007+01:00

Rodney Miller Associates asked me to help them design a hand lettered logo for the Park Avenue Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The design team were working on rebranding and repositioning the hotel after extensive refurbishment. They wanted to achieve an identity that would reflect the hotel's 4 star status while emphasising it's independence, style and charm in a market that's flooded with 'big brands'. The fresh and stylish new identity is aimed at drawing in a younger clientele while retaining the existing customers of this friendly, family run hotel.

A hand lettered logo can help give a unique personality to a brand which makes it stand out from the crowd. Working with the designers, I was pleased to see how well the finished logo reflects the hotel's stylish decor while giving it a friendly, approachable first impression.

A strong family link with Northern Ireland means I'm always happy to work on jobs with a link to this beautiful isle. I've also worked on the Irish Tourist Board logo which you can see on my portfolio.

Students: Starting Out

2009-05-29T12:17:00.015+01:00

I've been working as a lettering artist and illustrator for 20 years this year. Since publishing my personal portfolio site a year ago I've had quite a few e-mails from students asking me how I started out.

If you've read my profile, you'll know that I studied for a BA in illustration at Newcastle upon Tyne. My work started to change direction in the third year of my BA - I became fascinated with letter forms (and 20 years later I still am). I applied for an MA at Central St Martins in order to push my work further and spent the time exploring the expressive and illustrative possibilities of hand lettering and type. I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about how I fitted into the industry - my work has always spanned

the divide between lettering and illustration - but I did do a huge amount of work and in hindsight, that has proved to be an incredibly useful foundation for my whole career.

Like most students I wasn't clear about my direction when I left art college to start freelancing. I'd done a few freelance jobs while still a student - most notably some work for 4AD Records - Vaughan Oliver was a visiting lecturer when I was studying my BA. Computers were still in their infancy so the only tools I had to promote myself were a portfolio of work and a batch of postcards. However, I did a lot of research into the sort of design that interested me and made appointments to see a lot of people. At the beginning this was all pretty nerve wracking but it was well worth the effort.

It can be a slow process building up a business. You may be lucky enough to get a high profile job that rockets you to fame and fortune but most people just keep working away at it. Self promotion is important - they can't use you if they don't know you exist. Over time you find what you're comfortable with - what fits your time, budget and personality - then you just have to persevere. I gradually built up quite a few contacts in the record industry and eventually began to work for such artists as Elton John, Joan Armatrading, UB40, Duran Duran and the Rolling Stones.

Over the years my portfolio has expanded to include a much wider range of work - for publishing, packaging, advertising,editorial, fashion as well as general design. Some briefs can be quite relaxed and open while others have quite specific requirements. This variation is one of the things I like most about freelancing - it keeps it interesting. When you're starting out - tackling new jobs can be pretty daunting. The Association of Illustrators can be of help if you're in the UK, they've published a useful book - The Illustrator's Guide to Law and Business Practice by Simon Stern and if you're still unsure you can ring them up and ask advice. I still do this myself - sometimes a second opinion is really helpful. Another handy link is the Stockport College blog for illustration graduates with practical advice about how to set up and run a small business.

Good Luck!

New logo for Cadbury's Roses

2009-04-21T14:18:00.021+01:00

I was asked to work on a new logo for Cadbury's popular chocolate assortment, Roses.

Introduced in 1938, the distinctive blue packaging, in the style of a Dorothy handbag, has been retained. Textured, spontaneous, brush lettering combined with clean, graphic illustration freshen up the design and give it a more contemporary feel. The new logo can even be seen reproduced on each brightly coloured wrapper - which is a nice touch. It's always great to work on a popular brand, particularly when you have fond memories of it from your childhood!

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

Saltwater Logo

2009-04-02T14:31:00.013+01:00

The current issue of Design Week features a logo I worked on with the creative team at Work Design, Leicester. It's a new identity for Saltwater, a seafood restaurant in St Ives, Cornwall, so it seemed appropriate to use fresh, textural marks and sweeping lines. To see more of my logos take a look at the word>corporate folder on my website.

Aruba Ad Campaign for Lowe New York

2009-03-19T16:38:00.008Z

Lowe New York's new Aruba campaign features a range of my hand lettering. It was an exciting job for me as Creative Director, Raj Kamble, wanted the copy on each ad to really express the personality of the subject. The challenge was to 'get inside their heads' so that each style was different and said something about their personalities.

Nothing does this better than hand lettering which can be fine-tuned to suit an individual piece, giving each design a unique voice. The ads spotlight a selection of seven Arubans, letting us experience a little of each of their lives on this beautiful island.

To see the full set in detail just click through to the advertising folder in my portfolio, they include - the Surfers, Wedding Planner, Head Chef, Head Golf Professional, Musician, Nature Tour Guide, and Spa Owner.

Lettering for Country Living Magazine

2009-02-25T12:55:00.020Z

Country Living have often asked me to contribute work to the magazine and it was a good start to the year with my hand lettering on articles in the January, February and March issues. 'Spring' and 'From Lamb to Loom' are individual article headers while 'The Good Life' will run across a series of articles over the next few months. The lovely blobby illustrations are by Lotte Oldfield and my lettering was specifically created to work with her style. The fetching blue bottomed lambs are by painter Kate Lynch and my lettering is inspired by the subject - the knotting of wool on the loom.

Science & Islam Title Lettering for the BBC

2009-01-13T12:01:00.007Z

I was asked to work on a title for the new three part TV series for the BBC, Science & Islam.

It's a fascinating series tracing the scientific renaissance that took place in the medieval Islamic world. It's a personal journey for the physicist Jim Al-Khalili as he travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain narrating the story.

I worked with talented designer Nicky Thompson at Creative Saints to help put together the animated title sequence which involved multiple layers of lettering and decorative elements. I always enjoy collaborating on projects but I have to admit that seeing my work in motion added an extra element of excitement!

The series can be seen this January on BBC4 or you can catch up with the series on the wonderful BBC iplayer. There's also a book published to accompany the series that uses the same title lettering.

Book Cover Samples

2009-01-13T11:40:00.008Z

I've been updating the Publishing page on my site before archiving some proofs I received during 2008. I've posted a couple of my favourites here but you can see the rest at the top of my Word>Publishing page.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-10T13:04:00.008Z

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a creative New Year!

Wanderlust Logo

2008-11-25T16:36:00.008Z

This month the iconic travel magazine Wanderlust is celebrating 15 years of publishing with a new logo. They asked me to work with their original design so that the distinctive style of the cap W could still be recognised by its loyal readership. The bold brush script gives the cover a fresh and energetic new look while still retaining a reference to the magazine's early years. For more magazine logos take a look at the word > editorial folder on my website.

Tenders Direct Ads

2008-11-11T16:44:00.006Z

This month Tenders Direct have brought out six new ads. The illustrators were all represented by Illustration Ltd, my own agent. It was an enjoyable challenge to add lettering in six different styles to suit the illustrations. This one was illustrated by Kathryn Rathke and the rest, illustrated by Jamel Akib, Colin Elgie, Linda Bronson, Dave Kurd and Matthew Laznicka, can be seen on my website in the word > advertising folder.

Back Dated News - Oct 08

2008-11-08T17:09:00.015Z

Oct 08

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

In celebration of all things dark and gothic ...

Out this month, Random House asked me to letter the cover of a new book by Dawn French - Dear Fatty. A collection of personal letters - she wanted the title to reflect her own style of handwriting.

Back Dated News - Aug and Sept 08

2008-11-08T15:57:00.027Z

Aug 08

NEW ILLUSTRATION PORTFOLIO LAUNCHED THIS MONTH!

Folders include lifestyle, wildlife, garden, food and text.

Sept 08

STOP PRESS! Newsweek Magazine in the US commissioned me to letter their latest cover. I created this effect by working directly onto glass with my favourite lipstick! Trick but fun ...

Just out in the shops, Headline Publishing asked me to hand letter this author logo for the cover of Everything Nice by Ellen Shanman. An increasingly popular approach to the problem of visibility on the shelf - see more author branding in my work > publishing folder on my site.

Back Dated News - June and July 08

2008-11-08T15:03:00.012Z

I've decided to archive the last 5 months of news from my website on my blog. So here are some edited highlights of my work published over the last half year.

June 08

I won the Creative Match Flair Typography Award for May with this lettering done for the prestigious US store Neiman Marcus. The lettering - for men's and women's designer wear features in their stylish brochure, The Book. You can see more of this work in the word > fashion folder on my website.

July 08

Out this month the Aug issue of Psychologies Magazine features an article in which the model has been hand lettered! I worked at the photoshoot with the art director and photographer using body paint. You can see a page of the article in the editorial folder of my word portfolio.