Custom Lettering needs some more expert opinions and new sets of eyes!
Hello all! I'm currently working on some custom lettering for a fashion brand, we're going for something that's sophisticated, youthful, but with some playfulness and personality in the mix also. I work often in type design but have no formal training, plus we all know what it's like when working on a project for so long it becomes some what of an amorphous blob on the screen. The type will probs end up with some alterations and further developing on Photoshop, but want to finalize the final anatomy of the type. There are still little kinks I want to make to areas, but thought it would be great to get some critical feedback from some others in the type design sphere.
On another note, if anyone has anywhere they highly reccomend to learn more, I've tried things like Skillshare and haven't found loads there for what I'm searching for. Then read some books like Karen Cheng's 'Designing Type' which is useful and very dense literature, but any other pointers would be amazing!
Looking forward to hearing some thoughts! The top wordmark is more how I envision it being edited and composited (this is more in it's developmental stages) and the bottom is the raw vector btw :)
Replies3
- Hi Nath Your really pushing yourself out there with this. So here is my crit and I hope it helps.1. The first thing is the capital O it feels to being pushed in on the bottom right. Try flipping it to see if its the same all round.2. The 7 feel a bit jangy on the main stem and needs to be a bit more curved. The top of the 7 you may want to make a bit more of an even curve. The corner looks abit more sharper as it feels a bit loose.3. The bottom of the lower case t i would make match the bottom of the lower case i. The i looks really nice.4. The h I would make look like the n in the area of how the shoulder joins the strem. Make it a bit more curved/rounded.5. The spacing of the letters needs some work if your doing the glow effect as it looks like its touching in area.(is this part of the design?)
- @Geoffrey Bunting I have been wanting to take on a more complex and subtle to typography for a while and this one seemed like the perfect oppurtunity for it, but yes it's been a bit of a mammoth undertaking with all the details that need to be paid attention to with a script text lol.I completely agree with everything you're saying about this and I'm going to take it back to the drawing board tomorrow to work out what details should be kept and others (most) to be axed. Totally agree about the leading, been trying to figure out a way to make it flow a little better and feel its looking way too cramped.The other thing about the thickness of the general anatomy is something I've been pondering too with regard to practicality and aesthetic, so will work to make it work more effectively. It's supposed to be Roni On 7th so will get right on making sure there's no confusion there also! Thanks so much for all the great feedback Geoffrey, you're a star :)
- First thing, and it's readabiltiy so it's a biggie, does this read "Poni on 7th" or "Roni on 7th"?You've probably given yourself the hardest job a branding designer working on custom type can, by chasing script text, and I applaud you for moving away from the more typical Helvetica-approach of the 2020s.I know you say the top lettering is how you envision the workmark being deployed, but don't lose sight of the fact this is a brandmark and needs to be used in multiple contexts, so that basic, black, vector version is just as important.For me, there's just way too much going on here. The curves look really good from what I can see (even, no artefacts) but there's too many of them. I understand the temptation to make every letter unique, but consistency is what helps readability, and readability is the prime focus of type design (and branding).Zooming out on this, a lot of detail is lost with very little size reduction. When developing a brand, perhaps the most important thing you can do is check how it reads when it's tiny, when it's printed, and when it's used inappropriately because clients won't always follow your brand guidelines that well.Honestly, I think this would be a far more successful script-design were you to remove the ornamention - the swirls and curls added to the letters - and just leave one, preferably the swash on the "n" in "On" with the stylised characters themselves - apart from the "h" that's taken the stylising a bit too far. And maybe space everything out a little more, give that "R"(?) room to breathe. Similarly, for readability, and given this will likely appear on fabric, I'd want a bit more weight to the lettering to make sure it can be stitched or printed on more soluable matter.And don't be afraid to try out other concepts - you don't have to lock in on this one immediately. But if you are, there's a strong enough foundation here, it just needs to be pared back for readability.
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