Some Favorite Lettering

It should be no surprise to anyone that I have a love of lettering, but what may come as a surprise is that I am a die-hard fan of naïve lettering. I love, love, love the look of an effortless hand – the perfectly imperfect. There’s a very fine line from being wonderfully charming to just plain bad. I can’t quite put my finger on what that slight difference is, but it is apparent when I see it.

I've also noticed a little pattern evolving: these sort of crude hands are mostly being done by illustrators. I am a word person, but I am also a visual person. I suppose that is the draw for me in my fanaticism of lettering – it’s a beautiful marriage of the two. I love seeing the resurgence of hand lettering and I hope that by showcasing lettering that I love it inspires you to either give it a go – your handwriting may be as good or (bad) as these fine folks – or be introduced to more artists that inspire you.

Pictured above, in descending order:

Maira Kalman

Oliver Jeffers

Charlotte Farmer

Katt Frank