Lettering for Beginners
Written by Mel Cerri
Lettering is one of those things that seems like a complete mystery until you get started. Before I saw Jessica Hische’s work, I didn’t even know that you could do lettering as a career. So, I decided to write down my guide for lettering beginners. Hopefully this advice can be useful for you.
School or self taught?
When I first began to show a real interest in art, a family friend (who was a very successful illustrator himself) told me not to go to college for art. That is what he did, and he regretted it, because he thought once you learn the proper way to do things, breaking the rules feels very uncomfortable and mechanical — you can’t unsee it. Now that I’ve been doing lettering and illustration for a while, I totally get what he meant. You might spot technical mistakes in my work, and that is something the perfectionist in me is still learning to deal with, but I feel super free with compositions, color use and lettering combinations, perhaps because I never learned the “correct” way to work them.
Learn everything you can.
I don’t mean to say that you shouldn’t take the time to learn and study lettering if you’re interested in it. Lettering is very technical and there are very specific rules to explain why things “work.” I didn’t go to college for art, but I spent a lot of time taking online classes, reading books, and practicing. There are high-quality resources online and the lettering community is very generous in sharing their knowledge. You can learn from the best in this field and if you put in the time, you can learn a lot, really fast. It’s the type of subject that you can really go all in on and nerd out about, so if that’s what you’re looking to do, then go for it! It’s not necessary to know every little thing about lettering to get started or even to do it successfully, but it’s also not something that comes naturally out of nowhere — maybe for some geniuses, but definitely not for me.
Niche down.
I was always someone that wanted to be a jack of all trades. I wanted to do everything and learn everything. Then I met Drew (my rep here at Closer&Closer), and he really taught me how valuable it is to focus on who you want to be as an artist. To become successful, especially in something as specific as lettering, you have to experiment in a way that develops you in the right direction. It’s good to play and stay creative, but don’t do that so much that it takes you away from being you. Make a conscious effort to know your strengths and lean into them. In my case, I knew I loved working with bold colors, detailed patterns and expressive/funky letter styles. That’s who I was from the start (you can see this even in my high-school notebooks), but recognizing that and learning to trim away the excesses was what helped me find a way to make my work singular.
About Mel Cerri:
Mel Cerri is a lettering artist and illustrator based in São Paulo, Brazil. She enjoys all things fun and quirky, and that is reflected in the work she makes. Her Brazilian heritage also plays a big role as an inspiration for her bold color palettes and the vibrant signature of her work, resulting in loud and proud graphics, murals and more. She has collaborated with a diverse group of clients, including Facebook, Coca-Cola, Adobe, Pepsi, Disney and more.
