Jessica Hische's letters
An American lettering artist shows how drawn type comes together, from pencil sketches to finished book covers and logos.
What it is
Jessica Hische is an American lettering artist, illustrator, type designer and children's author. Hers is one of the best-known names in drawn type: she has lettered book covers, brand work and film projects, with clients including Wes Anderson. On Instagram she shows how hand lettering actually comes together, from the first pencil sketch to the finished piece.
Why we picked it
The best part of the feed is the workshop. Hische doesn't stop at polished finals: she posts dozens of variations of a single letter, rough sketches, vector outlines with every anchor point showing, and covers before and after client revisions. Posts like these show why one piece of lettering reads well and keeps its character while another falls apart. For self-taught letterers it's close to a free masterclass.
She wrote a whole book about that process, "In Progress", which follows her work from pencil to vector. She also writes and illustrates picture books: "Tomorrow I'll Be Brave" became a New York Times bestseller, and that side of her work shows up in the feed too. It makes her a rare creator who is equally interesting to designers and to parents.
Where to start
- Process posts: sketches, letter variations and vector refinement.
- Book covers, especially comparisons of early drafts with the final.
- Spreads and illustrations from her children's books.
- Her book "In Progress", on her method from sketch to vector.
- The picture book "Tomorrow I'll Be Brave".
Who it's for
Graphic designers, letterers and beginners who want to learn drawn type, plus anyone who has wondered how hand lettering differs from simply setting a typeface. Parents will find the picture books worth a look.
Quick answers
Who is Jessica Hische? An American lettering artist, illustrator and type designer who has written books about her process as well as books for children.
What can you learn from her Instagram? How a piece of lettering is built: finding letterforms in sketches, then refining them as vectors.
What books has she written? "In Progress", about her lettering process, and the children's book "Tomorrow I'll Be Brave", among others.
