Ape on the Moon: Contemporary Illustration » Typography

Information Graphics of Nicholas Felton

moonape — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:03:28 +0000

One area of design that I can’t help but get very excited about, especially coming from a geographical background, is information graphics.

The relevance of well designed representations of often highly complex and convoluted information in an information-rich world is now more than ever.

One of the heroes of this industry is New York-based Nicholas Felton, who has been profiled in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Creative Review and Wired. Nicholas found some time to respond to some questions after wrapping up a project designing annual reports.

Were you formally trained in graphic design, and if so, did you enjoy the process?

Yes, formally and informally. I attended the Rhode Island School of Design where I received my degree in graphic design. Prior to that, I scrimped and saved for a Macintosh in high school, so that I could start tinkering with Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark.

I helped some friends back then produce a comic book, doing sundry layouts and production work on the project.

How did you develop into specializing in data and information graphics?

It all began with my personal project The Feltron Annual Report. After a few years of producing them, I began to receive requests from magazines for similar assignments.

Since then, I have been able to experiment and hone my approach to information design through more professional and personal projects.

How do clients normally communicate to you the way in which they want their data to be graphically represented?

Typically, they give me the information and ask me to come up with the best way to present it.

What is the typical work process of your diagrams, graphics from brief to completion and what are the tools you use?

These days, my approach has become a little more high-tech. I like to use Processing to get a sense for the shape of the data I’ve been given, whether it be a mapping or a graphing assignment. By writing or adapting a little program, I can sketch out the data and then determine how bold or nuanced to make the keying or labeling.

If a project is highly typographic, it will be produced in inDesign, while more graphic layouts are produced in Illustrator.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a graphic for Popular Mechanics, a few other magazine assignments and the Daytum iPhone application.

Typeface Illustrations of Sergio Jiménez

moonape — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:16:24 +0000

Madrid-based Sergio Jiménez works with hand drawn and digital typography to produce engaging illustrations that have appeared in publications that include Bello Magazine, Uno Skateboard and Snowplanet Magazine.

Using typography in illustration is not only aesthetically very effective, but it has a clever way of drawing in the eye.

Nice work, Sergio.

MoonApe is on Twitter!

Hand Lettering of Darren Booth

moonape — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:01:45 +0000

Here is an artist who combines typography with beautiful illustration techniques very well indeed. Based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Darren Booth has taken the time to answer a couple of questions on his hand lettering process.

What I like about Darren’s work is its use of bespoke type to create very pleasing compositions. Text is no longer the support leg to an illustration; it is the centerpiece.

What got you into your typography work?

I first got into doing typography while studying Illustration in college (Sheridan Institute, just outside of Toronto, Canada).

A few of my professors used typography in some of their illustration work and I got inspired to give it a shot and found out that I had a knack for it.

What tools do you use to create your lettering work?

Most of the time, my finished art is collage and acrylic on treated paper. I do occasionally create the finished art in vector graphics if a client requires it.

Can you describe the process behind your typography, including gathering ideas?

When I’m developing a lettering style for an assignment, it needs to have the correct feel. I have folders and sketchbooks that are crammed full of thousands of lettering styles that I’ve collected over the years, or sketched.

I dig through them and start sketching the words or phrases that I’m working on at that moment and then further develop the sketches that feel the best. I often use a mind-map approach to develop ideas as well.

Basically, you start with a keyword and then jot down any words/ideas that come to mind when thinking of that keyword. Those words/ideas then spawn more words/ideas. It’s a great way to generate ideas from scratch.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on some lettering for a Dutch magazine and a book cover. Nothing overly exciting at the moment, but it pays the bills!

Very inspiring, Darren, many thanks!

MoonApe: Follow me on Twitter and don’t forget to contribute your thoughts in the comments