1977968

Itinerarios de Caligrafía (ICKI) | Visual Identity

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 03:38:32 GMT

ICKI | Visual Brand Identity

Industries

Creative spaces

Education

Credits

Designer & art director: Maria Montes

Director: Sonia Beroiz

Client: Itinerarios de Caligrafía / Kaligrafia Ibilbideak (ES)

I’m very proud to have developed the new visual identity for Itinerarios de Caligrafía/Kaligrafia Ibilbideak (ICKI).

After a first instalment held in 2019, the program once again champions calligraphy as an educational, artistic, therapeutic and social tool, while inviting reflection on our identity, learning, memory, health, and technology.

The initiative, led by designer and calligrapher @soniaberoiz (Kö estudio), in collaboration with cultural, academic, and community organisations, will take place in Navarra (Spain) between January & August 2026. It combines workshops, lectures, labs, artistic interventions, and public events.

In a world dominated by screens, reclaiming calligraphy is almost an act of resistance. It is memory. It is identity. It is thought in motion. This second edition grows with more voices and more questions.

DESIGN BRIEF

The concept for 2026 was the desire to express graphically the idea of an itinerary, which very rarely is made out of a straight line from point A to B.

This multi-location event is devided in thee main axis: a conference, workshops and exhibitions/artistic interventions, and the graphic identity needed to reflect these main areas.

The symbol of the event ICKI represents the acronym of its name in Spanish and Basque languages and the animation follows the stroke order of its letterforms.

Follow this link to watch a video in Spanish explaining the entire visual identity and creative process.

Services

Naming

Logotype design

Collateral applications

Poster design

Barcelona | Lettering & Monogram Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:29:58 GMT

Lettering & monogram B design

Barcelona and B monogram designed for a workshop called "Grow, brand out and flourish" exploring rounhand lettering variations at Tipo-G Typography School of Barcelona.

Industries

Education

Credits

Art director: Maria Montes

Client: Self-initiated project

Services

Script lettering design

Type Design Education x Graphic Designers [Updated 2026]

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:55:33 GMT

In 2022, I gave a guest online lecture part of the “Principles of Typeface Design” class lead by Troy Leinster at Type@Copper in New York City. I decided to make this presentation public as I thought it could be beneficial to other graphic design students and mid-career practitioners interested in learning more about typography and typeface design, but not seeing themselves becoming full-time type designers, as this is my particular case.

In April 2026, I closed a fully remote chapter, and decided to update this visual presentation with everything that I have learned since 2022 —which is a lot!

These are a few great institutions and individuals who offer in-person and/or online type design education:

More institutions here.

Additional free resource to learn more about type:

Ohno Type School

Type Design Resources

Anne Lamott’s 12 Truths I Learned from Life & Writing

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:56:58 GMT

2 Truths I Learned from Life and Writing by Anne Lamott , syndicated from ted.com , Feb 12, 2019. Article via DailyGood

My seven-year-old grandson sleeps just down the hall from me, and he wakes up a lot of mornings and he says, “You know, this could be the best day ever.” And other times, in the middle of the night, he calls out in a tremulous voice, “Nana, will you ever get sick and die?”

I think this pretty much says it for me and for most of the people I know, that we’re a mixed grill of happy anticipation and dread. So I sat down a few days before my 61st birthday, and I decided to compile a list of everything I know for sure. There’s so little truth in the popular culture, and it’s good to be sure of a few things.

For instance, I am no longer 47, although this is the age I feel, and the age I like to think of myself as being. My friend Paul used to say in his late 70s that he felt like a young man with something really wrong with him.

Our true person is outside of time and space, but looking at the paperwork, I can, in fact, see that I was born in 1954. My inside self is outside of time and space. It doesn’t have an age. I’m every age I’ve ever been, and so are you, although I can’t help mentioning as an aside that it might have been helpful if I hadn’t followed the skin care rules of the ’60s, which involved getting as much sun as possible while slathered in baby oil and basking in the glow of a tinfoil reflector shield.

It was so liberating, though, to face the truth that I was no longer in the last throes of middle age, that I decided to write down every single true thing I know. People feel really doomed and overwhelmed these days, and they keep asking me what’s true. So I hope that my list of things I’m almost positive about might offer some basic operating instructions to anyone who is feeling really overwhelmed or beleaguered.

Number one

The first and truest thing is that all truth is a paradox. Life is both a precious, unfathomably beautiful gift, and it’s impossible here, on the incarnational side of things. It’s been a very bad match for those of us who were born extremely sensitive. It’s so hard and weird that we sometimes wonder if we’re being punked. It’s filled simultaneously with heartbreaking sweetness and beauty, desperate poverty, floods and babies and acne and Mozart, all swirled together. I don’t think it’s an ideal system.

Number two

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes — including you.

Three

There is almost nothing outside of you that will help in any kind of lasting way, unless you’re waiting for an organ. You can’t buy, achieve or date serenity and peace of mind. This is the most horrible truth, and I so resent it. But it’s an inside job, and we can’t arrange peace or lasting improvement for the people we love most in the world. They have to find their own ways, their own answers. You can’t run alongside your grown children with sunscreen and ChapStick on their hero’s journey. You have to release them. It’s disrespectful not to. And if it’s someone else’s problem, you probably don’t have the answer, anyway.

Our help is usually not very helpful. Our help is often toxic. And help is the sunny side of control. Stop helping so much. Don’t get your help and goodness all over everybody.

This brings us to number four

Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy and scared, even the people who seem to have it most together. They are much more like you than you would believe, so try not to compare your insides to other people’s outsides. It will only make you worse than you already are.

Also, you can’t save, fix or rescue any of them or get anyone sober. What helped me get clean and sober 30 years ago was the catastrophe of my behavior and thinking. So I asked some sober friends for help, and I turned to a higher power. One acronym for God is the “gift of desperation,” G-O-D, or as a sober friend put it, by the end I was deteriorating faster than I could lower my standards.

So God might mean, in this case, “me running out of any more good ideas.”

While fixing and saving and trying to rescue is futile, radical self-care is quantum, and it radiates out from you into the atmosphere like a little fresh air. It’s a huge gift to the world. When people respond by saying, “Well, isn’t she full of herself,” just smile obliquely like Mona Lisa and make both of you a nice cup of tea. Being full of affection for one’s goofy, self-centered, cranky, annoying self is home. It’s where world peace begins.

Number five

Chocolate with 75 percent cacao is not actually a food.

Its best use is as a bait in snake traps or to balance the legs of wobbly chairs. It was never meant to be considered an edible.

Number six

Writing. Every writer you know writes really terrible first drafts, but they keep their butt in the chair. That’s the secret of life. That’s probably the main difference between you and them. They just do it. They do it by prearrangement with themselves. They do it as a debt of honor. They tell stories that come through them one day at a time, little by little. When my older brother was in fourth grade, he had a term paper on birds due the next day, and he hadn’t started. So my dad sat down with him with an Audubon book, paper, pencils and brads — for those of you who have gotten a little less young and remember brads — and he said to my brother, “Just take it bird by bird, buddy. Just read about pelicans and then write about pelicans in your own voice. And then find out about chickadees, and tell us about them in your own voice. And then geese.”

So the two most important things about writing are: bird by bird and really god-awful first drafts. If you don’t know where to start, remember that every single thing that happened to you is yours, and you get to tell it. If people wanted you to write more warmly about them, they should’ve behaved better.

You’re going to feel like hell if you wake up someday and you never wrote the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart: your stories, memories, visions and songs — your truth, your version of things — in your own voice. That’s really all you have to offer us, and that’s also why you were born.

Seven

Publication and temporary creative successes are something you have to recover from. They kill as many people as not. They will hurt, damage and change you in ways you cannot imagine. The most degraded and evil people I’ve ever known are male writers who’ve had huge best sellers. And yet, returning to number one, that all truth is paradox, it’s also a miracle to get your work published, to get your stories read and heard. Just try to bust yourself gently of the fantasy that publication will heal you, that it will fill the Swiss-cheesy holes inside of you. It can’t. It won’t. But writing can. So can singing in a choir or a bluegrass band. So can painting community murals or birding or fostering old dogs that no one else will.

Number eight

Families. Families are hard, hard, hard, no matter how cherished and astonishing they may also be. Again, see number one.

At family gatherings where you suddenly feel homicidal or suicidal —remember that in all cases, it’s a miracle that any of us, specifically, were conceived and born. Earth is forgiveness school. It begins with forgiving yourself, and then you might as well start at the dinner table. That way, you can do this work in comfortable pants.

When William Blake said that we are here to learn to endure the beams of love, he knew that your family would be an intimate part of this, even as you want to run screaming for your cute little life. But I promise you are up to it. You can do it, Cinderella, you can do it, and you will be amazed.

Nine

Food. Try to do a little better. I think you know what I mean.

Number ten

Grace. Grace is spiritual WD-40, or water wings. The mystery of grace is that God loves Henry Kissinger and Vladimir Putin and me exactly as much as He or She loves your new grandchild. Go figure.

The movement of grace is what changes us, heals us and heals our world. To summon grace, say, “Help,” and then buckle up. Grace finds you exactly where you are, but it doesn’t leave you where it found you. And grace won’t look like Casper the Friendly Ghost, regrettably. But the phone will ring or the mail will come and then against all odds, you’ll get your sense of humor about yourself back. Laughter really is carbonated holiness. It helps us breathe again and again and gives us back to ourselves, and this gives us faith in life and each other. And remember — grace always bats last.

Eleven

God just means goodness. It’s really not all that scary. It means the divine or a loving, animating intelligence, or, as we learned from the great “Deteriorata,” “the cosmic muffin.” A good name for God is: “Not me.” Emerson said that the happiest person on Earth is the one who learns from nature the lessons of worship. So go outside a lot and look up. My pastor said you can trap bees on the bottom of mason jars without lids because they don’t look up, so they just walk around bitterly bumping into the glass walls. Go outside. Look up. Secret of life.

And finally: death. Number 12.

Wow and yikes. It’s so hard to bear when the few people you cannot live without die. You’ll never get over these losses, and no matter what the culture says, you’re not supposed to. We Christians like to think of death as a major change of address, but in any case, the person will live again fully in your heart if you don’t seal it off. Like Leonard Cohen said, “There are cracks in everything, and that’s how the light gets in.” And that’s how we feel our people again fully alive.

Also, the people will make you laugh out loud at the most inconvenient times, and that’s the great good news. But their absence will also be a lifelong nightmare of homesickness for you. Grief and friends, time and tears will heal you to some extent. Tears will bathe and baptize and hydrate and moisturize you and the ground on which you walk.

Do you know the first thing that God says to Moses? He says, “Take off your shoes.”Because this is holy ground, all evidence to the contrary. It’s hard to believe, but it’s the truest thing I know. When you’re a little bit older, like my tiny personal self, you realize that death is as sacred as birth. And don’t worry — get on with your life. Almost every single death is easy and gentle with the very best people surrounding you for as long as you need. You won’t be alone. They’ll help you cross over to whatever awaits us. As Ram Dass said, “When all is said and done, we’re really just all walking each other home.”

I think that’s it, but if I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.

Thank you.

If you want to learn more about American writer Anne Lamott, I recommend this informative, exhausting, elevating, poignant, and relevant lecture from 1994 at the San Francisco Public Library as well as this fantastic interview with Debbie Millman .

Women in Type & Design | Resource Updated [2026]

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:04:00 GMT

“Feminism by definition is the believe that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes. There is no one country in the world where women can expect to receive equal rights. No country in the world can yet say that they have achieved gender equality” Emma Watson.

This article is an ongoing resource of fonts designed by women, as well as supporting material to learn more about female and non-binary graphic and type designers.

UN/SEEN-Around the World-Symposium

The »SEEN-Around the World-Symposium« celebrated the typographic work of women and non-binary people with a 3-day event and traveled around the globe: from South and North America to Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Fonts, Women & Type

Second-half of 2023 font releases by women via Alphabettes.

Mid-year 2023 font releases by women via Alphabettes.

Retail fonts designed by women in 2022 via Alphabettes.

Women Type Designers Resources

By Elena Veguillas via Alphabettes.

First/early Female Typeface Designers

By Indra Kupferschmid via Alphabettes.

Women Typeface Designers

Thesis project by Laura G. C. Webber, 1977.

Uncovering the History of Early Women Type Designers

Lecture by Lauren Elle DeGaine via Letterform Archive.

Women Type Designers

Download a PDF file with a comprehensive list of women type designers by Hans Reichardt.

Women of Type

This section —part of The Malee Scholarship— gathers a selection of great typefaces designed by women from all over the world.

Mulheres na Tipografia|Parte 2

Written by Flavia Zimbardi via Recorte.

Mulheres na Tipografia | Parte 1

Written by Flavia Zimbardi via Recorte.

How many female type designers do you know?

Book by Yulia Popova, published by Onomatopee .This book aims to shine light on the work of women in type. Besides that, it should serve as an alternative educational material for people interested in type history.

Type Faces | Womxn in Type

Research project investigating visibility of female type designers by Yulia Popova.

Femme Type Book

Publication celebrating women in the type design industry.

Women in Type

Women in Type is a three-year research project undertaken at the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication of the University of Reading between March 2018–November 2021. The project benefited from the support of the Leverhulme Trust as part of its Research Project Grants. The project is led by Prof. Fiona Ross with principal researcher Dr. Alice Savoie and post-doctoral assistant Dr. Helena Lekka.

Women in Type Lecture

By Alice Savoie hosted via The Cooper Union.

The Women of Photo-Lettering

Guest researcher Anne Galperin reveals unsung contributions to a major sourcebook of mid-twentieth-century type design.

Recovering the Forgotten Women of Metal Type Design

By Bethany Qualls via Letterform Archive.

The Women behind Times New Roman

The contribution of type drawing offices to twentieth century type-making article by Alice Savoie published on Oxford Academic.

Women in Type Design

IG account showcasing the great work of Women in type design.

Women Type Club

IG platform to collect and showcase typefaces designed by womxn.

Times New Women

Espacio seguro para el intercambio de conocimiento entre mujeres interesadas en el diseño de letra.

New Types: Three Pioneers of Hebrew Graphic Design Book

“Fransizka Baruch only created the font Stam, but also designed the font Schoken. She also created numerous logos that are still in use, or have been refreshed, such as Haaretz, Weizmann Institute, Tarshish Books, and many others” comment by Liad Shadmi.

Black Girls In Design

Black Girls in Design aims to create a platform that would not only foster the needs of black women in Britain with backgrounds in Graphic, UX and UI design but also aims to create substantial awareness amongst the Black communities about these career options. Lack of visibility of such career choices has been one of the fundamental issues behind the disparity of diversity within the creative industries. We aim to deal with these barriers that are affecting the overall growth of black female designers in the UK.

Graphic Design & Women

Publishing experiments by women artists in Latin America, 1960-1990

Book curated by Mela Dávila Freire via Center For Book Arts. Curator Mela Dávila Freire presents her research process for the exhibition and publication at the New York Public Library in conversation with Silvina López Medin.

Women Designers You Should Know

Let’s redesign history by celebrating women. A podcast and video series created by Amber Asay.

Women in Design

Directory curated by the talented designer Gabby Lord.

Baseline Shift: Untold stories of women in graphic design

Book edited by Briar Levitt and published by Princeton Architectural Press.

Extra Bold: A feminist, inclusive, anti-racist, non-binary field guide for graphic designers

Book by Ellen Lupton, Farah Kafei, Jennifer Tobias, Josh A. Halstead, Kaleena Sales, Leslie Xia and Valentina Vergara. Published by Princeton Architectural Press.

Woman Life Liberty

Documenting the artwork of the Iranian Revolution by Dena Taiebat.

“What does a feminist graphic design history in the United States look like?”

Four Articles by Dina Benbrahim published on Alphabettes.

Women At Work

A podcast about female creativity, leadership and feminism by Hey Studio.

Design by Women

Aimed to showcase, celebrate, inspire women + gender expansive + non-binary creatives working in the design + creative industry.

Women in Print 1 and 2

Women in Print is a collection of essays in two related volumes which considers the diversity of roles occupied by women in the design, authorship, production, distribution and consumption of printed material from the fifteenth century onwards. Printing History and Culture edited by Artemis Alexiou and Rose Roberto.

Antique, modern and swash, a brief history of women in printing

Book by Club of printing women of New York

Women in Graphic Design 1890 – 2012

Book by Gerda Breuer and Julia Meer illuminates the forgotten women who made substantial contributions to design by focusing on their merits and quality of work.

Designing Women

Designing Women is an initiative that aims to combat gender inequality in the design industry and highlights the impact of female-identifying, non-binary, and other persons affected by gendered issues in design via Readymag.

Female Design Council

Founded by Lora Appleton, the Female Design Council (FDC) is the premier professional membership network and advocacy organization for womxn in design, architecture and the applied arts. The FDC’s mission is to advocate for equity and tangible gender parity in the design industries and provide access to professional opportunities for our members.

Freelancing Females

Tia knows what it’s like to not get paid – and it turns out she’s not the only one. What started as a small group designed to discuss non-payment issues quickly grew into the world’s largest community of freelance women. Freelancing Females is now a safe haven for all who identify as women to share their wins, loses, fears and knowledge in our ever-growing gig, project-based, and freelance economy.

Posterwomxn

Platform to amplify the visibility of womxn & non-binary poster designers.

Women of Illustration

IG account and WOI podcast.

We Are Fido

Network to showcase and celebrate women designers.

Ladies, Wine and Design

Platform diversifying the creative industry. Founded by Jessica Walsh.

Womentor

Mentorship program for women in design committed to improving gender equality in the design industry.

The Assisterhood

Founded in 2018 by Linh Diep, Assisterhood is making an impact as Australia and Aotearoa’s leading industry mentorship program for underrepresented communication professionals.

No matter your age, role, gender identity or where you are in Australia/Aotearoa, this program doesn’t discriminate.

Palestinian Feminist Collective

We are a Turtle Island-based body of Palestinian & Arab women & feminists committed to Palestinian liberation & beyond.

Invisible women in Australian Graphic Design

By Dr Jane Connory (Glover)

Affemation

Making heroes of women in Australian graphic design.

Creative Sheroes

A digital anthology of creative women’s stories of driving change for Melbourne Design Week. March 17 – 27, 2022.

Creative Sheroes

A digital anthology of creative women’s stories of driving change for Melbourne Design Week. March 17 – 27, 2022.

Thank You | Printed Ad Campaign

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:53:08 GMT

Press ad application in The Guardian & The Australian newspaper.

Printed Ad Campaign x University of Melbourne

McCANN Australia Design Group commissioned a custom lettering artwork for “Believe – the Campaign for the University of Melbourne”.

The artwork consists of thousands of dots to say “Thank You” to all 20,439 donors who have made this campaign possible.

Industries

Education

Publishing

Credits

Lettering Designer: Maria Montes
Ad Agency: McCann Design Group (AU)
Client: University of Melbourne (AU)

Materials

Rotring Rapidograph 0.25mm

Services

Lettering

Original artwork dimensions: 24 x 32 cm on Canson Basik watercolour paper 370gsm.

Deliverables

“Our Thank You consists of 20,439 dots, one for each of the donors to Believe – the Campaign for the University of Melbourne so far.

Together, you have given over $500 million and helped us to advance the world we share through collisions of genius and generosity.

Your gifts have helped thousands of students to raise their potential and supported some of the world’s greatest minds in solving some of the most intractable problems facing society today. So, gain, we say thank you: for what we’ve already been able to achieve together – and what we will be able to do in the future”.

design brief

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

ORIGINAL ARTWORK

T he final artwork was framed and gifted to the director of The University of Melbourne.

Fifteenth Anniversary | Lettering Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:52:52 GMT

Fifteen/Quinze Lettering Design

On July 4th, 2023, my partner and I celebrated our fifteenth anniversary together.

In the past, I have created several hand-painted original skateboard decks, which I very much enjoy as it is one of the only tactile projects I do during the year, with the exception of my calligraphy work.

Industries

Visual Communication

Credits

Art direction: Maria Montes
Client: Self-initiated project

Services

Lettering

Vector lettering artwork drawn with Glyphs App.

Deliverables

project background

The concept for this year is ‘ants in my pants,’ as it represents how much traveling we are doing: moving apartments every two to three months changing cities, countries and continents at times.

Purchasing a pair of decks and moving them around turned out to be challenging, so instead, I’m pairing the design with a couple of photographs.

During my 11 years living in Fitzroy (Naarm/Melbourne), I had a couple of suitcases very similar to these ones, so I connected with this image strongly.

design concept: ants in my pants

Something that has happened recently is that I look at small dogs and I melt. This is new to me as I have always been a cat person. Graham lived with us for 8 years and was an important part of our journey in Australia. So, for the past couple of years, we have started to look at cat-sized dogs and we lose it. Currently, at the top of my list are dachshunds.

We have seen dogs in many different parts of the world and have connected with some of them in a beautiful way. So, this Quinze/Fifteen anniversary design is about moving, suitcases, and our new love for cat-sized dogs.

Happy anniversary Mr Tickner, you are a precious gift in my life.

cat-size dogs

Pussy Pink | Lettering Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:52:25 GMT

Pussy Pink | Lettering Design

[…]

“Been down, been up, been broke, broke down, bounced back
Been off, been on, been back, what you know about that?
Been the light, been dark, been the truth, been that King Bey energy
Been thick, been fine, still a ten, still here, that’s all me
Black like love too deep
Dance to the soles of my feet
Green eyes envy me
Paint the world pussy pink

She’s a god, she’s a hero
She survived all she been through
Confident, damn, she lethal
Might I suggest you don’t fuck with my sis
‘Cause she comfortable
Comfortable in my skin

Cozy with who I am
Feet up above your sins
I love myself, goddamn.”

[…]

Industries

Visual Communication

Credits

Art direction: Maria Montes
Client: Self-initiated project

DESIGN Services

Lettering

Vector lettering executed with Adobe Illustrator and Glyphs App. Texture added with Procreate.

Deliverables

project NAMING

In the 18th Century, English Roundhand calligraphy ( 1710s to the 1750s) and Modern Romans such as Bodoni ( 1798 as the year Giambattista Bodoni) and Didot ( 1784 by Firmin Didot) co-existed together. Both are based on high contrast. Both are influenced by technological advancements in paper quality and ink reproduction allowing higher levels of print marking and stroke precision. And in my opinion, both calligraphy and typography are influencing each other. This cross influence still exists today, and I'm visually representing it by calligraphy and typography (in this case Roundhand and Modern Roman lettering) hugging each other.

Calligraphy & typography hugging each other

The message of this lettering project is homage to Beyoncé and her song called “Cozy” from the album Renaissance released in 2022.

Cozy by Beyoncé

Barcelona For Graphic Designers

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 08:43:32 GMT

Barcelona for graphic designers is myon-going list of resources for any creative visiting this city for the first time(s).

Every recommendation is only personal, and it comes with its neighbourhood location and a hyperlink to their website, Google map or Instagram account. Life post-Covid changes rapidly, so check every business updated info and opening hours before heading there. Enjoy!

Barcelona Design Week | Location: All over the city

In October every year.

Graphic Design Events in Barcelona

ADG-FAD Barcelona | Location: Barcelona Design Hub, Glòries
Association of Art Directors and Graphic Designers, a private non-profit entity that represents professionals, studios, agencies, schools and companies throughout the State dedicated to graphic design and visual communication.

OFFF Fest | Location: Barcelona Design Hub, Glòries
Festival of creativity, design and art hosted in March/April every year.

Contraforma Barcelona | Location: BAU Design School
With the aim of fostering a community around typography, calligraphy, and lettering, we organise regular events in Barcelona that encourage the exchange of ideas and projects.

Ladies, Wine & Design Barcelona
Meet ups for creative minds. Empowering women & non-binary creatives.

Creative Mornings Barcelona | Location: Casa Les Punxes x Cloudworks.

Monthly

Sónar Fest Barcelona | Location: Sants-Monjuïc & Zona Franca
Every year in June, Sónar Festival brings electronic music, innovation and creativity.

SWAB is Barcelona’s International Art Fair | Location: Montjuïc
Every year in October.

Barcelona Gallery Weekend | Location: All over the city
Free talks and walks take place around September/October.

Barcelona Open Studios | Location: All over the city
Held in May every year, this is an opportunity for students to network by visiting artist studios all over the city.

LOOP, Barcelona’s biggest video festival
Showcasing advanced student’s video art and usually held in November.

Art Libris, International Artist Book Fair | Location: Sant Antoni
Organised by the Design School EINA.

GRAFBCN | Location: Fabra i Coats, Sant Andreu
GRAF is a meeting point for independent comics and self-publishing that has been held in Barcelona since 2013. GRAF aims to host publishers and initiatives around independent comics, not just limiting itself to cartoons, but also covering content that involves delving into the language of comics. drawing, graphics, storytelling and visual arts.

Festa del Grafisme | Location: Portbou, Girona
Around October every year. The party is free, the food is not.

Còmic Barcelona | Location: Fira Montjuïc
Hosted around May every year.

Llum BCN | Poble Nou
Llum BCN is a premier European light arts festival and a cultural event close to the hearts of the people of Barcelona. Organised by Barcelona City Council, Llum BCN reaches its fourteenth edition with an artistic programme that turns urban spaces into a new stage highlighting the possibilities of the language of light in transforming public spaces, with artistic projects based on photography, audiovisual elements, design, architecture, stage design, the digital arts and contemporary art, in a demonstration of the infinite creative possibilities of light. Over three days, the Poblenou neighbourhood and the areas around Pl. Glòries will be the epicentre of the city’s cultural activity.

Tipo-g | Location: Eixample Dreta
rected by my teacher Laura Meseguer, this typedesign school in Barcelona offers high quality education with the best typographic professionals in the country including Noe Blanco and Azza Almeida.

Type & Graphic Design Education in Barcelona

Barcelona Caligrafía | Location: Eixample Dreta
Co-funded by my calligraphy teacher Oriol Miró and Iván Castro, this school offers in-person and online calligraphy education with talented professionals including Laia Soler.

Eina School of Art & Design
This is where I studied my Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, as well as my Postgraduate Course in Advanced Typography. Great gardens surrounding the building in the north of Barcelona.

Elisava School of Design and Engineering
This is where I studied my Masters in UI Design. They regularly hosts talks and some of them are recorded and available online.

BAU College of Art and Design
Hosting events and talks regularly including Contraforma Barcelona.

ESDI Higher School of Design
ESDI is a university of graphic, product and fashion design, affiliated to the Ramon Llull University, with 35 years of experience training designers. I almost enrolled here for my fashion design degree which is one of my other passions in life!

Massana School of Art & Design

Escola Massana is the municipal center for Art and Design in the city of Barcelona. It began its teaching work on January 14, 1929 as a result of the legacy of the Barcelona philanthropist Agustí Massana.

Llotja School of Art & Design
Public graphic design studies in Sant Gervasi and Sant Andreu, right next door to Nau Bostik.

ESDAPC
Public studies. Escola Superior de Disseny i Arts Plàstiques de Catalunya.

LCI Barcelona | Location: Sarrià-Sant Gervasi
International school of art and design.

IED Barcelona | Location: Gràcia
European Institute of Design.

ES Design. Escuela Superior de Diseño de Barcelona
Our masters are taught by active professionals in the design sector who will present you with challenges like the ones they encounter daily. Through live online classes, our programs will allow you to specialize in different areas such as space design, editorial design or advertising design.

Metàfora International Art School | Location: Sants
Metàfora is an independent, multidisciplinary art school in Barcelona. Our flexible 3 year Studio Arts Program is designed in Blocks starting several times a year. Prospective students can join the course for a few weeks up to 3 years.

Art Hilgard | Location: Gràcia
Great art and stationery shop in the heart of Gràcia.

Stationery, Art Supplies & Print Shops

Barna Art + Barna Paper | Location: Eixample Dreta-Gràcia
One of my favourite stores for art materials and paper supplies.

Belles Arts Vicenç Piera | Location: Eixample Esquerra
Art supplies. They have a great online store as well.

Químics Dalmau | Location: Eixample Esquerra
In this old-school drugstore you can buy 1kg of walnut crystals at a great price!

Can Boada | Location: Gòtic
Large printing sizes at a great quality and price.

Raima, the biggest (and fanciest) stationery shop | Location: Gòtic
Great to visit even if you are not planning on buying anything.

Pepa Paper | Location: Eixample Esquerra
Classic art supply shop next to the University of Barcelona.

Milbby | Location: Sant Andreu (La Maquinista)
Big stationery shop in the only outdoor shopping centre I have ever visited.

Yourbban Trafalgar Hotel | Location: El Born
Go on a weekday; head up to level 8 before 8pm and wow yourself! Beers are dear but worth the view.

Rooftop with a WOW View in Barcelona

Barcelona Design Hub | Location: Glòries
Free entry every Sunday after 3pm + the first Sunday of every month.

Museums & Cultural Centres

La Virreina Image Centre | Location: Raval
Free entry. Schedule: Tuesdays to Sundays and public holidays from 11am to 8pm.

CCCB Museum| Location: Raval
Free entry: First Sunday of every month from 3pm to 7pm. Online booking required.

MACBA Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona | Location: Raval
Free entry: Every Saturday from 4pm to 8 pm and the first Sunday of every month.

MNAC Museum | Location: Raval
Free entry: Every Saturday after 3pm + the first Sunday of every month + May 18th (International Museum Day).

Caixa Forum Museum | Location: Montjuïc
Free entry: September 24th (La Mercè) every year.

Fundació Joan Miró | Location: Montjuïc
Free entry days: February 12th (Santa Eulàlia), May 18th (International Museum Day), September 24th (La Mercè) and 5-6 October (Viu Montjuïc).

Fundació Antoni Tàpies | Location: Eixample Esquerra
Free entry days: February 12th (Santa Eulàlia), May 18th (International Museum Day) and September 24th (La Mercè).

Fabra i Coats Contemporary Art Centre | Location: Sant Andreu
Art factory is a municipal facility that aims to cater to every stage of creative and knowledge-production processes—research, investigation, creation, production and exhibition. Plenty of free events during Sant Andreu Festival in November + September 24th (La Mercè).

Nau Bostik Urban Art Centre | Location: Sant Andreu-La Sagrera
Free entry to the urban and graffiti art premises.

Nau Bostik Co-working Space | Location: Sant Andreu-La Sagrera
Great co-working space in the heart of Nau Bostik.

B-Murals – Urban Art Centre| Location: Sant Andreu-La Sagrera
Great gallery space in the heart of Nau Bostik.

Art Centre Sala Tecla | Location: Hospitalet

Arts Santa Mònica | Raval
Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica, more commonly abbreviated as Arts Santa Mònica, is a public venue in Barcelona, opened in 1988, for exhibiting contemporary art. It is located in the Raval side of Rambla de Santa Mònica. It hosts a number of exhibitions of contemporary Spanish and international artists every year. Free entry.

El Diluvio Universal Concept Store | Location: Gràcia
Fashion, accessories and illustration.

Art Galleries, Book & Concept Stores

Base Elements Art Gallery | Location: Gòtic
Contemporary works including illustration and skateboard decks.

Chandal Store Concept Store| Location: El Born
Objects for everyone’s modern life.

Hey Shop Concept Store| Location: Raval
Run by Veronica Fuerte from Hey Design.

Mar de Cava Concept Store| Location: Eixample Dreta
Joyful design inspiring you since 2011.

Nuovum Design & Fashion | Location: Raval
Local and independent designers in Barcelona.

La Central Bookstore | Location: Raval & Eixample Esquerra
“Their cafe is reason enough to check out this bookstore, but you might also want to pop in for their English language selection. At any rate, picking up your next read and taking it into the garden to enjoy with a fresh cup of coffee is a 10/10 experience.” By Marija Pajkovic.

Finestres Art & Comic Bookstore | Location: Eixample Esquerra
A fantastic recommendation by Laura Meseguer.

Carrer Bonavista | Location: Gràcia
This small street in Barcelona captures so many good things! You’ll find independent fashion stores, concept stores, a couple of great restaurants including Bar But and a comic store at the end of it. If you only have a few hours in the city, this street will give you a great overview of it.

Colmillo de Morsa | Location: El Born
My good friend Eli is running this great independent fashion label since 2009.

Independent Fashion Stores in Barcelona

La Pubilla ($$) | Location: Gràcia
Fine dining at an affordable menu price. For lunch on a weekday only. Reservation is essential. Booking a table is essential.

Bars & Restaurants in Barcelona

Goliard ($$) | Location: Gràcia
Great Catalan cuisine. I recommend going on a weekday for their lunch menu. Booking a table is essential.

Restaurant Santa Magdalena ($$) | Location: Gràcia
Great Catalan cuisine. I recommend going on a weekday for their lunch menu. I went on a Thursday which they cook rice and it was outstanding! Booking a table is essential.

Les Tres A La Cuina ($) | Location: Gràcia
Home style food at a great value. Menu weekdays + take away.

La Panxa Del Bisbe ($$) | Location: Gràcia
Elaborated tapas to delight your senses!

Restaurant Macrobiòtic Zen ($) | Location: Sant Antoni
Great vegan food for a great value.

El Pollo ($$) | Location: Raval
Try their tortillas!

L’Hortet Vegetarian Restaurant ($) | Location: Raval
Creative vegetarian dishes & set menus at a veteran stop with whitewashed walls & wooden furniture.

Quimet Quimet ($$) | Location: Poble Sec
Tapas since 1914.

La Fuga Barcelona ($$) | Location: Eixample Dreta
Cycling shop + Italian restaurant with gluten free pasta!

Bar Andorra ($$) | Location: El Born
Cosy interior design and atmosphere.

Tu Cachapa ($) | Location: Sant Andreu
Best Venezuelan food for price. Many gluten free options.

Ateneu l’Armonia ($) | Location: Sant Andreu
Co-op local bar with a great vibe and great prices including craft gluten-free beers.

Bar La Tapadera ($) | Location: Sant Andreu
The cheapest menú of the day in Barcelona!

Otra Cosa Taverna ($$) | Location: Sant Andreu
Catalan-Chilean-Korean fusion. Great restaurant with a very personalised service.

Rostisseria Ecos ($) | Location: Sant Andreu
One of my favourite roasted chickens in Barcelona

Heliogàbal | Location: Gràcia
Live music many days a week.

Music Venues in Barcelona

Sagrades Tanines | Location: Eixample Dreta
Sundays from 1pm to 3pm vermut with rumba and other live music.

Razzmatazz | Location: Poble Nou
Live music and DJ sessions regularly.

Sala Apolo | Location: Sants-Montjuïc
Live music and DJ sessions regularly.

El Cangrejo | Location: Raval
Drag shows and dance sessions.

Moog Barcelona | Location: Raval
Classic electronic music venue and one of my favourites.

Sala Vol | Location: Poble Nou
Live music and DJ sessions regularly.

Asociación Freedonia | Location: Raval
Live music and DJ sessions regularly. They also organise some events for Raval Festival in June.

Robadors 23 | Location: Raval
Concerts of jazz, flamenco & other genres in a tapas bar with stone walls & underground style.

Tinta Roja Bar Theatre | Location: Poble Sec
Tango, Latin music & artistic events in a 1920s-style theatre cafe located in an old dairy.

Club Savage Barcelona | Location: Gòtic
Live music and DJ sessions in the heart of Barcelona (Plaça Reial, 7).

Paral·lel 62 | Location: Poble Sec
Live music and DJ sessions very close from Sala Apolo

The Shit Series | Part 3

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:17:35 GMT

The Shit Series | Part 2: FROM Post 51 TO Post 75

Post number #51:

That’s the best damn shit that ever happened

MATERIALS

This post is about me feeling clearly very optimistic, as I was thinking “election day has finally arrived and Hilary will cruise along”… Wrong!

Style: Italic calligraphy.

→ 3mm and 1.5mm Brause broad nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #52:

shitism

MATERIALS

This post is about my feelings after learning the news from the US elections. “I can’t believe that we are going to put up with Trump’s SHITISM for the next 4 years”.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy

Model: Julia Sturn

→ Daiso brush pen

Post number #53:

bored shitless

MATERIALS

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Pentel Aquash Brush Pen

Post number #54:

dumb as dog shit

MATERIALS

This post is about making a statement of what I consider my calligraphy philosophy: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” Pablo Picasso.

Style: Modern Copperplate calligraphy

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 6mm

→ Liquid watercolours.

Post number #55:

SHEEEEIT

MATERIALS

→ Nikko G pointed flexible pen

→ Walnut ink

This post is about me feeling extremely happy having my last five calligraphy workshops of 2016 sold out!

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

Post number #56:

have a shit hot xmas

MATERIALS

Sometimes you seek for inspirations, and other times inspiration finds you. Nearly a year ago, my partner and I were driving to Lakes Entrace and we bumped into a huge message on the side of the road. We stopped the car and I took a couple of photographs.

I didn’t know that I was just a few weeks away from starting “The Shit Series”, neither that I was going to end up writing 50+ posts about it.

Style: Fraktur calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #57:

You can’t spell for shit

MATERIALS

Style: Copperplate calligraphy

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Walnut ink

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #58:

SHITTIE

MATERIALS

Last week I was revisiting my post number 52 (Shitism) and I asked my studio buddy Chloe if there was a grammatical rule to determined when a word ends on “ie” or “y”… Normal questions that arise after almost sixty posts on the same subject.

Chloe told me that the standard way to say it, in this case, was “shitty”… So I redid my post and sent it to Das Automat to get a t-shirt for myself for Christmas!

Chloe also told me about the meaning of shittie. Google it if you, like me, have no idea what is this about… It cannot get any classier!

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Walnut ink

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #59 :

shitting bricks

MATERIALS

This post is literally me freaking out as I almost missed a really important appointment in my life. Great news coming up in the next months!

Style: Hand lettering.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

→ Canson Watercolour paper 300gsm

Post number #60:

I DO HAVE TIME FOR THIS SHIT

MATERIALS

This quote is inspired by the great and generous Nicole Phillips @typographher and her recent blog post about my Shit Series. You can check it out here.

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Walnut ink

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #61:

THE SHITTER

MATERIALS

A Caganer — or “the shitter” — is a small figurine of a person squatting down with lowered pants shitting. They have been around since the 17th century and can often be found hiding in an obscure corner of a Nativity scene.

The figurines originally became popular among farmers who believed that the caganer’s “offerings” would make the soil rich and productive for the coming year.

The “Association of Friends of the Caganer” states that the figures were meant to add “a human side to the representation of the mystery of Christmas.”

Wikipedia also mentions how the Caganer might represent “the equality of all people” because “everyone defecates”. . Nowadays, young children in Catalonia still play a Where’s-Waldo-like game that involves searching for the Caganer in the nativity scene arrangement. You can read more about it here.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Tombow brush pen

Post number #62:

WHAT A LOG OF SHIT

MATERIALS

The “Caga tió” is a Christmas log that shits presents and is sold all over Catalonia in supermarkets and Christmas markets. The Christmas log is a tree stump standing on stick legs with a very happy painted face. It is “fed” sweets and candy, pampered and cared for by children starting from the 8th December, and ending on Christmas Eve on 24th December.

On that night, the Caga Tió log is put very close to the fireplace. The children sing the “Caga Tió” song to get the log to “poo” some presents. The song ends with a final load cry of “Caga Tió!” which is the imperative tense of the verb “shit log!!”

Generally, the presents pooped out by the log are candy, sweets and maybe a few gifts. The bulk of Christmas presents for children in Spain are delivered on 6th January by the Three Kings on Kings Day (6th January), not by Santa on Christmas Day.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Faber Castell brush pens

Post number #63:

SORTING MY SHIT OUT

MATERIALS

My Christmas celebrations in Australia consists of spending quality time with my partner.

Rob and I usually leave Melbourne and spend the Christmas break on our own. We prepare Bloody Mary drinks every morning and reflect on how the year went for both of us. I am a big fan of mapping out our calendar year and setting our goals.

This post is about being back at the office today feeling great, cleaning my desk, backing up my files and sorting my shit out.

Style: Script brush pen calligraphy.

→ Pentel Sign Brush Pen

MATERIALS

→ Pentel Touch Sign Brush Pen

Post number #64:

THIS SHIT IS IMPORTANT TO ME

Working on personal projects is very important to me. Today I spent my day at Rotson Studios having fun on my own. I always try to keep a balance between client work and self-generated projects: it keeps me happy and sane.

Style: Script brush pen calligraphy.

Post number #65:

this shit is bananas

MATERIALS

Good things also happens in threes:

1) To kick start the year, I had the incredible pleasure to meet George and Dominique Falla from Typism. As a last minute surprise, Bobby Haiqalsyah came to give me (literally) a couple of hands to film my online class for the upcoming #typismsummit. Thanks to the Typism community, I met Nikita Prokhorov a great designer from Brooklyn who creates amazing ambigrams;

2) My special Brush Calligraphy weekend workshop with Carla Hackett at Rotson Studios is sold out;

3) And on day 10 of 2017, I’m on my way to the airport to join Filipe and Lauren Vilitati for their up-coming Fijian wedding. Next twelve days mean holidays to me!

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #66:

fresh shit

MATERIALS

Watching the Williams sisters, Federer and Nadal at the Australian Open, makes me think about the value of hard work, focus and tenacity.

I tend to think about my age, and use it as an excuse for not doing shit… Well, I’ve taught a good lesson this week.

Style: ruling pen calligraphy.

→ Ruling pen

Post number #67:

IT IS NOT THE SHIT THAT MATTERS, IT IS THE PROCESS

MATERIALS

Rebooting the system and launching back-to-school mode.

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Silver gouache paint

Post number #68:

warming the shit up

MATERIALS

Let love win in 2017. This post is dedicated to my very good friend Carlos Garcia, who’s always been there for me.

Style: Green Fairy Font Family .

→ Glyphs App

Post number #69:

WHAT IS THIS SHIT & WHERE CAN I GET SOME?

MATERIALS

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Brause 3mm broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

→ Walnut ink

Post number #70:

PUBLIC THAT SHIT

MATERIALS

Back at the studio again having fun. Post dedicated to Alphabettes .

Style: Hand lettering and calligraphy capitals.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #71:

THIS IS THE BEST SHIT EVER

MATERIALS

It’s only taken me ten years and six months but finally, in March 2017, I became Australian and it feels so good!

Style: Hand lettering.

→ Pentel Touch Sign Brush Pen

→ Mechanical pencil

→ Sharpie fine liner

Post number #72:

HOLY SHIT

MATERIALS

I’m forty and I’m totally OK with it.

It’s all happening this month of March! After my Aussie citizenship, now I get to enter a new decade and I’ll be using my Shit Series to go through any mid-life crisis that comes along my way.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Pentel Touch Sign Brush Pen

Post number #73:

don't chicken out, chicken shit

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of my dear friend Troy Leinster .

→ Sharpie markers

Post number #74:

SHIT HOT AUSSIE ASS

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Megan Cain.

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Oblique pen holder

→ Canson watercolour 300gsm paper

Post number #75:

you think you are king shit

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of the amazing Lara Captan . See the animation of this piece here .

Style: Script brush pen calligraphy

→ Pentel Touch Sign Brush Pen

The Shit Series: Part 3

The Shit Series is a personal project that kick started by my fascination with language and all the colloquial ways Aussies use the word shit.

Since its infancy back in January 2016, this series have grown through organic collaboration and using calligraphy, hand lettering, vector lettering and typography.

The inspiration behind these series is my Catalan Christmas celebrations. On Christmas Eve in Catalonia, we celebrate the “caga tió” (Christmas log that shits presents). We also feature the “caganer” (the shitter) in our Christmas nativity scene.

With this project I'm building a cultural bridge between my two homes, while using each popular saying as a biographical mirror of how I feel on each given day.

My Shit Series have taught me a lot of Australian slang. Check out the entire project, the inspiration behind each post and the tools I have used to create them; Good shit guaranteed!

Industries

Visual communication

Personal branding

Credits

Client: Self-generated project

post 51 - post 75

51. That’s the best damn shit that ever happened

52. Shitism

53. Bored shitless

54. Dumb as dog shit

55. Sheeeeit

56. Have a shit hot Xmas

57. You can’t spell for shit

58. Shittie

59. Shitting bricks

60. I do have time for this shit

61. The Shitter

62. What a log of shit

63. Sorting my shit out

64. This shit is important to me

65. Shit happens in threees

66. I’m not too old for this shit

67. It is not the shit that matters, it is the process

68. Love you shit loads

69. What’s shit, and where can I get some?

70. Publish that shit

71. This is the best shit ever!

72. Holy shit!

73. Bloody good shit mate!

74. Shit hot, Aussie ass

75. Same Shit, Different Day

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Services

Calligraphy

Lettering

Art & creative direction

The Shit Series | Part 4

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:17:23 GMT

The Shit Series | Part 2: FROM Post 76 TO Post 100

Post number #76:

I LIKE TO BLOW SHIT UP

MATERIALS

Quote by Cindy Gallop .

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #77:

SHARING THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING

MATERIALS

“Social media is simply a new methodology that allows women to do what we have been doing since the dawn of time, which is ‘sharing the shit out of everything’ in a way that men don’t” Quote by Cindy Gallop .

Style: Blackletter calligraphy.

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 3.8mm

Post number #78:

MAKE A SHIT TON OF MONEY

MATERIALS

“Be totally unashamed about wanting to ‘make a shit ton of money’ […]

As women, we don’t get taken seriously until we get taken seriously financially. And so women you owe it to the rest of us, to absolutely be determined to make a shit ton of money so you can then invest it in the rest of us, female founders, and help women build businesses”.

A few weeks ago I listened to Debbie Millman interviewing Cindy Gallop on Design Matters and I got really empowered, so I designed three posts based on Cindy’s quotes during that podcast.

Style: Vector lettering.

→ Glyphs App

→ Adobe Illustrator

Post number #79:

TAKE NO SHIT

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Lisa Lorenz.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Pentel Aquash Brush Pen

→ Walnut ink

Post number #80:

THAT IS A CROCK OF SHIT

MATERIALS

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

This is how I feel about my Roman Capitals… So much room to improve!

Style: Broad-edge nib Roman Capitals calligraphy.

Post number #81:

it is so shit outside!

MATERIALS

This week has been all about ��and more ��… Winter is coming!

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #82:

You are hanging shit on me

MATERIALS

Two calligraphic styles, two voices. Modern Romans at the top using a pointed flexible nib, and Modern Carolingian at the bottom using a broad pen.

Style: Modern Romans and Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #83:

MAKING SHIT UP

MATERIALS

Style: Italic Calligraphy

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #84:

LET'S PRETEND THIS SHIT NEVER HAPPENED

MATERIALS

Style: Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

→ Canson Basik paper 370gsm

Post number #85:

YOU ARE DRIVING A SHITBOX

MATERIALS

Post dedicated to my friends Teagan Glenane and Craig McConaghy who met last year at Shitbox Rally and are currency on their way to Adelaide to start their second @shitboxrally together.

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

Post number #86:

SHIT KICKER

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of @ben_stephen

Post dedicated to all fellow designers like myself, who’ve spent countless hours doing tedious tasks and dreaming of better times.

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Nikko G

→ Black fine liner

Post number #87:

SHIT HEAD

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of @ben_stephen

For the last five months I have invested a huge amount of hours working on my typeface. The font is not finished yet, but I’m definitely getting there.

After spending my entire Sunday using a brush, I have decided to allocate more time for analog practice and new tools.

Style: Brush calligraphy

→ Rekab 313 round brush

→ Fine liner

Post number #88:

FREE SHIT

MATERIALS

Style: Brush calligraphy

→ Rekab 313 round brush

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 6mm

MATERIALS

→ Black fine liner

→ Mechanical pencil

Post number #89:

I KNOW MY SHIT

This post is dedicated to all medical students and future doctors out there, whose efforts and passion will save and improve many lives.

Style: Hand lettering.

Post number #90:

SUPPORT THE SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER

MATERIALS

“Let’s group hug it out, have a cathartic cry, regain perspective, pat a dog and support the shit outta each other” by @katepullendraws.

With this post I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported, encouraged and shared my creative journey so far.

Style: Rustica calligraphy.

→ Flat brush

→ Gouache paint

Post number #91:

SCARED SHITLESS

MATERIALS

Presenting my first public speaking gig at Typism Conference.

→ Ruling pen

Post number #92:

PACKING SHIT

MATERIALS

This post was part of my @typism talk and represented my feelings about coming to Australia:

“It took me twenty-nine years to find the courage to pack my bag and book a one-way ticket overseas. I was so scared of feeling homesick and running back home at the first chance, that I flew to the furthest destination possible, as it would cost me an arm and a leg to book a return ticket back home.

The twenty-eight hours flight from Barcelona to Brisbane was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life”.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy

→ Faber & Castell brush pen

Post number #93:

SHIT YES!

MATERIALS

YES to Marriage Equality
YES to Love
YES to Peace
YES to Dialogue
And please… NO to Violence

My heart is with marriage equality in Australia and with peaceful dialogue process in Catalonia.

→ Glyphs App

Post number #94:

DEAD SHIT

MATERIALS

This week I went to urban dictionary to read the meaning of this expression again: “Lost, no idea what’s going on; does things so stupid that no person that has any logic can explain. All round stupid” And I could help but thinking immediately of someone that starts with_ _ _ and finishes with _ _ , don’t you?

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #95:

i just ate shit

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Teagan Glenane .

At the age of six I started figure roller skating. I was training every second day, a total of twenty hours a week. I loved everything about skating except the competition season.

My trainer was really tuff on all of us. I remember one day going to compete and feeling sick. I don’t know if I was really sick, or just freaked out, but I was throwing up in the toilette while the MC was calling my name on the microphone. So, I ran outside, performed my two-minute program and went back to the toilette. After that day, I started to hate skating.

At the age of 14, I had a bicycle accident where I totally ate shit! I broke the posterior cruciate ligament from my left knee. I was supposed to be sad because this meant that my skating career had arrived to an end but instead, I was secretly happy and relieved because I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore!

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #96:

i'm in deep shit

MATERIALS

My heart is with Catalonia.

“In a world of excess let’s switch off our phones, let’s want less, let’s blame and complain less, let’s be here and do something about what really matters. Let’s fight for our rights, let’s stand and voice our feelings, let’s scream at injustice and most of all, let’s stop waiting for governments and politicians to change something because they won’t. Let’s face the reality of the parade we live in, and change on a daily basis as much as we can by changing our eating habits, our thoughts, our talks, and our day to day relationship with life.” By @sattvasattva

Style: Neuland Calligraphy

→ Pentel Touch Sign Brush Pen

→ Mechanical pencil

→ Sharpie fine liner

Post number #97:

DIP SHIT

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of @madevisual and the inspiration of Andy J Pizza and Lauren Hom via Creative Pep Talk .

One fish asks another fish “how’s the water?” The other fish replies, “what the hell is water?” David Foster Wallace was an American writer who died in 2008 at the age of forty-six.

In his speech —addressed to a graduating class at Kenyon College— David reflects on the difficulties of daily life. You can read the full speech here.

My points are:

1) I was once a fish who didn’t know I was in water;
2) It’s easy to forget that what surrounds you is only normal because it’s what you know. To others, those surroundings might seem pretty strange;
3) Contrary to popular belief, the goldfish memory span is far beyond three seconds;
4) Goldfish have the capacity to learn and adopt patterns of behaviour. Yep, this means you can train them!
5) They are not stupid at all.

→ Black fine liner

Post number #98:

WHAT A SHITSHOW

MATERIALS

I’m super excited to present my second solo exhibition, this time in Spain at the Art Centre La Panera. This exhibition is a retrospective of my last five years of professional and personal practice, combined with several new pieces and the official presentation of my Green Fairy font family.

The inspiration behind this show is the use of language, the popular sayings and my Catalan scatological background featuring the acts of drinking, eating, peeing, and pooping as four elements part of a natural cycle in relationship and respect towards the land (ecology avant la lettre).

Style: Vector lettering

→ Glyphs App

→ Adobe Illustrator

Post number #99:

PRETTY SHIT

MATERIALS

When something kind of sucks. As a beginner at anything, it’s very common to say “that’s pretty shit”, or my personal all-time favourite “this is not good enough” whatever good enough means.

I learnt Copperplate calligraphy in 2011 for the first time. I sucked at it for a very, very long time. This style of calligraphy never came natural to me and it has taken me many years to reach a point where I am feeling comfortable with the pointed pen and finally feeling the flow.

My teacher Amanda Adams once told me “your pens are like your dogs; you take them for a walk every day no matter if it rains, it’s cold or hot, you just do it”.

In my personal experience there are no shortcuts, only practice. And, if you decide to put your pointed pen down to sleep for a few weeks/months, be prepared to feel all the shakes again, guaranteed.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Oblique pen holder

→ Canson watercolour 300gsm paper

Post number #100:

GOOD SHIT TAKES TIME

MATERIALS

Patience is not one of my strengths and my Green Fairy font has been a painful reminder of it.

I want to get there faster, I want to see results sooner and I want to make shit happen quicker… But sometimes, it is not possible.

Often, good shit takes up a big chunk of time and it all comes down to embracing your day a day and enjoying the process, and I am very much working on it.

→ Adobe illustrator

The Shit Series: Part 4

The Shit Series is a personal project that kick started by my fascination with language and all the colloquial ways Aussies use the word shit.

Since its infancy back in January 2016, this series have grown through organic collaboration and using calligraphy, hand lettering, vector lettering and typography.

With this project I'm building a cultural bridge between my two homes, while using each popular saying as a biographical mirror of how I feel on each given day.

My Shit Series have taught me a lot of Australian slang. Check out the entire project, the inspiration behind each post and the tools I have used to create them; Good shit guaranteed!

Industries

Visual communication

Personal branding

Credits

Client: Self-generated project

FROM post 76 TO post 100

76. I like to blow shit up

77. Sharing the shit out of everything

78. Make a shit ton of money

79. Take no shit

80. That’s a crock of shit

81. It’s so shit outside!

82. ou are hanging shit on me

83. Making shit up

84. Let’s pretend this shit never happened

85. You are driving a shitbox

86. Shit kicker

87. Shit head

88. Free shit

89. I know my shit

90. Support the shit out of each other

91. Scared Shitless

92. Packing Shit

93. Shit Yes!

94. Dead shit

95. I just ate shit

96. I’m in deep shit

97. Dipshit

98. What a Shitshow

99. Pretty shit

100. Good shit takes time

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Services

Calligraphy

Lettering

Art & creative direction

Custom Calligraphy Envelop Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:17:06 GMT

Calligraphic envelopes x Western Sydney University

Taurai Moyo commissioned a series of 40 handwritten envelopes for a calligraphy event hosted by the Muslim Students’ Association at Western Sydney University (WSU). Each envelope was thoughtfully prepared to include a beginner’s calligraphy kit, accompanied by a bespoke invitation to book private tutorials for selected members.

Industries

Education

Culture

Credits

Client: Western Sydney University (WSU)

Student Experience & Marketing: Taurai Moyo

Art direction: Maria Montes

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Services

Calligraphy

Calligraphy Poem | Private Commission

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:16:46 GMT

POEM TRANSCRIPTION

MATERIALS

A storm, a lost blackbird finds my garden.

Upon her face the softest snows would sigh.

Dazzling dark, round which her heart had hardened,

a spitshake bond to bind her path and mine.

Then limerence dragged, wild horses 'fore their carts,

on promise rock we broke and broke again.

As loyal Charon orbits black, apart, in storm we found, in storm we saw the end.

But depths we sunk, turned depth from which we grew,

for bird in beauty, but she's a tiger.

A child, 'pon merry creek we built anew and then together, we walked through fire.

A garden, a blackbird, now mine and yours, on wings which love was lost, now soars.

→ Hunt 101 pointed flexible nib

→ Liquid watercolours

→ 300gsm watercolour paper

Calligraphy Poem | Private Commission

Elegant gradient Copperplate calligraphy on white paper, featuring a small bird icon and poetic text about blackbirds and storms. Private commission.

Industries

Art

Credits

Private client: Will McMahon

Art direction: Maria Montes

PROJECT BRIEF

Services

Calligraphy

Calligraphic Greeting Cards Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:16:31 GMT

Calligraphic Greeting Cards Design

Collection of elegant calligraphic greeting cards design.

Industries

Publishing

Visual communication

Art & culture

Credits

Client: Self-generated project

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Calligraphy

Green Fairy | Extra Virgin Olive Oil

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:39:41 GMT

Olive Oil | Packaging Design Concept

Industries

FMCG
Beverage industry

Soft drinks

Credits

Client: Self-generated project
Art director: Maria Montes
Graphic & type designer: Maria Montes

Photographer: Peter Tarasiuk

Services

Packaging design

Font design

Green Fairy is a chromatic font family highly ornamented for display purposes. Green Fairy’s characters have been specifically designed to accommodate its loops and ornaments following a modern typeface structure.

The origin of this typeface is the lettering I designed in 2015 as part of my illustrated cocktail artwork called Absinthe. La Fée Verte (The Green Fairy). Originally, this lettering only featured eight letters “AB·SINTHE” vector drawn in Illustrator.

Green Fairy Font Origins

Green Fairy Packaging DESIGN Concept

In April 2018, Green Fairy font family was finally released commercially at MyFonts . In June 2018, I presented Green Fairy Font officially at my second solo exhibition in Spain featuring nine different packaging design concepts to display the font in use.

Green Fairy | Red, Rosé & White Wine Labels

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:39:39 GMT

Wine Label | Packaging Design Concepts

Industries

FMCG
Beverage industry

Wines

Credits

Client: Self-generated project
Art director: Maria Montes
Graphic & type designer: Maria Montes

Photographer: Peter Tarasiuk

Services

Packaging design

Font design

Wine label design

Green Fairy Font Origins

Green Fairy Packaging DESIGN Concepts

Green Fairy | Spirits Labels Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:39:38 GMT

Liquors | Packaging Design Concepts

Industries

FMCG
Beverage industry

Spirits

Sangria

Agardiente

Orujo

Coffee liquor

Credits

Client: Self-generated project
Art director: Maria Montes
Graphic & type designer: Maria Montes

Photographer: Peter Tarasiuk

Services

Packaging design

Font design

Surface pattern design

Green Fairy Font Origins

Green Fairy Packaging DESIGN Concepts

The Shit Series | Part 1

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:39:37 GMT

The Shit Series | Part 1: Post 1 - Post 25

Post number #1:

Shit will hit the fan

MATERIALS

I learned about this expression from Ken Ticker during our monthly Saturday dinner meet ups at his house.

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Walnut ink

→ Golden gouache paint

→ William Mitchell elbow nib

→ Straight pen holder

Post number #2:

as rare as rocking horse shit

MATERIALS

Post thanks to the contribution of Ken Tickner.

Style: Italic calligraphy.

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 2.4mm

→ Black fine liner

→ Galgo 70gsm paper

Post number #3:

BUILT LIKE A BRICK SHIT HOUSE

MATERIALS

Contribution from Sarah Graham while camping at The Prom (Australia) and trying to scare a wombat who showed up without an invite.

Style: Fraktur calligraphy.

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 3.8mm

→ 300gsm watercolour paper

Post number #4:

all over it like flies on shit

MATERIALS

Post thanks to the contribution of Viki Wright while having a few beers in Bairnsdale, VIC.

Style: Italic calligraphy.

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 3.8mm

→ Canson XL Marker paper 70gsm

Post number #5:

JUST FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES

MATERIALS

Style: Script hand lettering.

→ Pentel Hybrid Technica 0.3mm

→ Tracing paper

Post number #6:

I AM SHITTING MY PANTS, I SHIT YOU NOT

MATERIALS

This post is about my feelings after my solo exhibition. Having a project ahead with a specific deadline helped me a lot to be motivated and extremely focused.

After the exhibition I felt really lost, looking around and asking myself way too many questions: “What’s next? When am I going to get paid again? Where am I going now?” I was really scared.

Now I am still fighting and trying to find my next project to keep myself happy for the next months.

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Walnut ink

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #7:

SHIT!

MATERIALS

Playing with a Tombow pen for the first time.

Style: Script brush pen calligraphy.

→ Tombow pen

→ Canson XL Marker paper 70gsm

Post number #8:

you are shitting me up the wall

MATERIALS

Post thanks to the contribution of my studio buddy and a great photographer, Teagan Glenane .

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 1.5mm

→ Canson XL Marker paper 70gsm

Post number #9:

you don't know jack shit

MATERIALS

This post is about the feeling when you think you know something but in reality you know nothing at all!

A while ago I attended a “Type by Hand” workshop with Wayne Thompson and Carla Hackett. I thought I knew how to write letterforms since I tried a Tombow pen and I felt I have never held a pen before.

→ Tombow Pen

→ Canson XL Marker paper 70gsm

Post number #10:

no shit sherlock

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Rob Tickner.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Daiso brush pen

→ Pentel Sign Brush pen

Post number #11:

get your shit together

MATERIALS

This post is about pushing myself forward, finding the good energy, working harder and remembering how lucky I am for doing what I love for a living.

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ William Mitchell elbow nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #12:

Honey, I know you like to think your shit don’t stink

MATERIALS

This post is about my non-romantic approach to the commercialised St. Valentine’s Day.

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Walnut ink

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #13:

same old shit

MATERIALS

This post is about going through a very tough personal time and using calligraphy to meditate and calm myself down.

Style: Italic calligraphy.

→ Brause & Co 3mm, 2mm and 1mm nibs

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #14:

bat shit crazy

MATERIALS

This post is about approaching the end of February and feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything yet.

Style: Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ Brause & Co 3mm nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #15:

losing my shit

MATERIALS

This post is about dealing with personal problems and not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Style: Brush pen calligraphy

→ Daiso brush pen

→ Black fine liner

→ Golden and white gel pens

Post number #16:

You little shit stirrer

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Teagan Glenane .

Style: Fraktur calligraphy.

→ Pilot Parallel Pen

→ 300gsm Canson Watercolour paper

Post number #17:

all professional and shit

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of my studio buddy and great photographer Peter Tarasiuk .

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Daiso brush pen

→ 300gsm Canson Basik paper

Post number #18:

panna cotta is the shit

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Rhianna Hobbs.

Style: Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ Brause 3mm broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

→ Pentel Aquash Brush

Post number #19:

holy shitballs batman

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Robert Tickner .

Style: Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ Brause 3mm broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

→ Pentel Aquash Brush

Post number #20:

you do so much cool shit

MATERIALS

One blogger says to the other while attending a private whisky event in the city.

Style: Fraktur calligraphy.

→ 6mm Pilot Parallel Pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #21:

shit yeah!

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Ben Tovell.

Style: Fraktur calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #22:

up shit creek without a paddle

MATERIALS

Contribution by Rebecca Olivieri.

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Neuland calligraphy

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #23:

get shit done

MATERIALS

Style: Skeleton Roman Capitals calligraphy.

→ 1.5mm Brause broad nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #24:

that's shithouse mate

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Teagan Glenane and Lauren Vilitati .

Style: Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #25:

you gotta be shitting me

MATERIALS

This post is a joke about displaying a broad nib when I am actually using a flexible pointed one to write Copperplate calligraphy. I don’t think anyone on Instagram noticed though!

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Walnut ink

→ Liquid watercolours

The Shit Series: Part 1

The Shit Series is a personal project that kick started by my fascination with language and all the colloquial ways Aussies use the word shit.

Since its infancy back in January 2016, this series have grown through organic collaboration and using calligraphy, hand lettering, vector lettering and typography.

With this project I'm building a cultural bridge between my two homes, while using each popular saying as a biographical mirror of how I feel on each given day.

My Shit Series have taught me a lot of Australian slang. Check out the entire project, the inspiration behind each post and the tools I have used to create them; Good shit guaranteed!

Industries

Visual communication

Personal branding

Credits

Client: Self-generated project

post 1 - post 25

01. Shit will hit the fan

02. As rare as rocking horse shit

03. Built like a brick shit house

04. All over it like flies on shit

05. Just for shits and giggles

06. I'm shitting my pants, I shit you not

07. Shit!

08. You are shitting me up the wall

09. You don't know jack shit

10. No shit Sherlock

11. Get your shit together

12. Honey, I know you like to think your shit don’t stink

13. Same old shit

14. Bat shit crazy

15. Losing my shit

16. You little shit stirrer

17. All professional and shit

18. Panna cotta is the shit

19. Holy shitballs Batman

20. You do so much cool shit

21. Shit yeah!

22. Up shit creek without a paddle

23. Get shit done

24. That's shithouse mate

25. You gotta be shitting me

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Services

Calligraphy

Lettering

Art & creative direction

The Shit Series | Part 2

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:39:36 GMT

The Shit Series | Part 2: Post 26 - Post 50

Post number #26:

that's the good shit

MATERIALS

This post is about me feeling really happy for selling out my first calligraphy workshop in Sydney, yay!

Style: Brush pen calligraphy.

→ Daiso brush pen

Post number #27:

you are so full of shit mate

MATERIALS

Hand lettering project.

→ Rotring Rapidograph

Post number #28:

It’s all shits and giggles until someone giggles and shits

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Steve Abbott‘s brother.

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 3.8mm

→ 300gsm watercolour paper

Post number #29:

in the middle of a shitstorm

MATERIALS

This post is about struggling with being a one woman-business, and wanting to do too many things at the same time without losing my mind.

Style: Blackletter calligraphy.

→ Pilot Parallel Pen 6mm

→ Liquid watercolours.

Post number #30:

PUSHING SHIT UPHILL WITH A RUBBER FORK ON A HOT DAY

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Craig Newman. When asked him “what is that mean?” Craig said, “means it is really hard”.

Style: Italic calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #31:

you scared the shit out of me

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Teagan Glenane .

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #32:

crack the shits

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Kate Pullen.

Style: Skeleton Roman Capitals calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #33:

keep that shit up

MATERIALS

This post is about finding motivation in the middle of a cold and rainy day in Melbourne.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

→ Canson Watercolour paper 300gsm

Post number #34:

don't give me more shit

MATERIALS

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #35:

photoshop the shit out of it

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Danielle, Christian and Marz while having a team meeting at Tractor Design school.

Style: Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #36:

bullshit artist

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Michael Poland.

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ Daiso brush pen

→ William Mitchell elbow nib

→ White gel pen

→ Golden gouach paint

Post number #37:

as boring as bat shit

MATERIALS

Style: Fraktur calligraphy.

→ 6mm Pilot Parallel Pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #38:

just talking (fancy) shit

MATERIALS

Style: Copperplate calligraphy.

→ William Mitchell elbow nib

→ Straight pen holder

→ Metallic inks

MATERIALS

→ Brause & Co 3mm nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #39:

shit just got real

This post is about the excitement before jumping on an airplane and flying to Barcelona!

Style: Brush pen calligraphy

Post number #40:

this shit is bananas

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Bethany Simons.

Style: Blackletter calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #41:

fresh shit

MATERIALS

This post is about the excitement to come back home again.

Style: Copperplate Calligraphy

→ Pentel Sign Brush Pen

→ Laid paper

Post number #42:

stiff shit

MATERIALS

This post is about the loss of my cat Graham. After being together for more than eight years, it really hurts inside saying goodbye to him.

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #43:

warming the shit up

MATERIALS

Getting ready for my last calligraphy course of 2016.

Style: Neuland calligraphy.

→ Bamboo pen

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #44:

let's make good shit happen

MATERIALS

The last ten days, after the loss of my cat, have been pretty sad but I am determined to find the GOOD energy I brought back from Barcelona.

→ Brause 3mm broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

→ Walnut ink

Post number #45:

you are giving me the shits

MATERIALS

Trying out a new writing style for the first time and feeling like there are so many mistakes that I should not be posting it at all! Definitely having two ‘g’ and two ‘s’ in the same quote is not helping at all.

Style: Modern-type inspired calligraphy.

→ Nikko G pointed flexible nib

→ Walnut ink

Post number #46:

the weather is Shithouse

MATERIALS

You know how much I love you Melbourne, but sometimes you are such a hard work…

Thanks to the contribution of my studio buddy Peter Tarasiuk .

Style: Script hand lettering.

→ Fine liner

→ Pencil and tracing paper

Post number #47:

shits me to tears

MATERIALS

“Shits me to tears when people ask me to work for free”, inspired by Mr. Bingo’s great talk today at Creative Mornings Melbourne.

→ Sharpie marker

Post number #48:

don't chicken out, chicken shit

MATERIALS

Happy Halloween!

Style: Modern Carolingian calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

Post number #49:

i'm up to my eyeballs in shit

MATERIALS

Thanks to the contribution of Dan Breukel.

Style: Blackletter calligraphy.

→ 3.8mm Pilot Parallel Pen

→ Canson Basik paper

Post number #50:

you think you are king shit

MATERIALS

Style: Fraktur calligraphy.

→ 3mm Brause broad nib

→ Liquid watercolours

The Shit Series: Part 2

The Shit Series is a personal project that kick started by my fascination with language and all the colloquial ways Aussies use the word shit.

Since its infancy back in January 2016, this series have grown through organic collaboration and using calligraphy, hand lettering, vector lettering and typography.

With this project I'm building a cultural bridge between my two homes, while using each popular saying as a biographical mirror of how I feel on each given day.

My Shit Series have taught me a lot of Australian slang. Check out the entire project, the inspiration behind each post and the tools I have used to create them; Good shit guaranteed!

Industries

Visual communication

Personal branding

Credits

Client: Self-generated project

from post 26 to post 50

26. That's the good shit

27. You are so full of shit

28. It’s all shits and giggles until someone giggles and shits.

29. In the middle of a shitstorm

30. Pushing shit uphill with a rubber fork on a hot day

31. You scared the shit out of me

32. Crack the shits

33. Keep that shit up

34. Don't give me more shit

35. Photoshop the shit out of it

36. Bullshit artist

37. As boring as bat shit

38. Just talking shit

39. Shit just got real

40. This shit is bananas

41. Fresh shit

42. Stiff shit

43. Warming the shit up

44. Let's make (good) shit happen

45. You are giving me the shits

46. The weather is shithouse

47. Shits me to tears

48. Don't chicken out chicken shit

49. I'm up to my eyeballs in shit

50. You think you are king shit

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Services

Calligraphy

Lettering

Art & creative direction

Green Fairy | Sparkling Water

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:59:18 GMT

Sparking Water | Packaging Design Concepts

Industries

FMCG
Beverage industry

Soft drinks

Credits

Client: Self-generated project
Art director: Maria Montes
Graphic & type designer: Maria Montes

Photographer: Peter Tarasiuk

Services

Packaging design

Illustrations

Font design

Green Fairy Font Origins

Green Fairy Packaging DESIGN Concepts

Green Fairy | Display Font Family

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:24:05 GMT

Green Fairy Font Family

Green Fairy is a unicase chromatic font family highly ornamented for display purposes. Green Fairy’s characters have been specifically designed to accommodate its loops and ornaments following a modern typeface structure.

Green Fairy has four chromatic weights:

1. Green Fairy Outline
2. Green Fairy Dots
3. Green Fairy Stencil
4. Green Fairy Full

The outline weight has been created as the base for the other weights. You can combine these weights as well as add colours to obtain multiple effects and type styles.

Green Fairy has also three combined weights (combos) to simplify your work flow, for these occasions when you only want to use one single colour in your font:

5. Green Fairy Dots Combo
6. Green Fairy Stencil Combo
7. Green Fairy Full Combo

purchase GREEN FAIRY FONT

Type-Ø-Tones

My Fonts

Adobe Fonts

Credits

Type designer: Maria Montes

Latin type mentor: Josema Urós

Latin type mentor: Jamie Clarke

Latin type mentor: Troy Leinster

FONT SPECIFICATIONS

Version: 2.0

Chromatic weights: 7

Glyph set: 443

Languages supported: 207

Script sets: Latin Plus diacritics: 95%

Green Fairy Font Background

The origin of this typeface is the lettering I designed in October 2015 as part of my illustrated cocktail artwork called “ Absinthe. La Fée Verte (The Green Fairy)” . Originally, this lettering only featured eight letters “AB·SINTHE” vector drawn in Illustrator.

Right after creating the full-colour artwork, I designed a fountain-letterpress print version of it, in collaboration with Ladies of Letters, A.K.A. Carla Hackett and Amy Constable from Saint Gertrude Fine Printing.

Green Fairy TYPE DESIGN origins

At the beginning of 2016 —and thanks to the project @36daysoftype — I found the motivation, and most importantly the deadline, to draw the rest of the twenty-six letters of the uppercase alphabet using Adobe Illustrator.

nine-month full time type design process

I started 2017 having all my calligraphy courses sold out, which facilitated financial stability and the flexibility to pause client work and to devote myself to Green Fairy for a few months.

I purchased the font software Glyphs and I started to re-draw all twenty-six letters of the uppercase alphabet again, followed by the numbers, currency symbols, diacritics, punctuation marks as well as spacing and kerning.

Green Fairy is the result of an intense nine-month-full-time professional investment and I couldn’t be happier with this release!

Green Fairy Packaging Concepts

Below you'll see how Green Fairy interacts in the packaging space, labelling white, red, rose wines, sparkling water, liquors and extra virgin olive oil, cheers!

Green Fairy FONT IN USE

Below you'll see examples of Green Fairy in use in print and digital environments.

Script Meets Fraktur Alphabet | Font Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:24:04 GMT

Script Meets Franktur Alphabet | Type Design

In January 2023 I studied Blackletter again, this time under the tuition of John Stevens. This is my sixth time studying this calligraphy style and I’m currently fascinated by the Fraktur ultra bold version of Rudolf Koch.

With the lettering design above, I am conceptualising two styles that are close to my heart, while exploring further shapes, contrast, colour and texture.

Credits

Self-genated projects

Art director: Maria Montes

Type designer: Maria Montes

DESIGN SERV ICES

Typeface design

Lettering

INDUSTRY

Font design

36 Days of Type | 2023 Edition

In 2016 and 2017, I joined 36 Days of Type designing two sets of display uppercase alphabets. My 2016 entry turned into my first independent font family called Green Fairy .

Inspired by the lettering project above, I decided to develop two sets of display alphabets and join the 2023 edition again. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did while creating them.

Below you can see a few original pencil sketches of the Script and Fraktur alphabets.

MarchTwentyTwo | Humanistic Font

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:24:02 GMT

MarchTwentyTwo | Type Design

MarchTwentyTwo typeface design was born during the Summer Condensed Program at Cooper Union in New York City, 2012.

This condensed program was a great learning curve, professionally and personally. Being admitted at Cooper Union gave me the motivation to go back to my broad nib and expansion pens and start writing calligraphy as a daily exercise before our daily commissioned work. During the course, I had the opportunity of designing my second typeface design called MarTwentyTwo , a humanistic type developed from my own calligraphic hand.

Credits

Self-genated projects

Art director: Maria Montes

Type designer: Maria Montes

Lead Teacher: Jean François Porchez

DESIGN SERVICES

Typeface design

Lettering

INDUSTRY

Custom font design

Education

SPECIAL THANKS

I want to give special thanks to Jean François Porchez who taught me a way of hand drawing type design that I have applied to my textile prints and lettering work. Now I approach textile design and lettering in a very similar way, combining both skills in my daily work.

Also, many thanks to Cara Di Edwardo , Sumner Stone , Stéphane Elbaz , Just Van Rossum and Hannes Famira for sharing their knowledge with me.

TYPE@COOPER, NYC 2012

marchtwentytwo FONT IN USE

Miłosz Upright Italic | Custom Font

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:24:00 GMT

Custom Type Design

Typeface design to commemorate the centennial of the birth of Czeslaw Miłosz (poet, writer, translator).

Miłosz Italic was born during the Postgraduate Course of Advanced Typography, at Eina School of Design in Barcelona, 2011. It is an upright italic with multiple ligatures and diacritics.

Credits

Type designer: Maria Montes

Lead Teacher: Laura Meseguer

DESIGN SERVICES

Typeface design

Lettering

INDUSTRY

Custom font design

Education

SPECIAL THANKS

I would like to mention and express my gratitude to my teachers and fantastic type designers for guiding me through the process of creating Miłosz Italic: Laura Meseguer, José Manuel Urós and Iñigo Jerez.

Miłosz Upright Italic FONT IN USE

Sitara Luxury Hotel | Script Logotype

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:23:59 GMT

Sitara | Script Logotype Design

Industries

Luxury

Corporate

Destination

Hospitality

Travel

Credits

Design firm: Inaria Luxury (UK)

Creative direction: Andrew Thomas

Client: Sitara Himalaya (IN)
Logotype Designer: Maria Montes

Sitara Himalaya is a private sanctuary with just ten elegant guest rooms set amidst the grandeur, beauty and spirituality of the Himalayas.

Sitara Himalaya is guided by the Vedic concept that we are at one with the cosmos. This ancient wisdom, which reminds us that everything in the universe is connected and the same, is summarised in the Vedas as Tat Tvam Asi – You Are That.

The custom script logotype is a unique expression of the connection with nature and with the cosmos.

Services

Brand identity design

Script logotype design

Wordmark

Oasis Spa World | Brand Symbol Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:23:57 GMT

Sitara | Script Logotype Design

Industries

Luxury

Corporate

Destination

Spa & Health

Travel

Credits

Design firm: Inaria Luxury (UK)

Creative direction: Andrew Thomas

Client: Oasis Spa World (US)
Brand symbol designer: Maria Montes

Line of spas on board all ships of the Britannia cruise line. The brand mark is a water droplet made from leaves and branches. This represents both the sea aspect of cruising and the land where guests reach their various destinations. It also suggests both of the attributes of an oasis, which is typically an area of water surrounded by a number of trees or other flora.

Oasis Spa brand mark was crafted taking in consideration offset, embossed, gold-foil and letterpress optimal reproductions.

Services

Brand identity design

Brand symbol design

Illustration

Windsorborn | Wordmark & Monogram

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:23:56 GMT

Windsorborn Sydney Agency | Logotype Design

Industries

Design

Digital marketing

Visual communication

Credits

Design firm: Windsorborn (AU)

COO: Nick Pavord

Creative lead: Gareth Jenkins
Logotype designer: Maria Montes

Custom wordmark and monogram design commisssioned by Sydney design agency Windsorborn . The logotype contains ligatures and swashes and it was developed taking into account that both elements are in constant dialogue with Voyage and Neue Haas Grotesk fonts.

Services

Brand identity design

Logotype design

Wordmark

Monogram

L'oscar Luxury Hotel | Brand Symbol Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:23:55 GMT

L’oscar London | Brand Symbol Design

Industries

Luxury

Hospitality

Destination

Travel

Credits

Design firm: Inaria Luxury Design (UK)

Creative director: Andrew Thomas
Brand symbol designer: Maria Montes

L’oscar London is a lavish boutique hotel in the heart of Holborn, set within the former Baptist Church headquarters. This turn-of-the-century, grade II listed, architectural gem has been extravagantly restored by world-leading décorateur , Jacques Garcia and the operating company, L’oscar International. It features 39 bedrooms, a restaurant, café and bar.

Inaria commissioned me a series of intricate feather illustrations to reflect the bird motifs used throughout the interior design. This detailed feather became part of the identity of the brand new L’oscar Hotel in London.

The challenge was to create a modern and seductive logomark based on the hedonistic lifestyle of Oscar Wilde and the Bloomsbury Set, together with the visually-charged designs of Jacques Garcia.

The vector feather was carefully built having in mind embossing, letterpress and offset printed outcomes. L’Oscar Hotel opened its doors recently and I’m very pleased to see the results.

Services

Brand identity design

Brand Symbol Design

Illustration

Calligraphic Signature Design Services

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 04:31:25 GMT

Custom Siganture Design Services

Standard SIGNATURE DESIGN Package

This is what I need from you:

1 x professional photograph
Your name and surname
Tagline (optional)
3 x reference images to understand what signature styles you like the most

This is what you’ll get:

1 x PNG file with your signature in white
1 x PNG file with your signature in black
1 x JPG file with your image + signature 1080 x 1350 px (IG format)
1 x JPG file with your image + signature 1500 x 1500 px (square format)
1 x JPG file with your signature for your LinkedIn banner/background photo size

Industries

Brand Identity

Personal branding

Services

Brand Identity

Logotype design

Signature design

Why do you need a signature design in the first place?

A signature design can help elevate your professional and online presence by providing a refined and consistent way to sign digital documents, emails, or personal branding materials. A carefully designed signature can also serve as a stylized alternative to your everyday handwritten signature, which is especially useful when documents circulate online.

Using a custom signature design allows you to maintain a distinctive personal mark while protecting your real signature, reducing the risk of it being copied or misused in digital contexts.

Free Online Lecture from Vietnam

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:35:53 GMT

This month, I’m hosting a free online lecture titled:

“ What It Actually Takes to Learn Calligraphy Properly ”
In this session, I’ll be speaking about:
The role of discipline and long-term consistency
How to train your eye (not just your hand)
What structured progression really looks like?
The benefits of learning calligraphy for type & graphic designers
Calligraphy mechanics

This lecture is for those who are genuinely curious about studying calligraphy more seriously — whether you’re a committed beginner, a designer wanting to learn more about letterforms, or someone who feels ready for more rigorous training.

At the end of the session, I’ll also share details about my upcoming 4-month calligraphy course (limited to 10 in-person students), which begins soon. The course is primarily in-person and fully recorded for students in regional or rural Australia, or for those who occasionally cannot attend a session.

There is no obligation — simply an opportunity to learn, reflect, and see whether a deeper path in calligraphy is right for you.

When: Saturday March 14 at 2pm AEDT

If this resonates, you can register for free below. I hope to see you there!

Free Online Calligraphy Lecture

I’m writing to you from Vietnam today. This is my fourth time in this country, and somehow it feels like the first time I’m actually seeing it: The beach full of older people exercising at 6am; the cafés in full swing at 7am; the bánh bao motorbikes moving through the streets; the slow, almost siesta-like hours between 2 and 5pm; the clapping at the end of every yoga class; the techno karaoke parties at 7pm; the waste collection trucks blasting the Lambada song at top volume; the somehow ordered chaos of the smoking drivers; and the omnipresent Cooper Black font everywhere.

Watching both Thy Hà ’s lectures below while being in Đà Nẵng has been especially meaningful, and I’ve developed a deeper respect for this country and its high-energy, resilient people.

On March 31st, we land back in Naarm/Melbourne to start a new chapter — and to stop living out of our suitcases for the first time in four years. Thank you for travelling with me over the past twelve years; it means more than you think.

Much love,
Maria xx

Below you’ll find a registration link for my free online lecture this month; my up-coming 4-month calligraphy course; and a video tutorial on bridging the gap between blackletter calligraphy and vector lettering.

On the last section you’ll find a couple of type talks by Vietnamese-Australian Thy Hà; a Vietnamese type collective called Lưu Chữ; and a presentation by type designer My-Lan Thuong .

After four years of travelling and working remotely, I’ll be returning to Australia this April to establish a base again. It feels like a beautiful full-circle moment… and I’m so happy to share what’s coming next.

On May 2026, I will begin hosting an immersive 4-month calligraphy course in Naarm/Melbourne.

May 2 – August 22, 2026
16 Saturdays from 10.00am – 2.30pm
In-person in Melbourne + online access
7 in-person spots left!

This is a long-format, in-depth program designed for dedicated students who truly want to refine their eye, discipline, and craft over time. It’s something I’ve been wanting to offer for years.

To make this course possible, I need a minimum of six students. Three beautiful humans have already enrolled (which I’m so grateful for!), and I would truly love to see this group come together.

If you would like to join me, follow the link below, and if you know someone who may be interested, please share it along!

4-Month Calligraphy Course Melbourne

In this video tutorial I focus on the transition between Blackletter calligraphy and digital lettering. It’s perfect for students who know calligraphy but are intimidated by digitising their work.

Stage 1 (Analogue):
Using the Pilot Parallel Pen for the raw DNA and rhythm of the letters.

Stage 2 (Vectors/Glyphs):
Refining curves and finessing the structure using Glyphs App and Adobe Illustrator.

Stage3 (Pixel/Procreate):
Adding warmth, texture, and "a human touch" back into the digital piece with Procreate App.

From Analogue to Digital: Bridging the Gap Between Blackletter Calligraphy and Vector Lettering.

T. Y. P. E. F. A. C. E. S

Thy Hà known as Hà Mai Thy in Vietnamese, is a designer and researcher specialising in web design, type design, and cross-cultural design. Born and raised in Sài Gòn, Việt Nam, she now lives and works in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia.

In this presentation from ATYPI 2024 , Thy explains how the dance of strokes, curves, and diacritical marks in Vietnamese typography unfolds a story deeply embedded in the nation’s cultural tapestry.

Thy Hà | Type, Tradition, and Transformation: Unfolding the Narrative of Vietnamese Typography

Additionally, last year Thy Hà also gave a lecture about Vietnamese diacritics and Vietnamese language support at Type Electives . During her lecture, Thy shared a list of Vietnamese type designers and foundries that I’m sharing with you above.

Lưu Chữ is a group of passionate people about typography; we archive and share research and practice materials on typographic design in Vietnam.

Through our content archiving activities, research sharing, and typography practice, we hope to create opportunities for everyone to examine, analyse, and discuss a topic that has not received much attention in the community: how letters have permeated Vietnamese life from ancient times to the present day.

Lưu Chữ on Typographic Design in Vietnam

I absolutely adore the typographic work of My-Lan Thuong , specially her font Carta Nueva . This presentation from ATYPI 2024 is an invitation for type designers to think about the international use of the fonts we produce and how we could improve the transcription of underrepresented languages.

My-Lan Thuong | Toward a More Inclusive Support – Underrepresented Latin Languages

"It’s hard to believe that my final thesis is 10 years old today. To celebrate this special occasion, I wrote about A Decade of Vietnamese Typography ” by Donny Truong .

A decade in Vietnamese Typography

Lettering Collection 2013 - 2026

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:02:08 GMT

Lettering collection 2013 - 2026

I have compiled my lettering work since 2013 into a beautiful black and white collection containing lettering examples including: Script, blackletter, sans serif, modern type, art nouveau, art deco, stencil, bubble, illustrative lettering and typographic illustrations.

Industries

Branding

Publishing
Music
Fashion
Arts & Culture

Credits

Lettering design is presented solely for self-promotion and is copyright their respective owners.

Services

Lettering design

Logotype design

Editorial design

Exhibition design

Merchandising design

Book cover design

Why Your Creative Voice Is Your Superpower?

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 08:52:22 GMT

Interview featured at The Design Kids .

My creative career started with fashion design, something I was very interested in due to my grandmother’s influence.

After my first year, I transitioned to graphic design because of my passion for typography. Creativity fulfilled my life, and since then, I’ve tried to make a living doing what I love most.

TDK: Can you tell us a little about your first few steps in your career. Was there a moment or experience when you realised this was what you’d do as a career?

Maria Montes is a Barcelona-based type designer, calligrapher, and educator known for her expressive lettering and unapologetically honest creative voice. Originally from Spain and raised on her grandmother’s influence and a deep love of typography, Maria has spent over a decade building an independent creative practice grounded in emotion, education, and integrity. Her work blends technical precision with human experience, and she is a fierce advocate for inclusion, lifelong learning, and self-awareness as the foundation of creative work.

My personal and professional challenges, my environment, and my cultural background. Let’s be honest—mistakes are never welcome, but they’ve taught me a lot about myself and the context I work in.

In 2024, I celebrated 10 years as an independent creative business of one, and I wrote about eleven important lessons that have shaped my career:

Sudden unemployment knocks you down, but it can also bring professional growth.
Show your work publicly—you never know who’s watching.
Humour and vulnerability can be powerful tools for connection.
Telling your story helps others reflect on their own journeys.
Everything in your career and life is connected. You may not see it in the present, but in hindsight, things often become evident.
Never take good health for granted.
Curiosity is a superpower for unlocking creative blocks.
Diversifying income streams can be crucial to sustaining an independent creative practice.
Moving constantly can be very tiring, but also addictive.
Creativity isn’t static—it evolves, but you need to feed it.
Create the work you want to be hired for—and the person you want to become, even if the path is unclear.

TDK: What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?

My creative practice is rooted in the principles of continuous learning, sharing knowledge, and creating emotion through my work.

My values are high-quality work, communication, collaboration, transparency, respect, and trust.

TDK: Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.

The white patriarchy system has to be dismantled.

As a woman and educator, I’m actively engaged by celebrating cultural diversity, supporting women in the industry, highlighting the importance of gender equality and inclusion, and by making sure we all understand that bringing more voices, colours, and underrepresented groups up on the stage can only open-up our view of the world and make us better.

In my opinion, The Design Conference Brisbane and Never Not Creative in Australia are doing wonderful things to diversify representation in our industry.

TDK: What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?

In my opinion, it’s very important. Your voice, values, interests, and background are the key ingredients that make you unique and shape your perspective in design and life. The more you understand yourself and where you come from, the better—so you can offer your unique point of difference to the world.

TDK: How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?

Change is already here, and it’s become the only constant—especially in the last five years.

As you know, AI is changing how we work. Social media has completely transformed the way we interact with one another, and the climate crisis is forcing us to rethink our role on the planet. B-Corp certification has been trending for a while now and is becoming an important badge for businesses to reassess their practices, be environmentally conscious, and stay relevant.

“Never stop learning” has never been more relevant, in my opinion.

TDK: Looking ahead, what do you think are the key factors that will influence change for creative professionals?

Where I live greatly influences my work. The weather, the human density, the people, and the culture have always had a big impact on my output.

TDK: How much does your city influence your work?

I’m currently writing from Barcelona, a city that’s incredibly alive—culturally and creatively. There’s so much on offer here, and many of the activities are free of charge! In 2024, I curated a list called Barcelona x Graphic Designers where you can explore some of these gems.

Recently, Marta Cerdà published a new book called « Sobreviure al disseny » (Surviving Design), where she talks about the challenges of being a designer, mixed with her personal life experiences. I admire Marta deeply, and this book has brought me even closer to her work.

TDK: Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!

I mentor RMIT students, and I always recommend keeping one eye on your studies and the other on meeting people in the creative ecosystem around you. Ideally, don’t wait until a month before graduating—start building those relationships in your second or third year. Meeting people and cultivating personal relationships is still one of the strongest tools for future opportunities.

My second recommendation is: read as much as you design, have a professional LinkedIn profile, and if you have the capacity, volunteer or connect with a design organisation.

Finally, learn how to present your work. Debbie Millman has a recent talk that goes deep into this topic, and I cannot recommend it enough.

TDK: What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?

I’ve recently published a new website called Writing Calligraphy dedicated to calligraphy and type education—feel free to check it out if you’re interested in letters and visual communication.

Lastly, the Typism Community is organising two in-person calligraphy workshops (one in Brisbane and one on the Gold Coast) in Australia. Get in touch if you’d like to be notified about the dates!

TDK: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

New Font Release: Kanat Latin

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 11:32:18 GMT

This email newsletter comes with two shit-hot announcements, let's go!

I’m currently in NSW for the first time in 3 years. We landed one week ago and have just celebrated Margaret’s 80th birthday, so I’m getting a taste of what home feels like again!

I’m also super excited to share with you my 2025 in-person calligraphy courses in Australia. Come and join me!

August 15th | Griffith University Brisbane South Bank Campus via Typism
August 18th | Griffith University Gold Coast Campus via Typism
September 6th | Work-Shop Melbourne
September 27th | Friends of the Botanical Garden Melbourne

1 July – 30 October 2025

I’m really excited to share with you my second large project of 2025 called Kanat Latin !

I’ve been developing this font for several months, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the trust and support of Lara Captan from Ama Foundry and my type mentor Jose Manuel Urós from Type-O-Tones , so huge thanks to both of them!

Kanat Latin is a contemporary, bold, and playful display font—and I’m super proud of it! Read more below.

Kanat Latin: New Font Release!

In 2024, the Arabic type designer Lara Captan challenged me to create a Latin companion for her existing Arabic display font called Kanat — the Turkish word for “wing.” Captan’s beautiful typeface is a detached stencil design, originally created for letterpress, which carries architectural playfulness and delivers a warm kind of boldness to the reader.

Based on the description above— and challenged by the question: How can I create a Latin companion for an Arabic font I cannot read or write? — I spent many hours observing and analysing Kanat Arabic , its personality and DNA, followed by many more hours of consulting with Lara Captan. The result is a Latin interpretation that carries a bold attitude and playful spirit.

Kanat Latin: graphic Expressionism

Kanat Latin supports 269 languages and covers Basic Latin, Latin-1 Supplement, Latin-2 Central European and Latin Plus. Following its Arabic companion, it contains some stencil characters including: g, j, &, $, €, £, ¥, ¢, ƒ, amongst others.

Kanat Latin: language support

Kanat Latin is best used at 48pt and above. It’s designed to highlight words with flair, and finds its sweet spot in architectural, food, music, fashion, and packaging contexts.

Styles: 1
Glyphs set: 540

Kanat Latin: FONT SPECIFICATIONS

Kanat Latin Ultra | Display Font

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 03:24:07 GMT

Kanat Arabic Solid by Lara Captan + Kanat Latin Ultra by Maria Montes in close conversation!

Kanat Latin Ultra: Graphic Expressionism

In 2024, the Arabic type designer Lara Captan challenged Maria Montes to create a Latin companion for her existing Arabic display font called Kanat — the Turkish word for “wing.” Captan’s beautiful typeface is a detached stencil design, originally created for letterpress, which carries architectural playfulness and delivers a warm kind of boldness to the reader.

Based on the description above— and challenged by the question: How can I create a Latin companion for an Arabic font I cannot read or write? — Montes spent many hours observing and analysing Kanat Arabic, its personality and DNA, followed by many more hours of consulting with Lara Captan. The result is a Latin interpretation that carries a bold attitude and playful spirit.

Kanat Latin is best used at 48pt and above. It’s designed to highlight words with flair, and finds its sweet spot in architectural, food, music, fashion, and packaging contexts.

purchase kanat latin

Type-Ø-Tones

My Fonts

Ama Type Foundry

Credits

Type designer: Maria Montes

Latin type mentor: Josema Urós

Arabic type mentor: Lara Captan

FONT SPECIFICATIONS

Styles: 1

Glyph set: 540

Languages supported: 269

Script sets: Basic Latin, Latin-1 Supplement, Latin-2 Central European, Latin Plus.

AWARDS

Finalist CA Magazine 2025

Finalist AGDA Type Design 2025

Kanat Latin has a bold attitude and playful spirit. It loves tomatoes, bananas and avocados too! The font supports 269 languages and covers Basic Latin, Latin-1 Supplement, Latin-2 Central European and Latin Plus.

Following its Arabic companion called Kanat Solid by Lara Captan, it contains some stencil characters including: g, j, &, $, €, £, ¥, ¢, ƒ, amongst others.

Designed by Maria Montes and distributed by Type-Ø-Tones , My Fonts , Ama Type Foundry and from Montes’ online store . Come and play with us!

Kanat Latin Ultra: Language Support

Escapism, Euphoria & Deep Feelings

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 05 May 2025 04:57:57 GMT

The title of this monthly newsletter comes from Charli XCX, an artist who has given me a lot of the above over the past six months. Out of all her live events on YouTube, this one from the Boiler Room NYC , and this one at the Pitchfork Music Fest are my favs.

Believe it or not, Green Fairy has turned 7 years old! Yes, it’s been already seven years… and now that I’m in the process of publishing my second font called Kanat Latin, I’m having a lot of the same uncomfortable feelings and thoughts: “Is it done yet?”, “I thought it was nearly done 4 weeks ago…”, “I’m nearly there, but I’m now running out of steam…” Fun times indeed!

Grab your Green Fairy font file with a 30% discount this month of May only!

Green Fairy Font 7th Anniversary | 30% Off!

A few months ago, I sent out a newsletter called ‘AI (Artificial Intimacy)’, which pointed out other important topics that might not seem trendy right now but, in my opinion, are just as important.

But if we’re strictly and literally talking about AI—and you’re asking me what do I think about it? My first answer is: ‘I’m sick of hearing about it.’ And my second one is: ‘I’m sick of reading statements that start with… I spent only five minutes doing [DIS or DAT].’

A few weeks ago, for the first time in a long while, I read an interesting insight from Jessica Hische, that, in my opinion, is worth sharing with all of you.

See her original post and the images she is referring to.

“I shared on Threads a bit about how ChatGPT can now do passable lettering and I feel like there are so many well-meaning people that just can’t see the forest for the trees on this one.

Yes it messes up. Yes its kerning is not aces. But its about as capable as 80% of well-educated, well-trained designers, except it creates work instantaneously.

Yes my work is safe because I see those differences and work at a level of craft well beyond what most human designers are capable of. But what affects the bottom affects the top, and I know it’ll be hard to convince those with the purse strings to spend 5k on a human artist for one image when they can spend $200/mo for as much art as they could possibly imagine. And that art will be generated by thoughtful, intelligent, creative, educated art directors, not prompt daddies with no artistic taste.

If you know me, you know that I’m not entering into this new phase of creativity with my head in the sand, and that I’ve basically made it my mission to make techno-optimists at least acknowledge the short-term casualties happening in the name of long-term progress. I’m not anti AI, I’m anti not acknowledging that the next 5-10 years is going to be really uncomfortable for a lot of folks, that it could possibly lead to a magnification of the influencer effect on commercial art, and could drive low and middle income families to make different choices for their art loving kids. We might end up in a world where the only people with creative careers are those who grew up privileged enough to study and pursue it (which honestly is already a thing).

You know that Russ (my husband) works at Meta ON GenAI and that we have basically spent the last 2 years trying to grok our very different feelings about it and sway each other to find the truth in the middle of a complex issue. It’s been actually awesome. Because I really understand how AI works and he really understands how commercial artists may be impacted.

I just wish we could fast forward to when this is all just an invisible tool that helps us make our art, rather than a novelty that helps people make images without involving artists. I am legit excited for taking my art and being able to see it move, made into .obj files that I can 3D print, etc, through the help of new technologies.

But looking at lettering pieces like these (which I made with a prompt on ChatGPT) and saying they still look like AI garbage is insane. Think of how far this technology has come. This is at least as good as all the work I made in my first 3 years out of art school.

In no way does this dissuade me from making art however I want—it definitely makes me happy for my logotype work and all of the other things that fill my time and life. And it makes me want to focus even more on IRL connection and the stories behind the work, which give all work value, no matter what it looks like and no matter who creates it.”

Below you’ll find my latest talk called “Learning to see: Type design education x graphic designers”; and my latest education video giving an introduction to Italic calligraphy.

On the third part of this newsletter, you’ll find type-face resources including a talk by CAST; Marta Cerdà’s new book; and an updated presentation by Debbie Millman which I cannot recommend enough.

During the months of March & April 2025, I have given two in-person guest lectures. The first one at Contraforma Barcelona , and the second one at Escola d’Art Pau Gargallo . The last one was followed by one-hour Q&A session with students from 18 to 32, which I truly enjoyed!

I’m looking for new speaking opportunities—talks & workshops alike.

As a graphic, type designer and educator, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking at conferences like The Design Conference, Typism, Type Paris, Type Labs, AtypI, as well as at design schools like RMIT, Newcastle University, University of the Sunshine Coast and Type@Cooper. I’ve also been a guest speaker at online programs including Practica Program and Type Design Asia.

I’d love to connect with more agencies, studios, and design schools for speaking engagements and hands-on workshops. If you’re up for a chat about calligraphy, lettering, type design and branding assets, I’d be grateful to be considered! Hit reply and say hola.

Learning to See: Type Design Education x Graphic Designers

I recently published a free educational video giving an introduction to Italic Calligraphy for beginners. Using control characters such as “i, n” and “o” I’m explaining the alphabet’s DNA, its scale and slant. You can learn more about Italic Calligraphy here.

Intro to Italic Calligraphy x Beginners

T. Y. P. E. F. A. C. E. S

For many years, Luca Lattuga of Anonima Impressori has been collecting and cataloguing modernist wood type (and some metal type) produced in Italy, which were very popular in the 1930s. Luca will present his findings in a book to be published by Lazy Dog Press in 2026.

To support his research into these forgotten types, CAST has created digital revivals of the best designs Luca has uncovered. These revivals, released as Alfabeti Modernisti , are now available as part of CAST’s typeface collection and can also be accessed on Adobe Fonts. The collection was designed by a team of CAST members and collaborators, following a faithful and respectful approach to the original sources.

Riccardo Olocco, Valentina Casali and Giulio Galli introduce the collection and present their revival work .

Alfabeti Modernisti Italiani via The Letterform Archive

Designing in accelerated and ever-changing times: a practical and down-to-earth defence of creative crafts.

Marta Cerdà reflects—through highly visual examples and consistently illuminating ideas—on the key principles of the discipline.

Sobreviure al disseny is written in a playful spirit, yet with the clear intention of showing why design still matters for life in community. A book that champions the artisanal side of creative work, closely tied to a slower pace that is becoming ever more rare. Catalan and Spanish book versions available now.

Sobreviure al disseny | Context, memòria i temps by Martra Cerdà via Anagrama

I cannot tell you how many times I have recommended students to watch this presentation by Debbie Millman from 12 years ago.

In 2025, we are for a real treat again as Debbie has presented an updated version of this talk with additional insights and wisdom from the last decade. If you need someone to kick your ass and get seriously motivated, this is for you.

What I Wish I Knew When I Started My Career w/ Debbie Millman via Canva

Ants In My Pants | Roundhand Variations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:24:10 GMT

Roundhand lettering variations

Study of Roundhand script lettering variations.

Industries

Education

Credits

Art director: Maria Montes

Client: Self-initiated project

Services

Script lettering design

DESIGN CONCEPT

Ants in my pants” pretty much summarizes the last fifteen months of nomad life while working remotely.

John Wick Movie Saga | Typographic illustrations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 04:05:04 GMT

John Wick movie | Chapter 1

John Wick movie | Chapter 2

John Wick movie | Chapter 3

John Wick movie | Chapter 4

Yeah: A Retrospective by a Fan of John Wick Movie Saga

Close collaboration with Nate Burgos from Design Feast, crafting six editorial illustrations for his latest article called “Yeah: A Retrospective by a Fan of John Wick”.

The illustrations combine neon lettering, type and highly symbolic line-work elements for everyone who binge these visually stunning chapters several times. Read the full article here .

Industries

Design

Art & Culture

Education

Credits

Editorial designer: Maria Montes

Write & Art director: Nate Burgos
Client: Design Feast

Genre: Action genre

Editorial title: “Yeah: A Retrospective by a Fan of John Wick”

Ideation Process

When Nate Burgos from Design Feast asked me to work on a movie editorial, my first thought was, “I need to watch all four movies straight away.” My second thought was, “Dogs are very important elements in these chapters, and their presence is very intentional.”

I pitched the idea of featuring each dog as the main element for each chapter, and Nate agreed. The illustration style combines clean line work with the look and feel of a pencil sketch.

After four dog illustrations, my selective perception has shifted. I see dogs everywhere now. I notice their size, hair color, attitude, and personalities. I’m still terrible at guessing dog breeds though!

I’m still a cat person, but now I have a soft spot for cat-sized dogs, and my very favourite ones are dachshunds, in case you were wondering.

Services

Editorial design
Lettering design

The John Wick franchise is a celebrated neo-noir action thriller series created by Derek Kolstad, centering on a legendary hitman (portrayed by Keanu Reeves) who returns from retirement to seek vengeance, navigating a stylized, secret underworld of assassins.

As of early 2026, the franchise consists of four main films, with several expansions in development:

John Wick (2014): Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. John comes out of retirement after his puppy, a last gift from his deceased wife, is killed.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017): Directed by Chad Stahelski. John is forced to honor a blood oath to a former associate.

John Wick: Chapter 3 | Parabellum (2019): Directed by Chad Stahelski. John is declared excommunicado and hunted by the world's elite killers.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023): Directed by Chad Stahelski. John fights for freedom against the High Table, leading to a climax in Paris.

Ballerina (2025): A spin-off film set between Chapters 3 and 4, starring Ana de Armas and featuring Keanu Reeves.

About John Wick Movies

Deliverables

File format: RGB, 72ppi, landscape and square formats.

Ted Lasso: Humanity is Life!

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 03:38:58 GMT

Humanity is Life! Seven Creatively Uplifting Moments in “Ted Lasso” | Editorial Design

The briefing for the main editorial image was to create an extension of the graphic elements of this acclaim Apple TV+ show, featuring the references and colour palette used throughout the episodes: Blue, red, yellow, Posca markers, black tape, and a strong sense of physicality.

Industries

Design

Art & Culture

Education

Credits

Editorial designer: Maria Montes

Write & Art director: Nate Burgos
Lettering designer & illustrator: Maria Montes
Client: Design Feast

Streaming service: Apple TV+

Genre: Sports comedy-drama

Editorial title: Humanity is Life! Seven Creatively Uplifting Moments in “Ted Lasso”

Article

“The Apple TV+ show “Ted Lasso” premiered at the perfect time: start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its premise from IMDB : “American college football coach Ted Lasso heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer team [AFC Richmond].” In an era of fear, uncertainty and viral pessimism, a sports comedy-drama sitcom, soaked and rinsed with the so-called better “angels” of human nature, proved greatly needed […]”

Read here the whole article by Nate Burgos from Design Feast.

Services

Editorial design
Lettering design

File format: RGB, 72ppi, landscape and square formats.

Deliverables

Book Customisation | Biennale of Sydney

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 07:22:44 GMT

Calligraphic Book Customisation

In 2025 I collaborated with Black Inc Books crafting 550 custom luxury cards for Turbulance & Transcendence: The First 50 Years by Brook Turner, which is a vivid account of the Biennale of Sydney’s first half-century in a sumptuous, extremely limited-edition volume with new insights, interviews and commentary.⁠

When the Biennale of Sydney was founded in 1973, it was one of only three such events in the world. It is now the longest-running biennale in the Asia-Pacific region, attracting over 600,000 visitors to each edition.⁠ You can secure your copy here .

Industries

Art

Print Publication

Culture

Credits

Calligrapher: Maria Montes
Design & Production Manager: Marilyn de Castro
Publisher: Black Inc Books (AU)
Client: Biennale of Sydney (AU)

Services

Calligraphy

Editorial design

Nib: Imperial Hunt 101

Numbers height: 26mm
Ink: Metallic silver and black gouache paint.

Paper: Arctic Paper 300gsm

projects specs

Writing Calligraphy | Script Logotype

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:26:08 GMT

Writing Calligraphy | Script Logotype

Custom script logotype designed for my self-initiated educational website called Writing Calligraphy . This wordmark is based on my own calligraphy, partially connected, with short ascenders and loops in its descenders. It’s clean and contemporary, two elements that define the visual DNA of this educational project.

Industries

Education

Calligraphy

Lettering

Typography

Graphic Design

Credits

Self-generated project

Project Background

This website is the culmination of many years of hands-on calligraphy practice and study. It has been created with the intention of educating and bringing a contemporary light to calligraphy and its close relationship to its younger cousin, typography—two elements that have always been present in my career since 2011.

The supplies page answers many questions my students have been asking for over a decade. My recommendations focus on simple and low-key materials that can take you far, as these are the same materials I have been using since my first time holding a calligraphy pen back in 1996 —that is last century!

The learning calligraphy section covers many aspects of calligraphy, such as styles, materials, guidelines, and a glossary of terms widely used in the letterform community.

The articles share my experiences in calligraphy and provide some handy typographic resources.

Finally, my courses offer self-paced learning experiences for everyone wanting to dive into the world of calligraphy, understand where our current alphabets come from, and learn which aspects have influenced their evolution.

Services

Creative Direction

Art Direction

Content Creation

Brand Identity

Web Design

UI Design

Logotype Design

Wordmark Animation

Online Courses

deliverables

Vector logotype and . svg files for t he website.

Animation created with Adobe After Effects.

Makarem Luxury Hotels | Latin Logotype

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:36:48 GMT

Makarem Background

Founded in 1983, Makarem is a homegrown Saudi hospitality brand deeply rooted in the Kingdom’s spiritual and cultural heritage. Known for its presence in Makkah, Makarem earned its reputation by offering Saudi hospitality to pilgrims and travelers alike. With growing competition from international hotel chains and plans to scale, Makarem faced the challenge of modernizing its identity while preserving its spiritual core.

Appointed in 2023, Brand Lounge Agency (UAE) led a strategic transformation—moving beyond a visual uplift to position Makarem as the pioneer of Spiritual Hospitality, a new category that blends faith, heritage, and modern service excellence.

Industries

Luxury

Corporate

Destination

Hospitality / F&B

Travel

Credits

Design firm: Brand Lounge (UAE)

Creative & art direction: Mo Saad

Arabic type consultant: Lara Captan

Arabic type designer: Lara Captan

Logotype designer: Maria Montes

makarem brief

The brief for this project was partnering Makarem’s elegant and unique Arabic logotype with a Latin companion that distilled its core visual values.

I met with the client and Brand Lounge who consulted and art directed this project helping redefine the new Latin logotype to work in harmony and connection with the existing Arabic logotype refreshed and finessed by Lara Captan .

The initial hand sketch process went through several iterations looking for the right tone of voice and personality for the logotype. Once the direction was set, the vectorisation was executed in Glyphs App.

After I delivered the master Latin logotype in all its variations from tiny sizes to large-scale applications, Brand Lounge built and entire ecosystem with the new brand identity in use. You can read the complete case study .

logotype design process & applications

Services

Brand Identity Design

Custom Latin Logotype

Latin Logotype Companion

Wordmark

Type Specialist

Middlebury Mag | Calligraphic Editorial

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 05:19:09 GMT

VIDEO DESCRIPTION (15min)

VIDEO CONTENTS

My creative practice is set by the principles of never stop learning, sharing knowledge and create emotion through my work.

Following these principles, I’m sharing with you the design process behind a Copperplate calligraphy editorial, recently awarded by TDC70 and Communication Arts Magazine.

→ 1 creative project

→ The concept behind it

→ Every iteration I went through

→ The tools I used to execute it

→ The final outcome

Calligraphic Editorial + W Drop Cap Design

Calligraphic editorial commissioned by Pentagram, part of their full Middlebury Magazine redesign, including the magazine rename to just “Midd”.

The feature showcases a highly ornamented and fully customised pointed-pen calligraphy piece, displaying high contrast, angular attributes and a discontinuous ductus to match the energy and personality of the partner illustration by André Carrilho.

Copy: “We’re all just reading with one another” Elianna Ran’10 in conversation with professor Stephen Donadio.

Industries

Publishing

Education

Print magazine

Credits

Designer + calligrapher: Maria Montes
Creative director: DJ Stout
Design lead and art director: Stu Taylor
Design firm: Pentagram (US)
Editor: Matthew Jennings
Client: Middlebury Magazine (US)

Materials

Nib: Imperial Hunt 101

Ink: Walnut ink mixed with liquid watercolours
Paper: Galgo Parchemin 70gsm

Services

Calligraphy

Editorial design

File formats: TIF, 300dpi

Deliverables

Celebrating a Decade of Creativity, Design & Letterforms

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 04:29:12 GMT

Happy Tenth Anniversary!

It’s November 2024, and I’m writing this article to celebrate my own 10th anniversary as an independent creative business of one.

This marks a huge milestone for me, and I want to make sure I celebrate it in the best possible company, you. I also want to take this opportunity to say thank you and express my gratitude for all of it: The Good, The Bad, The Great, The Ugly, and everything else in between.

Ultimately, this journey is not just about my creative outcomes, but about what I’ve learned and who I’ve become after a decade of dancing with creativity and letterforms.

Here’s how it all started— I hope you’ll enjoy the ride!

After two years working full-time as a remote textile designer for a company based in Inner Mongolia, I lost my job in January 2014. There was no prior notice—no warning signs, no red flags, nothing at all. In fact, I thought everything was going well, especially since one of our clients, Massimo Dutti, had just announced that one of our designs was their multinational best-selling scarf for 2013.

Between November 2011 and December 2013, alongside my business partner and fashion designer Laura Piera, we designed four hundred twenty-three textiles.

In mid-January 2014, a short email appeared in my inbox, saying something like, “Thank you very much for all your hard work; we really appreciate it. We cannot keep you in our books any longer. Thanks for your collaboration, and Happy Chinese New Year.”

Melbourne, January 2014

Before this textile design role, I had studied a Postgraduate Course in Advanced Typography, which I loved. During that course, I met one of the most influential people in my career up to that point, my teacher Laura Meseguer .

In 2012, I used all my holidays for the year to move to New York City for five weeks and study a Condensed Program in Type Design at Type@Cooper. During my time studying typeface design, I discovered that releasing a font was a very long process. This was challenging for me, as I knew three things about my workflow and interests:

Unreasonable two-to-three-day turnaround deadlines were undesirable . They forced me to work under too much pressure, jeopardizing the quality of the work.
Projects lasting longer than three months became very challenging, as I would lose focus and efficiency.
I was falling in love with lettering , inspired by the work of Alex Trochut, Gemma O’Brien, and Ken Barber.

The day after I lost my full-time job, I returned to my co-working space to start my regular 10-hour workday, but this time, with nothing in my inbox. So, I designed my ideal briefs: two-to-four-week projects that combined my current skills of writing letters, drawing type, and illustrating, resulting in my first lettering piece —a tribute to Jan Tschichold.

During the first six months of 2014, my partner supported me financially, and I squeezed every minute of it, exploring, playing, and creating self-generated work for the first time in my life. I began to exercise my own voice and pay attention to things that deeply resonated with me.

Three months later, I created my first illustrated cocktail artwork, titled “ Bloody Maria ,” featuring a Bloody Mary. I produced a limited edition, and sold the first one at a group exhibition in Melbourne. Three more copies were sent to the “Pick Me Up London” art show, and they sold immediately.

At the same time, my partner opened Rotson Studios , a creative co-working space in the heart of Fitzroy (Naarm, Melbourne), where sixteen designers became a close-knit family for us in the first few years. I handled the naming, logo design, and created my first mural inside the space.

Every morning, one hour before opening my laptop, I practiced calligraphy as a mindful creative exercise, sharpening my eyes and learning to see. Other graphic designers in the co-working space began to show interest in my practice, eventually asking me if I could teach them.

In May 2014, I hosted my first six-week calligraphy course at Rotson Studios, teaching in English for the first time. After the first class, I realised the following:

I loved the experience, and it energised me more than it exhausted me.
It perfectly balanced my solitary workdays with the social aspect of teaching and hosting people.
I was learning a lot by teaching.
I remembered my father’s stories about teaching and the immense satisfaction it gave him, and I immediately understood what he had talked about for eight years.
I discovered a new side of myself, one I had not known before, and I loved it.

Maria Montes x Typism Community | Feature Interview

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 02:47:08 GMT

Recently, the Typism Community asked me a few questions about my lettering and design practice, and here are my insights.

I fell in love with lettering around the year 2012 through the work of Alex Trochut , Gemma O’Brien , and Ken Barber . At that time, I was studying typeface design and discovering that releasing a font was a very long process.

In my day job, I was designing textiles all day, every day, which I enjoyed very much. All of a sudden, I lost my full-time job and decided to combine my current skills: writing letters, designing type, and illustrating, resulting in my first lettering piece in homage to Jan Tschichold.

This first exercise sparked a huge fire inside me and led me to create a collection of eight illustrated cocktail artworks for my first solo exhibition called “Breaking The Ice”.

What initially inspired you to start lettering, and how did you discover your passion for it?

I am a very curious person and interested in many topics. When I feel a creative block, I try to put into practice one or many of the following:

Go out and look up. Extend your perspective. Be in touch with nature and the wildlife and marvel at it. Remember how small you are and the privilege of being alive.

Go to an art exhibition, a live music gig, the movies, or the theatre. Stay in touch with culture that has nothing to do with lettering. Get out of your creative bubble.

Read, read, read. Read about topics that are not directly linked to your practice. One of my personal interests is creative mental health, and I learn about it constantly.

Go to a bookstore and get inspired by beautiful contemporary work. This can help reignite the fire inside you and show you the current trends in the editorial world.

Keep a diary of your own thoughts. Things that seem trivial now may lead you to a surprisingly good idea in the future.

Follow your curiosity , and keep pulling the thread, even if it’s taking you to very unexpected IRL or digital destinations.

How do you stay inspired and motivated when facing creative blocks or challenges in your work?

These are some steps I follow when creating work:

Concept
What is the idea behind the design?
What do we want to communicate?
Who is the audience?

Context
Where is the design going to be applied?
Is it for a large billboard?
Is it for a business card application?
Is it for both?

Longevity
Is it a temporary application?
Daily newspaper?
Weekly or monthly magazine?
Is it for years, like a book cover or music cover?
Is it permanent, like a logotype?

Initial Lettering Process
Most of my lettering projects are informed by my own calligraphy. I often start with a very rough calligraphic sketch where I study the letter combinations and the context for the design.

I can craft three rounds of hand sketches, refining and finessing each round while thinking with my brain and my hand simultaneously. This can save me a lot of time in the digitisation process as I’m envisioning the final forms and the DNA of the design while refining it by hand.

Refinement
Depending on the characteristics of the job, I digitise my work by vectorising it with Glyphs, redrawing it with Procreate, or a combination of both .

Can you describe your process for developing and refining a new lettering project?

Consistency
Draw and write regularly. This builds skill and helps develop a critical eye, which is essential in refining your work.

Learning to See
Develop your observational skills and analyze why certain designs work or don’t, which also helps in developing taste.

Develop a Visual Library of Lettering Style
Create an eclectic visual library of styles to show prospective clients in the form of a visual menu.

Back to the Future
Study the work of design and writing masters. Understanding the fundamentals can greatly enhance your future creative practice.

Finding Your Voice
Archive material that deeply resonates with you and explore why it does. This helps in developing a unique creative voice.

What resources or tools have been most helpful in enhancing your lettering skills?

For the first eight years of my independent career, I taught calligraphy from my studio in Naarm / Melbourne. This became my main income source and gave me great satisfaction, keeping me very social on a weekly basis (which I love and need), and providing stability and the power to refuse projects if I felt I wasn’t the best fit for them.

Currently, I offer pre-recorded calligraphy courses , live online group and private tuition, license my illustration work, monetise my YouTube channel—where I offer free educational resources—and work on commercial commissions. The ratio of passive and active income changes constantly, as does modern life.

Additionally, I am the author and editor of a bi-monthly newsletter that has been going strong for over a decade. This has helped me enormously in keeping myself accountable, creating a visual diary of my interests and motivations, and improving my English writing skills, a language I only learned at the age of twenty-nine.

Finally, I mentor RMIT University students and guide them in their journey. These last two activities don’t bring in revenue, but they are an important part of my practice and my values which are "never stop learning, sharing knowledge and create emotion through my work".

What advice do you have for lettering artists looking to diversify their income streams beyond freelancing?

In 2022, my partner and I transferred Rotson Studios , a co-working space that we had been running for eight years in Naarm/Melbourne. We stored everything we owned and began a nomadic journey outside of Australia.

My in-person calligraphy education—massively disrupted by two years of strict restrictions in Melbourne—transitioned to an online education business. This shift opened worldwide opportunities but also resulted in losing many Australian students who only considered the in-person format.

We have been moving around for the last two years, changing accommodations every one or two months, crossing continents, and figuring it out as we go. In the middle of all this, I was commissioned an editorial piece by Pentagram . I completed it and recently received a Communication Arts Magazine and Type Directors Club typographic award of excellence… who is crying!? Not me, for sure!

Can you share a success story or milestone in your career that you’re particularly proud of?

I have been thinking about creating a couple of projects for a while. The first is writing a book, and the second is having my fourth solo exhibition. I don’t know how or when this will happen, but I’m putting it out there for the Universe to align a few planets for me!

Dream Project or Collaboration

Sixteen | Skateboard Deck Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:55:32 GMT

16 | Two custom-painted skateboards

On July 4th, 2024 my partner and I celebrated our sixteenth anniversary together. For this year, the concept of my skateboard deck designs is “urban scribers” and their omnipresence around the streets of Barcelona, where we are currently located.

I researched graffiti around our neighbourhood in Sants-Montjuïc and Hostafrancs, absorbing the energy and joy they communicate, and building a design that reflects the vibrancy and creative-hub soul of this city.

I started with a paper sketch and then moved to Procreate to polished its forms. Once both lettering designs were ready, I started painting by hand using Posca pens, gouache paint and Pentel Touch Sign Brush pens. The last image above is the final result.

Industries

Skateboarding

Art

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Original artwork

“Dune” the Movie is Deft in Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 03:12:46 GMT

Typographic Editorial Illustrations

Editorial designs for The Third Adaptation of Dune is Deft in Design article by Nate Burgos, via Design Feast .

The lettering is an extension of Dune’s movie title, incorporating elements of:

— Epic contrast
— Profound economy of colour and volume
— Compositional beauty of geometry

These aspects were outlined in Nate’s briefing. My favorite design features the desert mouse, an iconic creature central to the third adaptation of this carefully crafted and polished sci-fi saga.

Industries

Design

Art & Culture

Education

Credits

Writer & art director: Nate Burgos
Lettering designer & illustrator: Maria Montes

Client: Design Feast

Editorial title: The Third Adaptation of Dune is Deft in Design

Design Process

— Vect or lettering and illustrations using Glyphs App and Adobe Illustrator
— Pixel textures added with Procreate

Services

Editorial design
Illustration
Lettering design

File format: RGB, 72ppi, landscape and square formats.

Deliverables

TDC70 Winner | Certificate of Typographic Excellence

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 03:18:33 GMT

I’m really happy to share with all of you that the TDC 70 Type Directors Club has awarded my Calligraphic editorial for Middlebury Magazine, yay!!! You can check the other finalists and categories here .

This feature showcases a highly ornamented and fully customised pointed-pen calligraphy piece, displaying high contrast, angular attributes and a discontinuous ductus to match the energy and personality of the partner illustration by André Carrilho.

Designer, letterer, calligrapher: Maria Montes
Creative director: DJ Stout
Art director: Stu Taylor
Design firm: Pentagram (US)
Publication editor: Matthew Jennings
Client: Middlebury Magazine (US)

Below you'll find a video documenting the entire creative process.

Calligraphic Editorial Credits

International Women’s Day (IWD 2024)

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 04:14:39 GMT

This month, and every month, respect women by listening to their needs and act accordingly. Support women by creating safe environments for them to thrive. Recruit women and compensate them equally. Celebrate women and their achievements. Promote women to leadership positions. Invest in women and in their businesses. Champion women by giving them a platform to be heard.

For Women’s History Month I am compiling an ongoing list of resources called “ Women in type & design ” . Get in touch in you know of any additional resources!

Women’s History Month

2014

Lost full-time textile design job unexpectedly.

Became a freelance designer and secured my first clients.

Created and sold my first artwork in Melbourne, London and Barcelona.

Started teaching calligraphy at my studio, which became my main income source.

2015

My education sustained me for the entire year, as I focused primarily in self-generated work.

Living the dream as a starving artist, educator and independent designer.

Opened my first solo exhibition in Melbourne at the end of the year.

2016

Post-exhibition blues followed by depression.

Started “The Shit Series” personal project which lasted 2 years.

Taught Advanced Typography at Tractor Design School in Melbourne.

Calligraphy courses remained my main income, with sporadic client commissions here and there.

2017

Calligraphy & lettering gained popularity. All my courses for the year sold out.

Turned 40 and became Australian citizen after 10 years in the country.

Met Dominique Falla and gave my first conference talk at Typism.

Designed and published my first font family called Green Fairy.

Education was almost my only income source, as I discontinued client work to focus on my font for 9 months of the year.

2018

Gave a second conference talk at The Design Conference in Brisbane.

Opened my second solo exhibition at La Panera in Spain.

Diagnosed with melanoma at the end of the year.

Education remained my main income source, with some client coming along.

2019

Looking for financial security, I accepted a teaching position at RMIT University.

Experienced anxiety and sickness for the first 6 months of the year.

Opened my third solo exhibition in Spain; felt exhausted, overwhelmed and could hardly enjoy any of it.

Went into a 6-month depression right afterwards.

2020

Anxiety worsened, declined RMIT job offer.

Hosted my first Calligraphy retreat in Australia.

Global lockdown canceled all my classes and client work.

Started therapy and lost considerable weight due to anxiety.

Started teaching online, which I loved instantly.

Released my first educational video on Youtube, which has now been watched over 197K times.

2021

Therapy greatly improved my mental health.

Spent five months in regional NSW.

The Australian Covid-19 wage subsidy became my main income source.

2022

Moved out of Melbourne after 11 years at our Fitzroy home.

Spent five months in regional NSW again.

Transferred our beloved Rotson Studios after 8 freaking good years.

Started our overseas journey, landing in Barcelona in August after 3 years away.

Education income dropped and client work increased considerably.

Spent my first Xmas in Catalonia with my family after 11 years.

2023

Lived in 6 different apartments; 4 cities; 3 countries; and 2 continents.

Education income kept dropping, relying more and more on client work.

Worked with Pentagram and Porto Rocha in NYC.

Won my first design award at the age of forty six.

Finished the year financially stressed due to overdue invoices.

2024

Client work is my main income source.

Moved from Thailand to Vietnam, and looking forward to our next destination.

Feeling the full swing of life with all its splendour and paradoxes; feeling f*king grateful for all of it: the great, the not so great, and everything in between.

Looking for our new home, whatever, wherever this looks like.

Next steps? Getting familiarised with the idea of “I don’t know yet”.

Would you share your last ten years with me?
Much love, Maria xx

Women’s History Month is here, and I would like to take the opportunity to share my own journey with all of you. As I mentioned in my January newsletter, this year marks 10 years as an independent creative business of one. I drafted my reflections on the past decade, and it turned into a full 5-page essay. To make it more digestible, I decided to summarise it by years and bullet points. It’s quite shocking to read a decade of your own life presented this way, and I recommend you all to give it a try!

Simone Keane: Graced by Leaves | CD Album

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 07:48:17 GMT

John Wick movie | Chapter 4

Cover, back cover, inside panels, CD disc and 12-page booklet for Simone Keane’s latest album called “Graced by Leaves“.

Client, singer and songwriter: Simone Keane
Produced, mixed, mastered by: Lee Buddle
Recorded by: Lee Buddle and Kim Lofts
Photography: Warren Lilford
Art direction and graphic design: Maria Montes
Release date: October 27, 2023

Industries

Music

Credits

Client, singer and songwriter: Simone Keane
Produced, mixed, mastered by: Lee Buddle
Recorded by: Lee Buddle and Kim Lofts
Photography: Warren Lilford
Art direction and graphic design: Maria Montes
Release date: October 27, 2023

Services

Packaging design
Editorial design

CD cover

Illustration

Calligraphic Editorial | Communication Arts Winner 2024

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 03:24:32 GMT

A couple of months ago, I submitted my Midd Mag calligraphic editorial to Typism Book Nine in Australia. They recently emailed me letting me know that the piece been selected to be part of their upcoming book!

Three weeks ago, Communications Arts (CA) Magazine informed me that the calligraphic editorial has won an award in the calligraphy/hand lettering category, yay!!! The magazine is out on January 2024, so go and get a copy.

Designer + letterer + calligrapher: Maria Montes
Creative director: DJ Stout
Art director: Stu Taylor
Design firm: Pentagram (US)
Publication editor: Matthew Jennings
Client: Middlebury Magazine (US)

Below you'll find a video documenting the entire creative process.

Calligraphic Editorial Credits

Goodness Group Global | Logotype Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 06:27:53 GMT

Custom wordmark for Goodsweet & Goodness Group Global Pty Ltd (GGG).

Industries

F ood & Beverages

FMCG

Credits

Designer: Maria Montes

Art director: Taylor Kotlarczyk
Brand: Goodness Group Global Pty Ltd

The challenge was to create a modern and seductive logomark based on the hedonistic lifestyle of Oscar Wilde and the Bloomsbury Set, together with the visually-charged designs of Jacques Garcia.

The vector feather was carefully built having in mind embossing, letterpress and offset printed outcomes. L’Oscar Hotel opened its doors recently and I’m very pleased to see the results.

Services

Logotype design

Barcelona–Berlin | Tote Bag Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 07:16:47 GMT

B | Monogram Lettering Design

I have been in Australia since 2006 and in all this time, I have only had two visits from my home country, and my dear friend Carlos was the first one.

Carlos and I were born in BLANES. We met in high school at the age of 14. Later on, we lived together in BARCELONA for a few years. In 2008, he decided to come to BRISBANE to see me after two years of long telephone conversations. For the past five years, Carlos has been based in BERLIN and finally, a couple of months ago, I went to visit him and learn more about his life and daily surroundings. This is a gift to our longest friendship �� Thanks for always BEING there for me.

B tote bag design available on my online store

If anyone else want to share their love, my tote bag is now available on my online store .

Industries

Art & Culture

Mental Health

Credits

Art Director: Maria Montes

Client: S elf-initiated project

Photographer: Teagan Glenane

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

project background

No Means No, Always | Lettering Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 04:54:52 GMT

No, Still No | Illustrative Lettering Design

Industries

Visual Communication

Women's Rights

Credits

Art direction: Maria Montes
Client: Self-initiated project

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

LETTERING DESIGN PROCESS

In 2019, I spent a few days in Porto. On my first day, I saw a young woman on the street with a tattoo on her right thigh that read: NO; and on her left thigh: STILL NO. I was struck by it — and by the time I tried to take a photo, she was already gone. I’ve thought about her often since, and about how I interpreted her message.

I don’t know you girl, but I like you a lot. This is my homage to you and your tattoo, as faithfully as I can remember it.

A soft, loud, girly, manly, friendly, harsh, polite, rude, smiley, bossy, apologetic, angry, fearful, determined NO means NO — always.

Thanks to Wanissa and Ceci for your support and contributions below.

pROJECT BACKGROUND

Vector lettering and Procreate illustration.

ARTIST CONTRIBUTION:

Wanissa Somsuphangsri

“Just go out with me once. It’s not like I’m going to rape you.” is what the guy who asked me out said when I turned him down for the fourth time.

I was 23 then, and much less vocal than I am now. Being assertive doesn’t come naturally to me. Looking back, I’ve accepted situations I didn’t want to be in, taken on favours I couldn’t afford, stayed in relationships I should have ended, all because I couldn’t say no or because I was afraid of upsetting other people. This is still ongoing work for me, but as the years go by, I’m feeling less guilty for putting myself first.

Thank you Maria Montes getting me to reflect on the importance of saying no.

When a woman says no, whether it’s quietly or loudly, once is enough for her to be heard. No explanations and no apologies are needed.”

ARTIST CONTRIBUTION:

Cecilia del Castillo

“A man once told me that women shouldn’t flirt so openly with a man because it leads to being raped. And if that happened it was basically our fault. The incredible thing is that he told me this as if to “teach me” how to behave, so that this would not happen to me, and to justify jealousy. For a long time I was ashamed to even repeat his words.

It shocks me, and it makes me fucking angry to think that every woman has a story like this to tell.

Absolutely nothing you do as a woman justifies abuse.

Thank you Maria Montes for inviting me to reflect on this, and thanks to Wanissa Somsuphangsri for sharing your experience, it gave me the courage to share mine.”

Women’s Freedom Means Social Freedom | IWD 2023

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 04:25:22 GMT

“International Women’s Day is not for celebrating. It is for protesting against and raising awareness about the fact that people are still being oppressed or treated differently because of their gender.” Greta Thunberg .

International Women’s Day 2023

March is a big month for me, and for many other people who celebrate women and feminism.

Today I use my voice because I believe education, diversity, equality and representation matters.

I’m a creative business of one who also believe teachers are leaders.

This month, and every month, respect women by listening to their needs and act accordingly. Support women by creating safe environments for them to thrive. Recruit women and compensate them equally. Celebrate women and their achievements. Promote women to leadership positions. Invest in women and in their businesses. Champion women by giving them a platform to be heard.

For Women’s History Month I am compiling an ongoing list of resources under the motto: Support, share and contribute which can be found here.

Change Starts In The Classrooms | Insights

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 03:52:12 GMT

This article was originally written in January 2022, as part of a report called “ Belonging ” curated, designed and produced by We Are Tank .

I was born in Blanes, a small town seventy kilometres north of Barcelona. My parents are not designers, they don’t have a uni degree, and have never been interested in traveling out of Spain.

My mother was born in a remote village of two hundred people, five kilometres from the Portuguese border. We used to go to Galicia every year and I loved it with all my heart.

At home I spoke Spanish with my parents; at school I spoke Catalan and during my summer holidays, I wanted to speak Galego as I fully understood the language.

In Galicia I was the Catalan kid, and in Catalonia I felt I was the Galician one, as everyone told me that my accent was a weird mix. In a way, things have not changed that much. My Spanish-English accent is strong; my dentist in Barcelona calls me “the Australian”, and my GP in Melbourne calls me “the Spaniard.”

Insights from a very proud multilingual, multicultural, independent female voice.

My father is the second of six siblings, raised in an immigrant family who travelled from the south of Spain to Catalonia looking for work. They were called Xarnegos. For me up to that point, the concept of being an immigrant only referred to someone internally moving from one area to another within Spain. That was my bubble.

My grandparents had very limited resources and decided to offer the elder son the opportunity of going to high school followed by university. My uncle wasn’t interested and declined the offer, so my father put his hands up as he really wanted to study and become a draftsman. My grandparents didn’t let him study as the offer was only given to the oldest son. My father started working at fourteen years old and have recently retired at the age of sixty five. He told us that he had been denied the luxury of education, so he always made sure that my brother and I had access to it.

The luxury of education

I went to a public primary and secondary school where pretty much all of us looked relatively the same. In my class, we had a German-born student who spoke fluent Spanish and that was something totally out of the ordinary.

Later in life, I studied a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design. Being admitted at a private university exposed me to an environment I had never been in contact with: Students who came from wealthy families, some of them highly educated, some of them highly arrogant and some of them extremely life experienced.

In my first year at uni, I met a girl who totally challenged my perspective. She was only eighteen years old but spoke several languages, had travelled around the world, and was in a long-distance relationship with a guy from New York City. Her life seemed like a movie to me.

We instantly connected and became best friends. I helped her to translate the content of our classes from Catalan to Spanish, and she opened up the entire world to me. Geraldine became my biggest inspiration and for many years, most of my decisions were influenced by trying to get closer to her lifestyle.

Six months before graduating from my Design degree, one of my teachers offered me a junior graphic design position. Having a full-time job gave me the opportunity of saving up money for my first trip out of Spain.

New York was love at first sight. It was everything I had imagined and much more. In my eyes, this city represented the ultimate fusion of glorious diversity, cross influences and human richness all in one place, but I couldn’t speak English and I felt I was not ready for it. By the time I left NYC, Geraldine was starting an internship with Milton Glaser, and I felt the most privileged person in the world for being her friend.

A few months later, my grandfather passed away and my father told me that he had left some money for me but, he would only give me the money if it was going to be invested in education.

I debated myself between learning English overseas or up-skilling my web design knowledge, and in the end, I enrolled for a one-year-intensive Master’s Degree in User Interface Design (UID). I applied to the program a few days after the course had started. I thought I had no chances to get in but the director of the course got in touch and scheduled an interview straight away.

One fish asks another fish “how is the water?” The other fish replies “what the hell is water?”

I remember talking to her about the course and asking: “How many students are there in class?” and she answered: “eleven plus you” so I said: “ok, so we are twelve then” and she said: “no, eleven plus you”. The next day, I went to class to discover that we were eleven men and myself. I had been instantly admitted to the program based on the fact that there were no women, and they needed it, or they wanted to have at least one.

The majority of the students in my course were from other countries, and some classes were conducted in English and I was totally lost. That was my second time exposed to various nationalities, and the second reminder that learning English was a must.

Never underestimate the power of representation, or the lack of it.

It took me twenty-nine years to find the courage to pack my bag and book a one-way ticket overseas. On September 28, 2006 I landed in Australia with no friends, no family and very little English. This was my first time permanently out of the water, and as my grandparents did, I was also looking for a better future. I felt very proud of myself. I also felt scared, alone and isolated.

During my first two years in Brisbane I discovered the meaning of being an immigrant in my own skin, which is something I deeply recommend to everyone. Being out of the water is not pleasant, but very necessary to broaden up your perspective, and to better understand who you are, your own privileges or the lack of them. Most importantly, the experience taught me about empathy, and it showed me how many other people are living temporarily or permanently out of the water, being their own country of birth or not.

I am writing these lines understanding my level of privilege, and knowing that no one is judging me by the look of my face, my religious outfit, or the colour of my skin. I am aware that I can cross multiples levels and filters being unnoticed until I open my mouth, or someone reads my full name.

Fresh of the boat

During my first five months in Brisbane, I was a full-time English student, surrounded by many other nationalities who would not pass unnoticed within the white Australian framework.

One day, our English teacher asked to pick an animal which we identified with. My answer was a loud and clear “chameleon, so I could fit in any situation”. Being a chameleon is a form of survival which I have practiced greatly during my high-school years, as well as during my first years in Australia.

Until very recently, if you told me that there is a magic switch which would allow me to turn on and off my Spanish accent, I would answer: “Where can I get it?” no matter the costs.

Fitting in versus Belonging

Many of us, live in a constant tension between being unique and wanting to belong. In our creative industry, the line between belonging and competing against each other can be very fine.

In my experience, being surrounded by other creatives that inspire your work, and being able to collaborate with them, is one of the greatest advantages of our industry, so please take it: Be generous, share your knowledge, collaborate and support the shit out of each other.

In 2017 —four visas and ten years later— I became an Australian citizen; I gave my first conference talk, and I found my voice. I understood my responsibility to open up and tell my story, hoping it would help others to see themselves reflected in my journey, and to be proud of who they are.

Some people like to call themselves expats, I have met a few of them from the UK and the US. They think it sounds better as it carries many connotations, preconceptions and assumptions about class, education and privilege . A very small percentage of them are actually expats, but the vast majority are not. I have been an immigrant for ten years, and I am very proud of it.

Nowadays, I live on an island where more than the 28% of us were born overseas in over 200 countries; where a quarter of the population speak 260 languages other than English at home; and where over 50% of Australians follow more than 130 different faiths.

And in this context, I find myself surrounded by young students who will become the next generation of designers and thinkers, and I’m hoping that our design community will truly represent the numbers above.

As a woman and educator, I feel the responsibility of spreading this message across by celebrating cultural diversity, supporting women in the industry, highlighting the importance of gender equality and inclusion, and by making sure we ALL understand that bringing more voices, colours, and under-represented groups up on the stage, can only open up our view of the world and make us better.

Advocating for a respectful, educated and inclusive creative community.

The unique and rich environment of every classroom in Australia should be treated as a great responsibility, as well as an opportunity for leading diversity, decolonisation and inclusion by example. The revolution starts in our classrooms.

Teachers are leaders

Fourteen | Skateboard Deck Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 03:15:03 GMT

Two custom-painted skateboards

Industries

Skateboarding

Street Art

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Original artwork

13 DESIGN CONCEPT: >> On The Move >>

In February 2022, my partner and I temporarily left the big smoke and began experiencing regional life for the first time. It has been quite a shift, to say the least — but trading Ngár-go (Fitzroy)’s cultural energy for the stunning nature of Birpai Country has been deeply healing.

Above all, living on our own for the first time in twelve years has felt like the sweetest kind of honeymoon.

Rob and I are now on the move again: packing, booking travel insurance, printing international vaccination certificates, and getting slightly hysterical with excitement about what comes next.

The plan remains open. There’s no fixed roadmap — only a one-way point of arrival in Barcelona on August 18th, and the intention to keep running our businesses remotely, as we’ve been doing since 2020.

We’re a mid-forties couple with no children, who have lived with housemates for over 25 years each. We don’t know many people our age living and travelling in this way, so we’re learning as we go. Anyone else out there?

Happy anniversary, Mr Tickner. Fourteen years ago, I was looking for a travelling companion — and I couldn’t have found a better one for the journey.

In 2013, I designed a pair of skateboard decks to celebrate my partner and my sixth anniversary. Rob used to skate, and due to a knee injury, he now collects decks instead. Today, we have more than 40 hanging on one of the walls in our home.

Many moons have passed since that sixth anniversary, and over the years I’ve developed the habit of designing a new pair of decks to mark each one. Each pair reflects the emotions and evolving state of our relationship. You can explore past designs here.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: ONGOING SKATEBOARD COLLECTION

Nexba’s Soft Seltzers | Illustrations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 19 May 2022 08:22:16 GMT

Flavour: Nexba’s KAKADU PLUM & FINGER LIME

Flavour: Nexba’s Strawberry, Basil & Rosella Blossom

Flavour: Nexba’s Pink Grapefruit & Tasmanian Pepperberry

Nexba’s Soft Seltzers packaging illustrations

Industries

FMCG
Beverage industry

Soft drinks

Credits

Client: Nexba (AU)
Art director: Taylor Kotlarczyk
Designer & illustrator: Maria Montes

Product Range: Nexba’s Non-Alcoholic Soft Seltzers

Services

Packaging design

Botanical illustrations

Branding assets

Botanical illustrations for Nexba’s Soft Seltzers packaging range currently stocking at Woolworth and Coles Australia wide.

Deliverables: Vector illustrations.

Charlie’s Cookie Dough | Illustrations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 23 Apr 2022 05:18:05 GMT

Cookie Dough line art packaging illustrations.

Line-art illustrations to be used as branding assets and as part of a surface pattern repeat for Charlie's Cookie Dough packaging design.

Industries

FMCG

Food industry

Australian made & owned

Credits

Client: Charlie's Fine Food & Co (AU)

Art director: Lauren Vilitati

Packaging design: Lauren Vilitati

Illustrator: Maria Montes

Photographer: Teagan Glenane

Services

Packaging illustrations

Premium branding assets

Greetings From Wonderland | Collaboration

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 02:28:34 GMT

Lettering collaboration with Lara Captan

Greetings From Wonderland is a collaborative project between Lara Captan and myself. It is an ode to our love for letterforms and friendship that crosses cultures and oceans, mixed with our love for letters that cross time, space and dimensions. Read about the ethos of this project below.

Industries

Art & Culture

Activisim

Credits

Latin lettering: Maria Montes

Arabic ty peface: Kanat by Lara Captan

Services

Lettering design

project background

It’s a world where, no matter where you come from, who you are into, and what you look like or believe in, you are allowed to be yourself and you are accepted. We believe in a society based on inclusion.

SOCIAL INCLUSION

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

It’s a land where everyone embraces difference, uniqueness, being geeky, strange, naive, short-tempered, a bit crazy, quite moody, of all hues, values, directions, spectrums. We celebrate diversity.

It’s a world filled with adventure, with inner searches into the depths of our minds, our fears, our strengths, both past and present. It’s where skills and thoughts are questioned, developed; wonderland is where boundaries are pushed, with flaming energy.

PERSONAL EXPLORATION

GENDER EQUALITY

It’s a land where genitals do not define social ranking, status or power. Our human ability to love, to give, to support and to unite for human justice is what makes equality one of our wonderland’s highest valu

UNITYT & COMMUNITY

Everything is interconnected. We celebrate the threads that weave all living beings to one another, and all the balances of the planets that make our human life possible.

EMPATHY & HUMANITY

We believe in opening our arms and ears to people, who else do we have but each other?

I Love Chiang Mai | Script Lettering

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 06:35:10 GMT

Thai Type Tourist

The population of Thailand is around 70 million people, 11 of them living in Bangkok alone.

Thailand is home to 71 living languages. The 2014 Ethnologue country report lists one national language (Thai), one educational language (Isan), 27 developing languages, 18 vigorous languages, 17 threatened languages, and 7 dying languages.

“Thailand has experienced the gravitational pull of Europe over the agitations to do with becoming ‘modern’. Yet, it has never been colonised” by Rachel V. Harrison and Peter A. Jackson.

Industries

Travel

Credits

Art Director: Maria Montes

Client: S elf-initiated project

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

On July 19th 2022, my partner and I moved to Thailand for one month while working remotely.

We rented an apartment —they call it “condo”— next to the Chiang Mai University, which was very convenient as it allowed us to go for a stroll along its gardens and lake every day before breakfast.

Our monthly rent was AUD $550 for a thirty-five-square-metre apartment with a strong internet connection, a small kitchenette and no oven or stove. Working from home, this forced us to go out for lunch and dinner daily, getting to know the local eateries around us.

We set up a daily budget of AUD $20 for two people. We knew we would go over sometimes, nevertheless we made it happen often, and we became very creative with our money while still enjoying the city.

This is a list of things you can buy for 35฿ (around AUD $1.4) in Chiang Mai: 1 can of Leo beer; 1 meal which includes white rice, chicken and chicken broth soup with its condiments; 1 latte; 1 ice lemon tea; 1 small bottle of shampoo; 1 big-size papaya; 25 bananas.

In Chiang Mai there are dental clinics literally in every corner. I noticed a lot of students wearing prescription glasses, but very few people wearing sunglasses. Many girls ride scooters —like I did when I was a teenager—, and they are extremely beautiful. Wearing a mask was mandatory for indoor and outdoor activities, although the majority of tourists we encountered didn’t wear them at all.

Every local we interacted with was extremely good to us, including the people we couldn’t verbally speak to, due to our lack of Thai knowledge. We felt extremely safe and welcomed, and fell in love with the culture. Google Translate Picture App was a great tool to have in many occasions when there was a printed menu in Thai with no pictures.

We didn’t cook, nor doing the dishes for four weeks. We also engaged a local business to do our laundry for 135฿ per week (AUD $5.40). Every Thursday after dinner we went for one-hour Thai massage for 200฿ each (AUD $8). Our time in Chiang Mai was literally full-time work, cultural research, outdoor meals, self-care and entertainment.

At the end of our four weeks, we spent a total of AUD $1450 including our apartment, a Thai sim card and a scooter for the month. What’s the total of your living expenses for the month in your city?

While I was in Thailand, I did some research on Thai type designers, foundries and type institutions. Here are some you may want to check out:

The International Program In Communication Design
Typography Class at CommDe
Thailand Creative and Design Center
Bangkok International Typographic Symposium (BITS)
Typographic Association Bangkok (TAB) and TAB on IG
Canson Demak
Stawix Font Foundry

I have also selected five Thai talented women which you’ll find on my September 2022 newsletter .

We have fallen in love with Chiang Mai and its people, and we cannot wait to go back again for more.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Cooking Up A Design | Understanding Branding Assets Better

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 04:19:30 GMT

In 2019 while I was teaching typography , calligraphy and lettering at RMIT University, I explained to my visual communication students that graphic design has a lot to do with cooking.

Sometimes, you are given the ingredients to cook with, and have to come up with an effective and flavoursome dish; other times, you are in charge of curating the ingredients and the final dish; And other times, you go all the way in and prepare the soil, plant and grow your own ingredients, harvest them, select the recipe, and create a four-course meal!

In either case, each set of ingredients below are part of your daily practice, and as great chefs do, the more literate you are about each of them, the better.

What are branding assets?

Content (and tone of voice)

Delivered by a copywriter/journalist/scientist/academic or the client itself.

Fonts

Custom created by a typeface designer , curated by the graphic designer, or delivered by the client as part of their brand identity package.

Colour Palette

Curated by the graphic designer or delivered by the client.

Photographs (and photographic style)

Commissioned specifically to a photographer, or imagery already shot and curated by the graphic designer.

Video and animation

Commissioned specifically to a videographer or animator, or curated by the graphic designer.

Illustrations and surface patterns (and illustrative style)

Commissioned specifically to an illustrator , or imagery already created and curated by the graphic designer.

Lettering design

Crafted by a letterer or the graphic designer itself.

Logotype / Logomark / Wordmark / Icons

Created by the graphic designer , or delivered by the client as part of their brand identity package.

The ingredients above is what I call branding assets. Mixed they will produce a desirable dish, which will reflect the brand’s tone of voice, and speak to the client’s target audience in its specific market space.

Here are some key branding asset ingredients:

In some instances, each branding asset has been crafted independently, and the designer’s job is to balance them all creating a thought-out piece of visual communication containing the right amount of harmony and tension.

In other instances, designers are able to craft the assets themselves, as we can see in many self-generated works where the author creates the content and context for the piece; chooses the colour palette; takes their own photographs or creates their own illustrations/imagery, and craft a custom lettering for it. Additionally, some designers doubling up in typeface design will also develop their own font for the project.

Crafting branding assets or cooking with them?

Some recipes are quick 15-minute meals, others take days, weeks or months. It is important to identify if you are cooking a meal, crafting an asset, or doing both.

Designers don’t sell time but provide value to a company, individual or organisation. Understanding your personal circumstances, the costs of your business, the industry you are designing for, and the value you are providing, are key elements to help you price your work.

The more experienced a designer is, the faster they will be able to execute a task. And —paraphrasing Debbie Millman— “the more repeatedly successful endeavours they have accomplished, the more confident”.

Time and practice are the key ingredients for experience, as well as mastery and excellence. Tara Brach illustrates these concepts in this interview between a reporter (R) and a bank president (BP) where the first one asks:

R— “Sir, what’s the secret of your success?”

BP— “And the response is: Two words”

R— “And sir, what are they?

BP— “Right decisions”

R— “But… How do you make right decisions?”

BP— “One word”

R— “And what word is that?”

BP— “Experience”

R— “And how do you get experience?”

BP— “Two words”

R— “And sir, what are they?”

BP— “Wrong decisions”

Cooking Up Time

In the past, I have visited many countries where I didn’t speak the native language, so having a visual menu to pick my meal was extremely handy. In the same way, some clients may not have the right vocabulary or language to communicate what they are looking for, so having a visual menu of your branding assets may be a great way to guide them. I learned about this concept for the first time in an interview with Catalan designer Marta Cerdà and I thought it was a very graphic explanation to how your self-generated or pro-bono work can play a significant roll in getting in more flavour-aligned commercial projects.

Your visual menu can attract, illustrate and inform the client on the type of dishes you are able to cook, depending on the meal they are looking for. This below is an example of my custom lettering, wordmark and logomark menu.

Visual menu

Because brands want to have their own personal voice, be it for a campaign, packaging product , or their own brand identity .

Brands occupy a specific space in the market, and branding assets help them to communicate to their audience in a personal, identifiable, emotional and impactful way.

Why clients commission branding assets?

Nexba Limoncello & Amalfi Spritz | Illustrations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 08:15:07 GMT

Botanical illustrations for Nexba’s Limoncello and Amalfi Spritz range.

Industries

FMCG
Beverage industry

Soft drinks

Credits

Client: Nexba (AU)
Art director: Taylor Kotlarczyk
Designer & illustrator: Maria Montes

Services

Packaging design

Botanical illustrations

Branding assets

Nexba Non-Alc Seltzers are beautifully crafted with Australian Botanicals, for pure enjoyment without the hard stuff. This is sugar-free done differently – no sugar, nothing artificial, just naturally delicious goodness. Proudly Aussie made and owned.

Nexba Tonic Water | Packaging Illustrations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 08:10:06 GMT

Botanical packaging illustrations for Nexba’s tonic water range.

Industries

FMCG
Beverage industry

Soft drinks

Credits

Client: Nexba (AU)
Art director: Taylor Kotlarczyk
Designer & illustrator: Maria Montes

Services

Packaging design

Botanical illustrations

Branding assets

Flavour 1: Tonic Water Classic with Raspberry Lime
Flavour 2: Tasmanian Pepperberry and lemon
Flavour 3: Pear, Jasmine and Hirami Lemo n

Perfectionism is the Voice of the Oppressor

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 07:06:19 GMT

Illustrated Vector Lettering Design

I have recently discovered American writer Anne Lamott and she has inspired me with the quote “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor”, because it hits close to home.

Since the beginning of the Pandemic, I have found very difficult to generate personal work. This is a new experience, as I’m normally extremely self-driven and motivated.

I’ve reflected on it, and have had many internal dialogues with myself telling me that last year wasn’t an artist retreat that I scheduled in my calendar. It wasn’t a sabbatical to find my creative voice either. It was, and still is, a global health and financial crisis taking many lives daily. Nor my productivity, or my personal creative output are a measure of my self worth.

On the other hand, perfectionism is not new to me. It is an old toxic friend of mine often hanging around reminding me that nothing is ever enough. I push it away, Perfectionism pushes back. It is a long battle, and I’m very much working on it.

This piece brings me joy as 1) I am generating a new personal project, and 2) I’m not letting Perfectionism stand in my way to share it.

Industries

Art & Culture

Mental Health

Credits

Art Director: Maria Montes

Client: S elf-initiated project

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

project background

Thirteen | Skateboard Deck Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 03:13:49 GMT

Two custom hand-painted skateboards

Industries

Skateboarding

Street Art

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Lettering

Original artwork

THIRTEEN / TRETZE: CUSTOM SKATEBOARD DECKS

For our thirteenth anniversary, Blackletter felt like an obvious choice for this pair: small counters, very little letter/personal space — a reflection on closeness and intimacy.

Despite the challenges since the beginning of the pandemic, and the intensity of sharing life so closely over the past eighteen months, I’m happy to report that our relationship has only grown stronger — something that continues to make my heart sing.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: ONGOING SKATEBOARD COLLECTION

EXPLORE MY SKATEBOARD COLLECTION BELOW

Charlie's Australian Collection | Illustrations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 05:14:39 GMT

Line-work Packaging Illustrations

Botanical illustrations for Charlie’s Australian Collection packaging product range.

Industries

FMCG

Food industry

Australian made & owned

Credits

Client: Charlie's Fine Food & Co (AU)

Art director: Lauren Vilitati

Illustrator: Maria Montes

Project Brief

Develop a set of ten botanical line work illustration to use across Charlie's Australian Collection product range, as well as across their website and social media communications.

Black and white, vector-based files.

Branding Assets Deliverables

Services

Packaging illustrations

Premium branding assets

Australia’s First Languages Signwriting | Article

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 04:34:05 GMT

Protecting Australia’s First Languages is a fundamental part of preserving culture.

For tens of thousands of years, hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been spoken across Australia.

At the time of European colonisation, there were at least 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages spoken across the continent. These were distinct languages (not dialects), each with its own extensive vocabulary and complex grammar.

This linguistic diversity reflects the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural identities more generally.

In 2014, the National Indigenous Languages Survey report estimated that only 120 of Australia’s First Languages were still being spoken. Approximately 100 of those languages still spoken are considered severely or critically endangered, meaning that they are at risk of becoming no longer spoken, or ‘sleeping.’

The damage done to the state of First Languages in Australia is, in many ways, reflective of the damaging, inequitable relationships that have existed between non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout history.

Language is a fundamental part of Indigenous culture and identity, even for those who do not speak an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.

The AIATSIS 2018–19 Survey of 141 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language varieties finds that at least 123 are in use or being revitalised/ revived in Australia today.

Most of these languages are highly endangered. The AIATSIS survey found only 12 relatively strong traditional languages.

New languages – particularly Kriol and Yumplatok/Torres Strait Creole – are some of the strongest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia, and their use is growing.

Sources:

https://www.arts.gov.au/what-we-do/indigenous-arts-and-languages/national-indigenous-languages-report

https://www.reconciliation.org.au/

Charlie’s Mini Melting Moments | Illustrations

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 05:58:56 GMT

Cookie Dough line art packaging illustrations.

Line-art illustrations to be used as branding assets and as part of a surface pattern repeat for Charlie's Cookie Dough packaging design.

Industries

FMCG

Food industry

Australian made & owned

Credits

Client: Charlie's Fine Food & Co (AU)

Art director: Lauren Vilitati

Packaging design: Lauren Vilitati

Illustrator: Maria Montes

Photographer: Teagan Glenane

Services

Packaging illustrations

Premium branding assets

Little Ruin Adventure Game | Branding Assets

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 06:11:25 GMT

Logotype design & branding assets

Industries

Video games

Credits

Designer: Maria Montes

Art direction: Mark Fenollar
Design firm: Lucernal

I’m really proud to collaborate with Lucernal’s creative director Mark Fenollar, the lead artist on this beautifully-crafted project, one of ten games that shared funding through Film Victoria’s Assigned Production Investment (API) – Games program.

A narrative-driven adventure game, Little Ruin is set in a stunning, crumbling art nouveau world of moral ambiguity. The story casts the player in the role of a 13-year-old girl named Isobel who is entangled in the machinations of a colonial civil war.

design brief

The game is set in a Catalan village close to the French border and the client asked for a logotype design with a strong Modern flavour. Additionally, Mark also commissioned several icons for the use interface of the game following the attention to detail and careful execution of the game graphics. UI elements for Little Ruin Adventure Game include the menu, dialogues, gamepad icons and game navigation.

In 2026, Little Ruin received a second a grant through Screen Australia and is currently in development.

Services

Logotype design

Lettering design

Icon set design

You Are Not Alone | Script Animation

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 06:45:44 GMT

You Are Not Alone In Feeling Lonely

Is the end of the year not your favourite Festive Season? You Are Not Alone. Thinking of everyone missing family and loved ones this month.

I want to share with you the beginning of my ATypI 2021 presentation for those of you who don’t know my background:

I’m originally from Barcelona and moved to Australia in 2006 with no friends, no family and very little English. My intention was learning a new language and finding a job as a graphic designer overseas.

The plan was spending two or three years in this country and then moving to NYC… Six years later I became a permanent resident, and after a decade I became an Australian citizen.

Moving to Australia was incredibly challenging and isolating in many ways, but it gave me the mental space to question who I was and what I wanted. And this marked the beginning of my introspective journey to better understand myself.

I have been on this island for 15 years now, and despite all the challenges I have faced, I still believe it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art Director: Maria Montes

Client: S elf-initiated project

Services

Lettering design

Animation

project background

DESIGN PROCESS

Monoline hand lettering, followed by vectorisation using Glyphs App and animated using Adobe After Effects.

The Magic Begins Within | Private Commission

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 06:18:34 GMT

Private Lettering Commission

The Magic Begins From Within is a private commission for Glenn Joseph Fusfield, the president and CEO of One Spa World after twenty-one years of trajectory.

Vector script lettering combined with a custom vector surface pattern design. Artwork dimensions: 71 x 97 cm.

Industries

Corporate

Travel

Luxury

Credits

Designer: Maria Montes
Art director: Andrew Thomas
Design Firm: Inaria Brand Design (UK)

Client: One Spa World (US)

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

The Best Is Yet To Come | Collaboration

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:49:05 GMT

Modern Romans & Script Lettering Design

The Best Is Yet To Come is a collaboration between Man&Wah and myself. It is an ode to mother nature and our intrinsic relationship with it. It is also a message for hope which I think we all need.

Man&Wah create stunning images featuring the majestic and mysterious miracle of nature. I met Wah in 2010, a few months before leaving Brisbane and moving down to Melbourne. A few year later I met Man, and I am super proud to finally collaborate together.

This image is also a great analogy of my mission, which is sharing knowledge, helping others to grow, branch out and flourish, and create emotion through my work. Above all, everyone has a story to tell .

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Lettering designer: Maria Montes

Photographers: Man&Wah

Art director: Maria Montes

Client: Self-initiated project

Services

Lettering design

Operetta Hysteria by Nina Utashiro | EP Merch

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:25:37 GMT

Operetta Hysteria Lettering Design

Custom lettering design crafted in collaboration with art director Darren Oorloff and producer Rew Kubayashi, for Nina Utashiro’s EP merch called Operetta Hysteria .

Check out a couple of meticulously crafted singles called Aria , Étude and her recent Nocturne by this incredibly talented multidisciplinary Tokyo-based artist.

Industries

Music Merchadising

Credits

Lettering designer: Maria Montes

Art director: Darren Oorloff

Creative director: Nina Utashiro

Producer: Rew Kubayashi
Client: Nina Utashiro
Music Label: Sony Entertainment (JP)

Services

Lettering design

Twelve | Skateboard Deck Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 03:14:48 GMT

Two custom hand-painted skateboards

Industries

Skateboarding

Street Art

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Lettering

Original artwork

14 | design concept: Low-resOLUTION Lifestyle

On July 4th, my partner and I celebrated our 12th anniversary together.

Last year, he chose to take a nine-month sabbatical to nurture himself and recover from professional burnout. Having experienced the profound benefits of time away during my own sabbatical in 2009, I totally supported his decision. Was it easy on our relationship? Not at all.

Illustrated on the green deck is a portrait of us living apart for most of 2019, staying connected primarily through a phone screen.

In contrast, the wood deck reflects our relationship during COVID-19—a complete inversion: living together twenty-four seven, quite literally on top of each other, and experiencing the world mostly in low resolution through another screen.

A few months ago, I listened to Esther Perel speak about long-term relationships during the pandemic. She described a simple truth: every couple will either see the cracks in their relationship, or the light that shines through them.

After nearly five months in lockdown together, I find myself seeing only the light—and feeling deeply grateful to have him by my side.

Colour palette: RGB

PROJECT BACKGROUND: ONGOING SKATEBOARD COLLECTION

Copperplate Calligraphy Retreat | Announcement

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 05:59:19 GMT

Script Lettering Design

This animation is a self-promotional lettering design announcing my first Copperplate Calligraphy Retreat in Australia .

Design Process

Monoline vector lettering design developed using Glyphs App. Animation using Adobe After Effects.

Industries

Education

Credits

Art director: Maria Montes

Client: Self-promotional project

Services

Lettering design

Animation

Find Your Inner Compass As A Lettering Artist

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 01:15:12 GMT

Dominique Falla asked me to be part of Typism ’s podcast series, and talk about the concept of inner compass. After the recording was done, I realised that the notes I prepared for our interview could be valuable for many designers in the visual communication field, and not only for the ones interested in lettering. Below are my notes for anyone who’d find that useful.

For me, an inner compass is a set of principles to guide you through life and work, and to help you understand what things work and what things don’t work for you.

It is a set of tools to help you answer yes or no, in life and in your creative practice. And I say life and work, because for me life is work, and work is life, and I find it very difficult to separate them because they constantly feed from each other.

These set of tools are the answer to some of the following questions:

What are your core principles?
Do you have clear values?
What works for you?
What things you don’t want to do?
Where do you want to go?

What exactly is an inner compass?

An internal compass does not show up; it is a constant and ongoing self-reflective practice, combined with mapping, planning, analysing and re-evaluating what works for you. And this is constantly evolving overtime depending on your priorities and projects.

My introspective journey started in 2006 when I landed in Australia. I was very fortunate to be sponsored as a lead designer at a small graphic design studio, as my English skills were very limited, and this job offered me the opportunity to live and work in this country. After my first year in Brisbane, I started to question a lot of things including myself, my work, and my place on this planet.

What does an inner compass look like, how does it show up?

Moving to Australia was incredibly challenging and isolating in many ways, but it gave me the mental space to question who I was and what I wanted, and this was the beginning of a long introspective journey to become a better designer, and a better version of myself.

I personally implement ideas and methods from the art world, as well as from personal development, and the corporate environment.

I feel like finding your internal compass can make you feel more in control; more aligned to yourself; more responsible for your decisions. It can help you by driving your lettering career instead of being reactive to it.

Finding your internal compass may help you answer some of these questions:

Are you a lettering artist who wants to work for a big agency or a small studio?
Would you rather be a freelancer?
Do you have the privilege of choosing? Not everyone is in a position to choose.

If your answer is being a freelancer, you may need to work really hard for several years at an agency or studio during the day, while doing your freelance work at night, till your client work becomes steady enough to transition to a full-time freelance career.

Why is it so important to find that inner compass as a lettering artist?

Personally, the main positive aspect of being a full-time freelancer is the flexibility.

The worst part is the financial uncertainty, but I am fully aware that this is a counterpart of what I like the most, which is the freedom of being self-employed; so, if I had to choose between financial stability or freedom, today I would go for the latter one.

Being a freelancer carries a sense of privilege, because you have the option to choose to be one; and it also carries a sense of responsibility because if something goes wrong, there is no one else to blame. That means, you want to learn how to be a good boss to yourself.

Other questions you can consider asking yourself:

Is there a specific lettering style that you want to specialise in?
Illustrative lettering, Script, Blackletter… all of them?
Is there a medium in particular you want to focus on?

Murals, vector work, lettering animation, hand-lettering, digital 3D, tactile lettering… all of them?

Do you have a specific area of interest in design where you want to apply your lettering skills? For example, lettering for the packaging industry and alcohol labels; or lettering for branding purposes; or lettering for the editorial sector including book covers; or lettering for design activism and social justice.

I have a couple of good colleagues of mine who specialise in designing for the music industry. They love and understand the music culture, and move specifically in this area which makes them happy and commercially successful.

The questions I mentioned above can help you answer the big question: “What do you really want to do, and how can you to make it work long term?”

By finding your internal compass and being more rooted in your core, you can face the challenges and fluctuations that come with the creative life.

Start by collecting data on yourself:

1.What are your motivations, cultural interests, emotions, triggers, behaviours and undesired behaviours?

Around the cultural topic, I very much recommend watching this panel discussion with Eric Hu, Hassan Rahim and Erik Brandt on the nature of design education.

2. Identify what is good and bad stress.

For me, good stress is when I feel challenged in a way I know is going to help me grow personally and/or professionally, like my Typism conference talk .

I knew the process would be stressful and nerve-wracking, but I also knew that if I invested enough time to prepare the talk, received feedback from people I respect, and was brave enough to open up and tell my story, it would help others to see themselves reflected in my journey, and encourage them to keep going. I knew that if the talk was well received, I would learn a lot and grow from the experience.

For me, bad stress is feeling overwhelmed. This happens when I feel I am not prepared enough to perform a task; or when I need to rely on other people or environments that are out of my control; or when someone puts a huge amount of expectations on me; or when the project has an insanely tight deadline.

How would you recommend a lettering artist go about finding their inner compass?

3. Writing as a therapeutic and introspective tool.

Some people will write a weekly or monthly summary. Other people would write quarterly. Personally, I started in 2015 with my bi-monthly email newsletters.

My first newsletter was exclusively focused to announce my first solo exhibition in Melbourne. Then, I decided to keep sending newsletters to announce my calligraphy workshops, and slowly I started to write about myself and the things that were inspiring or challenging me.

In 2018, I had a melanoma removed from my face and I shared the process and how I felt during and after the surgery. The amount of responses I received from people sharing their experiences with cancer was incredible touching. After that, I realised my writing and openness were also helping other people, so I decided to continue sharing my experiences.

Nowadays, my newsletters are divided in three parts. The first part is a personal letter I craft every two months; the second part is a selection of projects I have completed, alongside the courses I offer; and the third part is a list of articles, community events, type-related matter and other topics which may include creative mental health and fostering women within the industry.

Without having a long-term strategy in place, my newsletters have become a visual diary of what is challenging or inspiring me at each moment. This bi-monthly exercise forces me to be accountable, check-in with myself, reflect on my last two months, and map what I have accomplished.

This writing exercise does not have to be public like mine, can be private and just for yourself.

4. Learn about how you work in a personal, creative and financial way.

What is more important for you, and in which order if more than one?

Being a good friend;
Being a good lover;
Being a good partner;
Being a good parent;
Being a good creative.

Some people will choose only one and be the brightest.

Other people are well rounded and they want to find a balance between having good food, an OK job, and a good social life… Then, ask yourself:

Are you an “email me” or “call me” person?
Are you an “early bird” or a “night owl”?
Are you a “give me time to think” or “let’s work on it together”?
Are you an “attention to detail” or “give me the big picture”?
Are you a “tell me what to do” or a “let me figure it out for myself”?

My friend Lauren Vilitati knows me very well and has helped me many times on answering these questions. Together we ran something called The Emotional Culture Deck for better workplace culture which you can download and run the exercise with someone you trust.

5. Try, tweak, try again, define and re-define success.

A lot of things I thought I would love, after doing them I realise I don’t like them at all.

In 2014, I co-founded my own label called MarchTwentyTwo . My business partner and I designed three limited-edition scarves, crafted cushions, and handmade baskets. That year, I did my first market just to realise that I don’t like markets, nor pushing products.

In 2011, I studied type design for the first time. Since then, I have dreamt about publishing my first font. In 2018, I finally did it but the process was incredibly painful. I have had a font hangover for nearly two years now, and sometimes I wonder if I ever want to go back to it, but I haven’t decided it yet.

I have tried a lot of things that I thought I would enjoy, but by doing them I realised that I actually don’t like them.

6. Identify your personal interests.

I am personally interested in language and creative leadership.

I have been following Jim Antonopoulos from We Are Tank for several years now. He writes a weekly email newsletter which I find very valuable. Jim also published a collection of articles under the name The Mentorship Collection , which is very affordable reading that I recommend to everyone prior starting a mentoring relationship.

I am also interested in building a respectful, educated and inclusive creative community.

I strongly believe that bringing more voices, colours and under-represented groups up on stage can only open up our view of the world and make us better.

I’m interested in female leadership, and the importance of being represented.

I am a 43-year old designer with no kids by choice, and I don’t personally know that many females in my same situation. One of them is Dominique Falla from Typism . Other great female colleagues of mine whom I look up to are typographer Nicole Phillips based in New Zealand, type designer Laura Meseguer based in Barcelona, Cat Burgues working at Frost in Sydney, and Prue Jones working at Fjord in Melbourne.

There are many other women who I admire and follow online, but have never met personally. These are only a few examples of many: the Alphabettes community, Dori Tunstall, Tea Uglow, Antoinette Carrol, Elaine López, Sabiha Basrai, Sarah de Bondt, Debbie Millman, Jacinda Ardern, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among others. These women are very important to me, as they stand by my side along my journey.

7. Find your role models.

Find people you admire not only for their work, but for their ideologies, work ethics or ways of living.

8. Find a mentor.

Ask for help from people you respect, and feel aligned with their thoughts.

I have been following Kevin Finn from The Sum Of for a very long time. When I was invited to speak at the Design Conference in Brisbane, I emailed him and let him know I was part of the speaker line up, and invited him to come along and watch my talk.

On the conference day, right after I finished my talk, Kevin and I finally met in person. It was one of the happiest moments in my career.

A few months later, I felt creatively stuck and I decided to email Kevin explaining to him my situation, asking if he would consider mentoring me. He called me straight away and asked me several questions to understand my needs and to make sure he was the right person to help me out. Our first phone conversation only reaffirmed to me that he was exactly who I was looking for.

After our first chat, we had a couple of mentoring sessions. I did a lot of work on my end and, after a couple of months, I was back on track feeling focused and decisive again.

No matter which stage you are at in your career, having the right mentor is only going to help you grow and evolve.

9. Develop your emotional intelligence.

Why am I doing this? Because of fear?
Because you think you are not good enough?
Because you want people to think you are this or that type of person?
Are you your worst enemy, or your best friend?
Are you dealing with perfectionism?
Are you dealing with impostor syndrome?

10. Learn about financial literacy.

No matter if you are a freelance or not, you’ll be dealing with money, and the more you understand money and how the financial structures work, the more equipped you’ll be to make decisions in your career and personal life. I cannot recommend reading The Barefoot Investor enough, especially if you live in Australia.

I also recommend a profound financial detox by figuring out, in exact numbers, the following questions:

How much money do you need a month to pay all your expenses including bills, software subscriptions, entertainment and rent?
How much do you spend on food every month?
Do you have private health insurance?
Do you have a mortgage?
Do you have uni fees?
Do you have kids?
How much emotional financial security do you need?

Other things to take in consideration are:

Do you have a partner?
If so, do they work full-time, are a student, or is your partner a freelancer?

I identify two types of shiny object syndrome: The first one sits within the visual communication field; and the second one crosses disciplines.

Recently, I read this tweet from Jessica Hische :

Web designer

↓

UX Designer

↓

Product Designer

↓

Product Design Manager

↓

Director

↓

Venture Capitalist

↓

Wood worker

And judging by the huge engagement from this tweet, made it obvious the amount of people who have travelled this road, and answered “this is me!” and “this is what I’m hoping for!”

On the other hand, your shiny object syndrome can only relate to the visual communication field:

Logo designer

↓

Wedding stationery

↓

Web designer

↓

Product designer

↓

Graphic recorder

↓

Artist

↓

Kinetic type specialist

Following shiny objects requires a huge amount of ongoing learning. As new shiny objects constantly come along, and with them new technology appears, new software, new perspectives… you will constantly need to learn about the hot topic of the time, and increase your knowledge. This is not the easy path, in fact, the opposite.

Following shiny objects is going to force you learn a lot of different skills in different areas, and while you are transitioning from one thing to the other, you may hear your strongest calling.

Saying yes to shiny objects implies that you’ll be constantly moving from one medium to another, and for some people this may be very a good fit. I have walked this path myself.

What if I suffer from shiny object syndrome? What if I can’t decide which creative direction to head in?

I graduated from a Bachelor of Honours in Graphic Design, then I completed a master’s degree in UI Design.

A few years later, I had a career crisis and decided to specialise by studying a postgraduate course in advanced typography. I fell in love with typography, rediscovered calligraphy and discovered lettering. I then moved to Melbourne and needed a job to sustain myself, and accepted a textile design position as anything sounded more exciting than the idea of going back to designing stationery again.

I spent two years full time only illustrating, and I fell in love with the process.

In a way, it feels like I’m all over the place, but I find that all these disciplines are very much related to each other, and they are all vehicles for me to communicate visually and creatively, plus they fulfil my hunger for knowledge and for learning how to see.

Paraphrasing Jaimey Shapey “my best advice for design students is to start taking care of yourselves now: Force yourself into healthy habits because many design workplaces are toxic, and you’ll need a strong sense of personal care to stay sane”.

Secondly, you probably have heard the sentence “we learn more from our mistakes than from our victories”, and I’m afraid this is very true. So my next advice is be curious, try everything out, learn and unlearn, and find your very own way!

Conclusion

References:

The Creative Pro by Jim Antonopoulos;
The Dark Art of Pricing by Jessica Hische;
The Emotional Culture Deck by Raiders and Elephants;
The Mentorship Collection by Jim Antonopoulos;
Finding a Mentor by 3 Point Perspective Podcast;
Mentorship Program by Alphabettes;
Start With Why by Simon Sinek;
Finding yourself over and over again by Jessica Hische;
What is design education actually for? Panel discussion with Eric Hu, Hassan Rahim and Erik Brandt;
The questions you need to ask yourself by Debbie Millman;
Finding your creative style and voice by Jessica Walsh;
The top 10 things I wish I knew when I graduated college by Debbie Millman;
Where are the black designers? What’s Next? Roundtable with Roxanne Gay, Antoniette Carroll, Kelly Walters, Elaine Lopez, Alexandra Cunningham Cameron and Chris Livaudais;
The Staving Artist Podcast Designing Your Creative Life with Honor Eastly and Sarah Firth;
What you have to offer is you, what I have to offer is me by Charlie Kaufman;
The Sum of by Kevin Finn;
Discovering Your Why by Lauren Vilitati.

Additional Resources

The Heroine’s Journey of Maria Montes | Interview

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 01:11:42 GMT

This interview was published on The Heroine’s Journey Website by Peter De Kuster .

The flexibility and freedom that comes with being my own boss.

What is the best thing that I love about my work?

Happiness means being surrounded by close friends, laughing, dancing and being one hundred percent present in the moment.

What is my idea of perfect happiness?

Getting sick, followed by professional success.

What is my greatest fear?

My lack of confidence in certain situations.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?

All creative women who came before me, who didn’t find representation in the industry but kept showing up and working in the dark. Thanks to those quiet ones, we are all here today, raising our female voice and fighting for women’s rights, gender equality and inclusion.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire?

I would lie to protect someone’s life.

On what occasion would I lie?

The financial instability, although I am fully aware that this is a counterpart of what I like the most, which is the freedom of being a full-time freelancer. So, if I have to choose between financial stability and freedom, I would go for the latter one.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?

This year at my second museum solo exhibition in Spain.

I have been a digital graphic designer for nineteen years. My artistic solo career only started in 2014. Seeing my work displayed in a museum —across nine walls and over eighty pieces— made me feel extremely grateful of all the hard work and sacrifices I have been through.

In my university years, we constantly learned about artists who never saw their work being recognised while they were alive, so reaching a point in my career where two big museum exhibitions have come my way, made me feel the happiest and proudest inside.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work?

I would like to speak many more languages including French, Arabic and Japanese. I would love to learn how to push fear out of my way.

If I could, what would I change about myself?

So far, my greatest professional achievement has been publishing independently a display chromatic font family called Green Fairy .

This project has been possible thanks to my core values of never stop learning and telling myself that giving up is not an option.

What is my greatest achievement in work?

I’ve been in Melbourne for the past nine years and I’m extremely happy here. I work at Rotson Studios, a co-working space which my partner opened six years ago. The studio has become a very important part of my life and some of the people who I work with, have become my closest friends.

If I had to move from Melbourne, my next top three destinations would be New York, Amsterdam and Berlin. I have been in these cities several times in the past and in all of them I have dear friends who occupy and big space in my heart.

Where would I most like to live?

A blue vintage cabinet I have in my living room storing many of my original artworks.

What is my most treasured possession?

Humour. I like to use humour to connect deeper with people.

What is my most marked characteristic?

Rotson Studios where I work, followed by any natural environment.

Since I live in Australia, nature has become a huge part of my life, making me reflect on important matters such as climate change, green sustainability and ecology.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city?

When I visited Melbourne for the first time, I went to Black Cat in Fitzroy, and this location made me fall in love with the city.

I feel really spoilt in Melbourne as this city is a gastronomic mecca. We have food from anywhere in the world and people love talking about their favourite cafes and restaurants. I don’t have one single favourite per se , but I definitely have one restaurant in my wish list for a very long time called The Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld.

What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city?

While at high school, I read “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse and it had a great impact in my life. Thanks to this book I felt in love with philosophy.

During my university years, I read “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera and this book stayed with me for a long.

In my late twenties I read “Clara y la penumbra” ( The Art of Murder ) by José Carlos Somoza.

and I loved it. I am huge fan of science fiction and this book ticked many boxes for me.

Recently, I have read “The Barefoot Investor” by Scott Pape and it has totally changed the way I manage my own finances. I very much recommend it, especially if you live in Australia.

What books influenced my life and how?

I have read pretty much every single book written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Who are my favourite writers?

Ellen Louise Ripley, the warrant officer aboard the Nostromo from the film Alien.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?

My aunt Celia has always been a role model for me. She is extremely generous, hard worker and full of love; plus she always carries a big smile on her face.

My friend Roso Cortada has taught me what resilience feels like. She is a powerhouse woman full of strength and love.

My friend Lara Captan has taught me about generosity and vision.

My parents have taught me about unconditional love.

My grandmother taught me what fashion, style and good taste looks like.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?

Art plays a huge part in my life. Art is the reason why I am a creative.

What role plays art in my life and work?

My partner Rob. He has taught me how to dream big and to believe in myself. Thanks to his unconditional support for the last eleven years, I am where I am today.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?

I would love to keep collaborating with Inaria Design Luxury Group , as they are one of my top dream clients.

I would love to work with other high-end design agencies crafting identity systems and emotionally charged visual languages involving custom type, logotypes, lettering, illustration, patterning, packaging design, collateral, and digital assets, among other crafts.

I would love to upsize my work and paint a few big murals.

I would love to design a scarf for Hermes.

Whom would I like to work with in 2020?

I would love to meet Jessica Hische, Jessica Walsh, Sheila and Julian Waters and Ken Barber.

Which people in my profession would I love to meet in 2020?

I’m looking forward to starting a project with Mark Hayley from Design by Athlete .

I’m planning a trip to Baltimore to study alongside Sheila and Julian Waters.

I’m dreaming with Typographics 2020 and catching up with Troy Leinster, Hannes Famira and Cara Di Edwardo.

What project, in 2020, am I looking forward to work on?

You can find plenty of examples of my work on my website and Instagram .
Keynote speaker at Typism 2017 ;
Keynote speaker at The Design Conferece 2018 ;
Live streaming interview at Adobe France 2019 ;
Keynote speaker at TypeParis 2019 .

Where can you see me or my work in 2020?

Passion is my fuel. It wakes me up early in the morning and keeps me at work late at night. Passion and emotion is what my life and my work are driven by.

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?

Laura Meseguer, Danielle Brodie, Lauren Vilitati, Teagan Glenane and Rebecca Sharrock.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?

Say Hola! at info@mariamontes.net

How can you contact me?

The Quiet Ones | Script Lettering Animation

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 06:56:19 GMT

The Quiet Ones | International Women’s Day

My father recently asked me: “If you could travel back in time, where would you go?”

I mentioned it to my dear friend @stylemehappy and she brilliantly reflected: “Back to when we had a dozen kids because contraception was not an option? Or when we couldn’t vote? Or when epidural and period cups were not invented?...” Dad, I only want to travel to the future, where women’s safety, equal opportunities and representation is no longer a dream but a reality. Where men AND women support women.

This lettering design is a homage to all creative women who came before me; who didn’t find support nor representation in the industry but kept showing up and working in the dark. Thanks to those quiet ones, we are all here today, raising our female voice and fighting for women’s rights, gender pay gap, equality and inclusion.

This is a call out for men and women to champion women today, and every day.
If you are —like me— in a privileged position, break the silence and speak up for those ones who can’t. The bigger your audience, the bigger your responsibility; the bigger your privilege, the bigger your responsibility.

Happy International Women’s Day from a very proud multilingual, multicultural, independent female voice.

Industries

Art & Culture

Women's Rights

Credits

Art Director: Maria Montes

Client: S elf-initiated project

Services

Lettering design

Animation

project background

DESIGN PROCESS

Monoline vector lettering using Adobe Illustrator and animated with After Effects.

Maria Montes x Type Paris | Interview

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 02:06:07 GMT

We have Maria Montes sharing with us this year at TypeParis. We wanted to find out a little more about her, so have presented a series of questions which she has generously taken the time to answer.

The Melbourne-based designer and artist Maria Montes creates intricate, nostalgic and downright FUN lettering and illustrations out of her studio in Fitzroy, where she also runs workshops teaching others the art of writing.

Trained as a graphic designer, Maria Montes studied in Barcelona in 1996, where learning calligraphy was compulsory. After spending over a decade working in the field, she decided to re-explore letterforms, resulting in a postgraduate course in Advanced Typography, followed by a year-long stint and further study in New York City. Her journey ultimately ended in Australia, where she’s been living, working and loving over the last 12 years.

Watch Maria’s keybote presentation on Thursday 4 July 2019.

I started 2017 having my first two calligraphy courses sold out —which I took as a second and definitive sign— and decided to devote myself to Green Fairy for nine months straight. I purchased the font software Glyphs and I started to re-draw all twenty-six letters of the uppercase alphabet again, followed by the numbers, currency symbols, diacritics, punctuation marks as well as spacing and kerning.

Green Fairy is a seven-style chromatic font family highly ornamented for display purposes. This project is the result of an intense nine-month-full-time personal investment and I couldn’t be happier with the release. The font is now available commercially on my online store as well as at MyFonts, Adobe Fonts and Type-Ø-Tones.

The origin of my Green Fairy font family is the lettering I designed in 2015 as part of my illustrated cocktail artwork called “ Absinthe. La Fée Verte ” (The Green Fairy). Originally, this lettering only featured eight letters “AB·SINTHE” vector drawn in Illustrator. Right after creating the full-colour artwork, I designed a fountain-letterpress print version in collaboration with Ladies of Letters, A.K.A. Carla Hackett and Amy Constable.

At the beginning of 2016 —and thanks to the project @36daysoftype— I found the motivation, and most importantly the deadline, to draw the rest of the twenty-six letters of the uppercase alphabet.

Releasing a font commercially has been on my to-do list since I first studied typeface design. In the past, I had tried to finish my first typeface design without succeeding. I also tried to finish my second typeface, but the task felt really daunting and I never had the guts to do it. So, after having Green Fairy’s uppercase characters designed, I fantasised with turning this project into a commercial font but after my two former intents, I feared failing and disappointing myself for the third time…

Then, I thought of W.A. Dwiggins who is an all-time inspiration. He was a prolific American book designer, calligrapher and type designer who coined the term graphic designer for the first time in 1922. He also released his first commercial typeface in his forties. I was just about to turn forty myself, so I took it as a sign; plus let’s be honest, I love challenges.

Green Fairy has just turned one year old. How was this project born? At what time or why did you decide that it could be an entire typeface? Which were the reasons that pushed you to create and produce the entire character set?

Which advantages do you think you have as being an illustrator in the typography field? There are quite a lot illustrators which are lettering artists too, but your case is not as common: you have a good command of type design, lettering, calligraphy, illustration and even textile design!

I guess that’s the result of having W.A. Dwiggins, Rudolf Koch and William Morris (all three type designers as well as masters of lettering, calligraphy and illustration) as referents in my career.

In the commercial world, it seems like the more specialise you become, the better; but my personality is always hungry for learning and experimenting with new things and new techniques. These practices that seem so different (calligraphy, lettering, typography, type design, illustration and textile design) hardly go out of my interest for up-skilling my eye. To quote Ed Benguiat, I once was an “eye-deaf designer” and since then, I am constantly teaching myself to see.

To answer your question, the main advantage being an illustrator and a textile designer in the typography field is the strong use of colour, I guess that’s why Green Fairy is a chromatic font family after all.

And vice versa, the advantage of being a type designer in the illustration/textile design field is that my eye is incredibly fit, having a deep understanding of the figure/ground relationship, where foreground and background are two elements with the same volume of importance.

Do you remember when did you decide to conduct your career to the letter world? What made you choose that?

My grandmother has been a huge influence in my life. She was a fashion designer and a dress maker. With her assistance, at the age of sixteen I started to cut and sew my own garments, and I loved it.

So at the age of eighteen I applied for a fashion degree. I was not convinced that you can make a living as a fashion designer, so I decided to enrol for a graphic design degree simultaneously. That year, I spent my days drawing fashion silhouettes and my nights typesetting QuarkXpress and Page Maker.

Paco Rabanne was one of my first big fashion influences. He was born in Basque Country and fled Spain for France with his mother after Franco won the war, in 1939. In 1995 –while studying fashion and graphic design–, Paco Rabanne released XS. I remember discovering the perfume’s packaging. Something about these letters caught my attention and I could not stop thinking about them for months.

By the end of that academic course, I decided to only specialise in graphic design as I would have the opportunity to learn more about letterforms.

My teacher and then studio director Josep Bagà. I worked with Josep for three years upon graduation from my BA Honours in Graphic Design. He taught me a great deal about graphic design, typography, photography, music and the cultural scene in Barcelona, and I’m deeply grateful for it.

When you started, who were the teachers or professionals who had the greatest impact upon you?

I’m currently a morning person, which was impossible to conceive a few years ago! I currently wake up and meditate for 15 mornings every morning, followed by 15 minutes of salut to the sun yoga practice; these two activities keep me sane and have become a priority in these days.

I stopped drinking coffee as I noticed my calligraphy practice being affected by it. Since then, I’m pretty much addicted to herbal tea and dark chocolate in a daily basis, so I traded one addiction by two of them!

The first thing I do on my desk every morning is answering emails. Then, planning my day ahead and finding a second to be grateful for doing what a love for a living.

What is your favourite way to start your day? What is the first thing you do when you sit down at your desk?

I’m most productive when having a permanent workspace and a daily routine. I have been at Rotson Studios co-working space for 4 years now, it has been great. Being surrounded by people who respect, support your work and understand the mindset of a freelance designer is key.

Do you prefer a permanent/dedicated workspace, or do you like to keep mobile (i.e. cafes, outdoors etc)

I can definitely recommend watching a couple of talks:

“ The Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Graduated College ” by Debbie Millman.
Eric Hu, Hassan Rahim + Erik Brandt on “ What is design education actually for ” by Aiga Eye On Design.

Do you have any words of wisdom for someone wanting to become a designer / type designer / art director?

Thank you very much Maria!

Interview by Gina Serret .

You catch Maria’s keynote presentation on Thursday 4 July 2019.

Australia, Act Now | Illustrated Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 04:33:10 GMT

”I want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire, because it is” Great Thunberg.

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

Let’s keep talking about it, let’s keep the conversation going.

LOVE CHARITY PRINT

Special thanks to the 18 people who purchased a copy of my LOVE charity print . Together, we raised $1800! 100% of sales were donated to CFA Victoria .

A Lettering Artwork

This was my contribution to LETTER-FORM group show held at Revolver Upstairs in Melbourne. This exhibition was a one night only event, displaying the work of super talented typographers, letterers, calligraphers and all-round type practitioners.

What a ShitShow | Solo Exhibition at T2 (Spain)

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 04:48:32 GMT

What a Shitshow (Can Pixa) at Tinglado 2, Tarragona

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Coordination: Cultural Department, Art Centre Tarragona Team
Production: Centre d’Art La Panera, Ajuntament de Lleida and Ajuntament de Tarragona
Project manager: Xavier Torrent
Installers: Quim Gironella i Jordi Alfonso
Photographer: Xavi Vaqué
Vinyl printer: Talamonte
Special thanks goes to: Institut Guindàvols de Lleida and The Design Conference Brisbane

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

On Friday June 21, I opened my second solo exhibition in Spain, this time in front of the Mediterranean sea at the Art Centre Tinglado 2, in Tarragona.

The show is a retrospective of my last six years of personal and professional practice, and a cultural bridge between my country of birth and my country of residence across nine walls and more than eighty pieces including skateboard design, textile design, illustration, lettering, surface patterns, calligraphy, typography and type design.

Special thanks goes to the Art Centre La Panera for co-producing this exhibition, believing in me and in my work in the first place. All photographs by my dear friend and talented photographer Xavi Vaqué.

The exhibition remains open to the public till August 25, 2019.

Fluid Pilates | Logotype Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 02:50:48 GMT

Fluid Pilates Logotype Design

Industries

Health & Fitness

Credits

Designer: Maria Montes

Client: Donna Davies
Business: Fluid Pilates (AU)

Custom logotype using my own Copperplate calligraphy as the starting point.

design brief

The design brief was matching visually the pilates movement and energy into the visual custom logotype, amking it dynamic, gentle and strong at the same time.

design process

The process starts with calligraphy sketches of the bone structure of the logotype, followed by refined hand lettering drawings before finessing the logotype in vector format using Glyphs App.

deliverables

Vectors file in black and white.

Services

Logotype design

FOMO Print | Womenswear Collection

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 08:53:35 GMT

FOMO Textile Print Design

I am excited to announce FOMO, my third collaboration with independent fashion label CHORUS part of “High Risk Dressing/Critical Fashion” exhibition at RMIT Design Hub in Melbourne.

Industries

Womenswear Collection

Fashion

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes

Client: Cassandra Wheat

Fashion label: CHORUS (AU)

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

The starting point of this collection was RMIT’s archival material from the Fashion Design Council.

The FDC (1983–1993) was a membership-based organisation established to support, promote and provoke avant-garde Australian fashion.

The aim of this collection is exploring Melbourne’s recent fashion history and designing a new collection in response to our contemporary cultural landscape.

After some research, CHORUS and I highlighted a few questions:

Australian dressing tradition?
Looking inside versus looking overseas?
Australiana iconography?
Melbourne culture today?

Independent vs. commercial (CHORUS self-reflective thoughts):

What if we don’t know who we are?
What if we don’t fit in with the other designers?
What if they won’t understand our brave / strange business model?
What if our aesthetic is not commercial enough for them?

Interrogating (“what if”) instead of providing answers to promote critical thinking in design practices ; which led me to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), a very contemporary concept related to our fast and hectic lifestyle.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: Australian Fashion Design Council

FOMO: Textile Design CONCEPT

I wanted to explore an Australiana print made from contemporary elements as well as the idea of cross influences between cultures (Spain and Australia). I decided to use decorative elements from the Catalan Modernism combined with a new form of Australian flora, the coffee flowers.

CHORUS provided the colour palette which I used to resemble the 80’s look and feel (a reference to the FDC) with a contemporary twist. Using the textile print and its colour palette in the background, I designed a lettering for the collection inspired by the neon sings from the 80’s.

PRESENTING THE FOMO COLLECTION

Each piece is locally designed, cut and made to order by Chorus. Digitally printed in NAARM/Melbourne. FOMO Coat (100% cotton sateen exterior with silk/cotton lining)

Eleven | Skateboard Deck Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 03:13:31 GMT

VIDEO CREDITS

MATERIALS

Skateboard design to celebrate my partner and I 11th anniversary together.

This pair of decks combine the same message in English and in Catalan: Eleven/Onze.

The design represents the popular saying: "The secret to a happy marriage is a good sense of humour and a short memory" (memòria de peix), represented by Goldfish.

→ Molotow markers on wood

Two custom hand-painted skateboards

Industries

Skateboarding

Art & Culture

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Lettering

Illustration

Original artwork

ELEVEN / ONZE: ILLUSTRATED SKATEBOARD DECK DESIGN

On July 4th 2019, my partner and I celebrated our eleventh anniversary together. For this year’s anniversary, I designed a pair of decks that represent the popular sentence “The secret to a happy marriage is a good sense of humour and a short memory” (memòria de peix) represented by Goldfish.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: ONGOING SKATEBOARD COLLECTION

EXPLORE MY SKATEBOARD COLLECTION BELOW

International Women’s Day (IWD 2019)

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 04:22:53 GMT

The image below was taken during my Typism Conference Workshop in 2017. This article was published as part of my latest newsletter called “ March 2019: Happy International Women’s Day ”

Last month, I started to teach calligraphy and typography at RMIT university. Like any new job, the first weeks have been pretty intense trying to be on top of everything, and trying to remember over one hundred student names.

Being surrounded by so much cultural diversity, have made me reflect on my own background and upbringing.

I grew up in a small beach town facing the Mediterranean Sea. At the age of sixteen, I had my first non-traditional meal at a Chinese restaurant, and I thought that this was the most exciting experience ever!

During my first year at university, I met a girl who totally challenged my perspective. She was only eighteen years old but spoke several languages and had travelled across the globe. Her life seemed like a movie to me.

Geraldine and I instantly connected and became close friends. I helped her to translate the content of our classes from Catalan to Spanish and she opened up the entire world to me.

Thanks to Geraldine’s influence, at the age of twenty-three I flew out of Spain for the first time in my life.

New York was everything I had imagined and much more. In my eyes, this city represented the ultimate fusion of glorious diversity, cross influences and human richness all in one place.

Fast forward eighteen years later, I live on an island where more than the 28% of us were born overseas in over 200 countries; where a quarter of the population speak 260 languages other than English at home; and where over 50% of Australians follow more than 130 different faiths.

As a woman and educator, I feel the responsibility of spreading this message across by celebrating cultural diversity, supporting women in the industry, highlighting the importance of gender equality and inclusion, and by making sure we ALL understand that bringing more voices, colours and under-represented groups up on the stage, can only open up our view of the world and make us better.

Happy International Women’s Day from a very proud multilingual, multicultural, independent female voice.

Never underestimate the power of representation

What Have You Learned From This Year? | Insights

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 00:26:55 GMT

A while ago, I listened to an interview with Tim Ferriss in where he talks about “The Jar of Awesome”. If you —like myself— have One Bad experience and Plenty of Good Ones , and feel like The Bad experience overpowers everything else, then you probably want to implement The Jar of Awesome in your life.

Recycle an empty glass jar, cut three-hundred-and-sixty-five pieces of paper and write a positive thing that happened to you today, every day, and place it in the jar.

Then, when the negative experience comes along, and you feel like you’re living in a black hole, open the jar, read all the good things that have happened during the year and get some perspective.

This year, my Jar of Awesome is full of many small and a few big good things:

In April, I released commercially my first font family called Green Fairy . This independent project has been an eighteen-month labour of love, and I wrote about it extensively here .

In May, I opened The Design Conference in Brisbane with a talk called “The use of language as cultural identity”. The talk has not been released publicly yet, so I’ll leave you with this interview with TDCBNE a few days prior going up on stage.

In June, I opened my second solo exhibition “ What a Shitshow ” at the Art Centre La Panera. The exhibition was on display for three months, and in 2019 is touring to another Centre of Modern Art called Tinglado 2 in Tarragona (Spain).

In July, I spent three weeks working from my cousin’s apartment in Catalonia and I felt like I was a tourist in my own town. The apartment —five-minute walk from the beach— is a small duplex next to the church, surrounded by the noise of bells and seagulls as my only companions for about six hours a day.

In August, I went to the south of France to spend six days up-skilling my Copperplate calligraphy knowledge.

In September, my grandfather had an accident and spent three months at the hospital. My whole family have been making a huge effort to take care of him as well as my grandmother, as she has advanced Alzheimer disease and for the last ten years she has become more like a baby than an 80-year old woman.

In September, I was diagnosed with a melanoma on my face. Five weeks later, I was at the hospital facing a plastic surgery to reconstruct the left-hand side of my nose.

The weeks approaching my skin cancer surgery were dark and nothing seemed to matter anymore.

I was on the phone with hospitals, nurses and private plastic surgeons almost daily. My family had their own difficult situation, so I decided not to tell them.

I sought extra help and started therapy for the first time in my life. Therapy has been an overdue exercise for me. Many friends of mine had already told me about the huge benefits of it, but I always had an excuse to do it later.

I found out that in Australia there is a mental health plan where you are entitled to Medicare rebates for up to ten individual appointments. After the first six appointments, you need to see your doctor again for a mental health plan review and another referral.

Three days before my procedure at the hospital, I had my third therapy session. We spent the entire hour working on how to be mentally prepared for the surgery, and how to cope with all possible outcomes.

My Jar of Awesome didn’t receive any happy updates for weeks.

On October 15, after spending seven hours at the hospital, I went back home to recover, keep my facial muscles, left leg and left ear still, and be as positive as possible about it all.

I replayed mentally my last therapy session on a loop for days.

Four days after the surgery, Dr Nigel Mann called me to let me know the results from three different biopsies said that the melanoma was now gone.

By mid-November I was back at the studio, but mentally I haven’t been back till this month. My last three therapy sessions helped me to digest the anxiety hangover I was carrying in my guts and the stress I went through in my mind.

This month of December, I felt like myself again for the first time in months. I was excited about freelance projects and experienced a creative momentum again.

This letter was intended to go out in early January but this month, I changed my mind and decided to send it earlier to wrap up my year and reflect on the good, the bad and the in between.

What have I learned from this year?

That I am stronger than I think.

That a bad experience cannot overpower everything else.

That I am very lucky to have my health back.

That I am emotional, generous and resolutive.

That I am not afraid of asking for help.

That I have amazing friends in my life.

That I need to take a better care of myself.

Remember to say Thank You and tell the important people in your life you love them .

Wishing you the best creative juices for 2019.

Love, Maria.

The Best Is Yet To Come | The Design Feast Interview

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 01:35:46 GMT

The Best is Yet to Come: Maria Montes Improves and Grows as a Freelance Designer, Illustrator, Letterer and Calligraphy Teacher. Interview by Nate Burgos from Design Feaster , a the proactive blog of Design Feast dedicated to creative culture.

Designer and Artist Maria Monte’s work in illustration and letterforms is tremendous—and fantastic in scope. Been revisiting her wonderful work over the years. Excited about her opinions on creativity and craft as part of my Design Feast series celebrating remarkable Makers. Here, Maria gives a detailed peek into her world, from her beginnings to getting established to continually improving her illustrating-lettering talents to shaping a creative community—and being shaped by it for the better.

How did you arrive at the desire to become a designer and an artist who makes her design and art—her life’s work?

My grandmother has been a huge influence in my life. She was a fashion designer and a dress maker. With her support, at the age of sixteen, I started to cut and sew my own garments and I loved it.

At the age of eighteen, I applied for a fashion degree. I was not convinced that you can make a living as a fashion designer, so I decided to enroll simultaneously in a graphic design degree. That year, I spent my days drawing fashion silhouettes and my nights typesetting in Pagemaker and QuarkXPress.

In 1995, while studying fashion and graphic design, Paco Rabanne released XS. I remember discovering the perfume’s packaging. Something about these letters caught my attention and I could not stop thinking about them for months. By the end of that academic year, I decided to specialise in graphic design so I would have the opportunity to learn more about letterforms.

Graphic design, typography and illustration have been part of my life since then.

What were essential activities/steps you took to start and establish yourself as a calligrapher and designer?

First came calligraphy , then typeface design . Through textile design came illustration and finally lettering as the sum of it all.

I learnt calligraphy for the first time in 1996. During my first year at university, we had to study nine months of formal calligraphy as a compulsory subject.

After working as a graphic designer for a decade, I felt that I needed to go back to the foundations. I consider typography the main tool for a graphic designer and I felt that I needed to up-skill my knowledge.

In 2011, I enrolled for a postgraduate course of advanced typography in Barcelona. During that course, I studied formal calligraphy again with Keith Adams and Oriol Miró. I was shocked by how something you love so much can be forgotten for so many years. I grabbed my calligraphy nibs again and I have never let them go.

After my postgraduate course in Barcelona, I came back to Melbourne and started a collaborative project on textile design . I learnt how to illustrate, create patterns and all things related to CAD from my bedroom. I rediscovered that drawing was another one of my big passions.

My collaborative textile project was going really well—I was illustrating all day, every day and learning a great deal of new stuff.

The experience of learning type design in Barcelona was so good, that a year later I decided to enroll in a condensed program on typeface design at the Cooper Union in New York City.

Type@Cooper was a turning point in my career. By that time, I was illustrating full-time and writing calligraphy every morning as a personal development. At the Cooper Union, I learnt a new method of drawing type by hand, and I decided to apply the same methodology to illustrating textiles.

In 2013, one of my typography teachers at university died and I received an email asking for submissions to pay homage to Josep Maria Pujol, a great typographer, teacher and type historian. This motivated me to send my first lettering submission to a group show.

Lettering made so much sense to me. I see it as the result of combining my interests in writing letters and drawings patterns, which is drawing letterforms.

Nowadays, my practice sits between graphic design, custom lettering projects, illustration commissions, textile design and calligraphic-personal development. I currently teach calligraphy in Australia.

Very difficult to select which work of yours to dive into. One that I keep revisiting is your awesome “We Cannot Not Change” print. How did you arrive at this idea? What was your process/workflow toward this realization of typography and illustration?

“We Cannot Not Change” is a personal artwork originally submitted to a group exhibition in Melbourne, Australia.

The inspiration behind this piece comes from two events that happened during my attendance at ATypI Conference , Barcelona, in 2014. During the second day of the conference, Raquel Pelta gave a fantastic talk called “Graphic design and typography for social change.” I admire Raquel very much and her talk was very inspiring to me. The second inspiring event at the conference was typeface designer Erik Spiekermann’s sending of a mailing tube to ATypI containing a poster with the message “You cannot not communicate.” Spiekermann’s poster referred to one of the five basic axioms supported by communication theorist Paul Watzlawick :

One cannot not communicate:

Every behavior is a form of communication. Because behavior does not have a counterpart (there is no anti-behavior), it is impossible not to communicate. Even if communication is being avoided (such as the unconscious use of non-verbals or symptom strategy), that is a form of communication. ‘Symptom strategy’ is ascribing our silence to something beyond our control and makes no communication impossible. Examples of symptom strategy are sleepiness, headaches, and drunkenness. Even facial expressions, digital communication, and being silent can be analyzed as communication by a receiver.

Combining both ideas “Graphic design and typography for social change” plus “One cannot not communicate” gave me the inspiration to create a piece based on the idea of change, the theme of the group exhibition.

The first idea behind my artwork “We Cannot Not Change” was that in our physical human nature (illustrated in the background), change is inevitable. The second idea was that change is imperative to improve social conditions, create a sustainable living, respect nature as our own family and take responsibility for our actions.

Change must be as driven of a force toward responsible consumption and production; more inclusive, safe and sustainable cities and communities; universal access to water and clean energy; awareness of the effects of climate change and the conversation of the sea and its ecosystems.

I will use a fragment of Raquel’s talk to close my idea:

Experts say that we are in the middle of four huge scale crises (financial, energetic, food and democratic) and citizens are demanding substantial changes, the question arises, what is the role of graphic design and typography on these changes? Could they become agents of social change?

Calligraphy, lettering and typography are all about learning to see and understand that the foreground (positive spaces) and background (negative spaces) have both the same volume of importance.

As a beginner at anything, it’s very common to say “this is shit,” or my personal all-time favourite “this is not good enough”—whatever “good enough” means.

I learnt Copperplate calligraphy in 2011. I sucked at it for a very long time. This style of calligraphy never came natural to me and it has taken me many years to reach a point where I am feeling comfortable with the pointed pen and finally feeling the flow.

My teacher Amanda Adams once told me, “Your pens are like your dogs; you take them for a walk every day no matter if it rains, it’s cold or hot, you just do it.”

In my personal experience, there are no shortcuts, only practice. And if you decide to put your pens down to sleep for a few weeks/months, be prepared to feel all the shakes again, guaranteed.

One of my favorited quotes is by the novelist Kurt Vonnegut: “Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.” How do you maintain your calligraphy/lettering discipline?

Letterforms are a tool for communication. We now have access to multiple platforms where we can amplify our voice and talk about the issues we really care about.

I ask myself this question many times: What responsibility do we, in the design sector, have?

As designers, we translate our client’s ideas. As artists, we become the vehicle for our own ideas. Are we using our knowledge and skills for designing for good?

How is typography, from drawing letters to designing typefaces, a coping mechanism in these turbulent times? How are design and art helpful in these turbulent times?

For some reason, I go back often to the logotype “Families,” designed by Herb Lubalin in 1980. The simplicity and visual clarity of this logo makes me reflect on the importance of a great idea expressed in a very concise and minimalistic way.

I recently watched a talk by screenwriter Charlie Kaufman where he mentions that the idea is first and craft must come second. And this has always resonated deeply with me.

Is there a work of calligraphy / lettering / typography that you keep admiring, that you happen to re-experience?

The origin of my Green Fairy font family is the lettering I designed in 2015 as part of my illustrated cocktail artwork called “Absinthe. La Fée Verte” (The Green Fairy).

Right after creating the full-colour artwork, I designed a fountain-letterpress print version in collaboration with Ladies of Letters, a.k.a. Carla Hackett and Amy Constable, from Saint Gertrude Fine Printing.

At the beginning of 2016—and thanks to the project @36DaysOfType —I found the motivation, most importantly, the deadline, to draw the rest of the twenty-six letters of the uppercase alphabet.

I started 2017 with having my first two calligraphy courses sold out, so I took this amazing opportunity to devote myself to Green Fairy for nine months straight.

Green Fairy Font – Production Process

Green Fairy was born as one weight, but quickly turned into a layered/chromatic font.

Green Fairy’s characters have been specifically designed to accommodate its loops and ornaments following a modern font structure.

Green Fairy Font has four chromatic weights:

1. Green Fairy Outline
2. Green Fairy Dots
3. Green Fairy Stencil
4. Green Fairy Full

The Outline weight has been created as the base or structure for the other styles. You can combine these weights as well as add colours to obtain multiple effects and type styles.

Green Fairy font has also three combined weights (combos) to simplify your workflow, for these occasions when you only want to use one single colour in your font:

5. Green Fairy Dots Combo
6. Green Fairy Stencil Combo
7. Green Fairy Full Combo

This font family is the result of an intense nine-month-full-time personal investment and I couldn’t be happier with this release! The font is now available commercially at MyFonts , Adobe Fonts and Type-Ø-Tones .

How did you arrive at the idea of making your Green Fairy typeface? What was the process in getting it real?

I get bored easily, so my favourite part of my work is being able to jump between analogue and digital mediums or combine them both, if possible.

My desk is divided in two areas, the analogue and the digital one. I spend at least 2 hours a day writing. When I am teaching calligraphy at my studio in Melbourne, I focus these daily hours of practice on the specific calligraphy style that I am teaching that weekend.

In the analogue area, I have an A2 lightbox that I use on a regular basis. Most of my lettering work starts with calligraphy, so once I have a good calligraphic sketch, I start to redraw on top of it using paper, a mechanic pencil and a fine marker.

For my calligraphic work, I started to use a portable easel and my neck feels better. I use Brause & Co. nibs and bamboo pens with walnut ink or liquid watercolours. For my Copperplate calligraphy work, I use Nikko G and Zebra nibs.

I have recently purchased an Arttec bond layout pad and I love it. The paper is Bleedproof 70gsm which allows you to see the guidelines clearer. If I want to create a beautiful original, I use a few different papers depending on budget. From Canson watercolour paper 300gsm, to Canson Basik 370gsm, to Moulin Du Gue 270gsm to handmade paper.

In the digital area, I have a vertical mouse (due to my back problems) and a Wacom tablet. For my lettering and type design work, I use the Glyphs app. Accounting app Xero is my new best friend; I started using it last year and I am loving it.

And lastly, I have a big annual calendar stack on my bedroom’s wall, and I use fluro colours to map out the entire year; it helps me to have a bigger sense of my time instead of just having a weekly vision.

What is the one tool that helps make your work more accomplished and pleasant, as a result, making your life good? In your creative work-kit, what are your go-to digital tools, the ones you love using because they prove reliably effective?

Firstly, by word-of-mouth. Normally, recommendations come from peers, people who have worked with me in the past, or students who have attended a calligraphy workshop.

Secondly, via social media .

How do you get the word out about what you do? How do you attract people to your work?

In 2015, I experienced a massive creative block after my first solo exhibition; I learned that this is called “post-exhibition blues.” So this year, after opening my second solo exhibition in Spain, I was not going to make the same mistake again.

Going for a walk in nature is one of my best recipes to give myself a break. Physical activities, where my body moves more and my brain works less, typically work for me. And that is exactly what I did in July and August this year.

Being surrounded by friends and family, and disconnecting from social media are pretty good remedies to keep myself healthier mentally.

Now, I’m back at my office in Melbourne being conscious about having a better work/life balance if that exists. I’m reminding myself the importance of doing exercise, and taking distance from my work, as I get too obsessed sometimes.

In running your creative business and managing all of those moving parts to live and keep yourself busy, how do you take care of yourself?

Good shit takes time. Social media, smart phones and instant messages are creating the illusion that things happen in a blink of an eye, getting an instant, short-lived result of gratification.

These are a few things I have learnt along the way:

Never stop learning

Work very hard, trust in your potential and find the people who believe in you and stick to them.

Keep yourself creatively fit

Stick to your daily practice (whatever it is) and record/file all your work in progress. Being able to see your own improvements is one of the biggest motivators to keep you moving forward.

Find your tribe

Being surrounded by other creative people that inspire your work and being able to collaborate with them is one of the greatest advantages of our industry. So please take it: be generous, share your knowledge, connect, collaborate and support the shit out of each other.

Do you want to work for a company, be a freelance artist or both?
Being a solo full-time freelance designer means you have to absolutely believe in what you do; have the passion and tenacity for it; don’t give up when things go wrong or very wrong; hope that all your hard-work will somehow pay-off and have faith in yourself—and that’s a lot of things to carry on mentally on a daily basis. The idea of freelancing is not a romantic one.

Find as many resources as you can.

Talk to as many people already doing it as possible and take care of your finances.

I would recommend to go to the Association of Illustrators and read, especially if you live in Australia, “The Barefoot Investor.”

If an aspiring illustrator/letterer approached you and said, “I love to draw and want to become a working artist,” what’s your response?

I have recently read a very interesting thread on Twitter by art director Eric Hu that made me think a lot about the idea of good design and plagiarism versus sincerity.

On this thread , Eric mentions “It’s not about making a solution no one could have thought of, it’s making a solution that makes people realize no other solution would have been more appropriate. Do that and it will be its own thing.”

And while reading it, my mind went straight back to Lubalin’s “Families” logo (1980).

How would you describe “good design”?

Community and studio culture are the most important elements in my workspace.

Having people around that respect, support what you do and understand the emotional mindset of a freelance designer is very important to me.

Being surrounded by other creative people that inspire your work and being able to collaborate with them is the second great deal about my studio.

Other factors that count is having natural light, a good internet connection and a space where you don’t freeze in winter and don’t dehydrate in summer.

I feel really lucky to be at Rotson Studios since it gives me the opportunity to work and teach calligraphy in the same space.

What is your workspace like? How does it contribute to doing the quality of work you want to do?

My life motto is “the best is yet to come.” Keeping myself positive is the key for not losing it.

The inspiration behind my work comes from my day-to-day life. The people I am surrounded by, my neighbourhood, my partner, my family and the nature in Australia.

Who and/or what keep(s) you going as a designer and an artist?

I have done a couple of conference talks. Both of them have been super-positive experiences and the satisfaction I got from them was worth all the stress before going up on stage.

In terms of my craft, satisfaction is a feeling that only lasts for six months. After that period of time, I look back at my own work and I can only see mistakes. This is, in fact, a good thing, as it means that my eye is improving and I am growing as a designer.

What is your vision of satisfaction, as it relates to your chosen career?

I moved to Australia looking for a big adventure, wanting to learn English and work as a graphic designer overseas to strengthen my portfolio.

My original plan was getting sponsored by a design studio, spend two years in the country and then move to NYC. It’s been twelve years since I moved to Australia! Living in Australia has definitely changed my work. I think my dressing habits are now aligned to my work, whereas before it wasn’t like that.

Australia is a young country full of opportunities. We are building our own story, and there is plenty of room for young and upcoming voices.

What drew you to relocating yourself to Australia from Catalonia? How does Australia contribute to your work? And what makes it special for startups/business/creativity-at-large?

I never imagined I would spend twelve years in Australia, so I never had an strategy regarding airlines. I always chose the cheapest option available, and that sometimes became the most expensive one.

Once I purchased a one-way flight from Melbourne to Barcelona for only 480 euros. The flight’s duration was forty-two hours and I would never do it again! My ankles were the size of my knees by the end of the flight, I got sick and I experienced the worst jet lag ever.

Second tip: Don’t fly with Aeroflot, it can be the most scary experience of your life!

If you are planning to visit three or more cities in different continents, I would highly recommend booking a round-the-world ticket.

If I could go back in time, I would have picked a good airline and become loyal to them from the very beginning. By now, with the amount of flights I have done between Melbourne and Barcelona, I would have accumulated enough points to fly for free or to upgrade and treat myself for once!

Nowadays, I use Singapore airlines, Qatar or Emirates. These flights have only one stop over and the duration is between twenty-one and twenty-three hours which is “pretty fast” considering the distance.

Lastly, I take Melatonine natural tablets for the first seven days in Europe; they help me to get a good sleep.

From splitting your time between Melbourne and Barcelona, any traveling pro-tips?

https://designfeast.com/designer-quest/

Why Does Creative Work Cost Money? | Article

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 23:33:10 GMT

“This is a lifestyle focused range and aimed at all women… Think active wear, modern, cool, impactful, fun, graphic, inspiring. The designs must resonates with the brand. Please don’t use components that are not originally your own work.

I’ve been advised that we can only pay designers who’s individual works get chosen to go to print. The designs will then belong to us forever to do with as they will”

My first reaction was to ignore the message completely, but a week later the client followed up asking if I had a chance to look at their email. Then, I decided to respond using Jessica Hische ‘s words.

Jessica and I encourage you to use the template below next time someone asks you to work/pitch for free.

A few weeks ago I was approached by a client who asked me to participate in a pitch…

Hi ___________,

Thanks for reaching out, but I don’t participate in free pitches and campaigns as I (and many creatives) feel that they take advantage of artists’ time and lower the standard for creative compensation across the board. I am not a hobbyist lettering artist, and ____________ is not a non-profit—they can afford to compensate artists for any work they perform, and it is wrong to ask artists to create work for a for-profit company for free even if that work goes unused.

As I’m sure you know, independent artists are not agencies—we don’t pitch for free because winning a pitch, for us, translates to (hopefully) fair compensation for work performed, not a multi-million dollar, multi-year commitment house account as it does for agencies.

Any time you have a project you think I might be a good fit for, and there is compensation for early round work, please reach out to my rep (cc’ed here).

All the best,
_____________

I never heard back from them.

Why does creative work cost money?
Go try to make it and find out.

What a ShitShow | Solo Exhibition at La Panera Lleida (Spain)

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 04:23:17 GMT

What a Shitshow at the Art Centre La Panera, Lleida

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Coordination: Cultural Department, Art Centre Tarragona Team
Production: Centre d’Art La Panera, Ajuntament de Lleida
Installers: Quim Gironella i Jordi Alfonso
Photographer: Xavi Vaqué
Vinyl printer: Talamonte
Special thanks goes to: Institut Guindàvols de Lleida and The Design Conference Brisbane.

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

On June 9 2018, I opened my second solo exhibition called “What a Shitshow” at the Art Centre La Panera , surrounded by friends and family.

This exhibition is a retrospective of my last five years of professional and personal practice, combined with several new pieces and the official presentation of my Green Fairy font family .

This exhibition amplifies the use of language as cultural identity, creating a cultural bridge between my two homes, Australia and Spain. The inspiration behind this show is the use of language, the popular sayings and my Catalan scatological background.

Along the four walls of this fantastic space, I’m featuring the acts of drinking, eating, peeing, and pooping as elements part of a natural cycle in relationship and respect towards the land (ecology avant la lettre ).

The shots below by my friend, the photographer Xavi Vaqué, were taken on the opening day.

What a Shitshow
June 9 – September 30, 2018
Centre d’Art La Panera

In Love Or Not | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 04:00:35 GMT

I only drink cava... When I’m in love and when I’m not.

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Xavi Vaqué

See all exhibition photos

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

For my solo exhibition at Centre d’Art La Panera I created an artwork representative of the Catalan culture called In Love or Not! featuring Cava which is sparkling wine made with native grapes.

Inspired by the font Poster designed by Iñigo Jerez , I drew the word “chin, chin” followed by a condensed version of the word “cava”.

While doing research for this artwork, I found a sentence by Coco Chanel that says: “I only drink champagne in two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not” so I did my personal adaptation for this artwork. Chin chin!

Anytime is Vermut Time | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 03:22:57 GMT

L’hora del Vermut és tothora

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Xavi Vaqué

See all exhibition photos

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

For my first solo exhibition in Spain at La Panera Lleida, I created a couple of new illustrated lettering artworks which are representative of my Catalan culture. The first one is called Vermut .

Traditionally, Vermuts in Catalonia were meant to open the appetite before a big meal. I grew up having a vermut every Sunday before lunch. Most vermuts have a sweet taste so we combine the drink with salty snacks to balance the palate; like in this case adding olives and clams to the mix.

lettering design

With this artwork, I focused the message on the fact that we can drink Vermut at any time of the day, and not only as an aperitif before lunch like traditionally.

Green Fairy Font Family | New Release

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 29 May 2018 05:07:52 GMT

Green Fairy is a new chromatic font family highly ornamented for display purposes.

Green Fairy ’s characters have been specifically designed to accommodate its loops and ornaments following a modern font structure.

Green Fairy Font has four chromatic weights:

1. Green Fairy Outline
2. Green Fairy Dots
3. Green Fairy Stencil
4. Green Fairy Full

The Outline weight has been created as the base or structure for the other styles. You can combine these weights as well as add colours to obtain multiple effects and type styles.

Green Fairy font has also three combined weights (combos) to simplify your workflow, for these occasions when you only want to use one single colour in your font:

5. Green Fairy Dots Combo
6. Green Fairy Stencil Combo
7. Green Fairy Full Combo

Green Fairy Origins

Right after creating the full-colour artwork, I designed a fountain-letterpress print version in collaboration with Ladies of Letters, A.K.A. Carla Hackett and Amy Constable from Saint Gertrude Fine Printing .

The origin of this font is the lettering I designed in 2015 as part of my illustrated cocktail artwork called “ Absinthe. La Fée Verte ” (The Green Fairy).

Originally, this lettering only featured eight letters “AB·SINTHE” vector drawn in Illustrator.

I started 2017 having my first two calligraphy courses sold out, so I took this amazing opportunity to devote myself to Green Fairy for nine months straight.

Green Fairy is the result of an intense nine-month-full-time personal investment and I couldn’t be happier with this release! The font is now available commercially at MyFonts , Adobe Fonts and Type-Ø-Tones .

Font Production Process

3) Then, the grid wasn’t working so well on the round letters so I tried randomising the position of the diamonds but it didn’t work;

4) So I went back to the grid, and this time scaled down the size of the diamonds creating a visual half-tone effect.

Green Fairy was born as one weight, but quickly turned into a layered/chromatic font. Things were going more or less fine till I arrived to the Dots weight:

1) I started drawing squares following a grid;

2) Then, the squares turned into diamonds following the same grid;

I spent over four weeks working on the Dots weight and I felt like I was in the middle of a very long tunnel and I couldn’t see the light at the end.

I encountered many other problems along the way but by June 2017, I felt I was back on track again.

I kept working, tweaking, re-drawing and re-adjusting, and then the diacritics came on board… And then more re-drawing, re-tweaking, re-adjusting and then numbers… And then spacing, symbols, and currencies… And then more spacing, kerning, contextual kerning for triplets…

In September 2017 I told myself “that’s it, I’m going to finish it now!” But guess what? More re-tweaking, testing, hinting, testing, rendering, testing…

Green Fairy Commercial Release

“Sorry Maria, we are not going to be able to give you an answer within four weeks. In fact, the regular timeframe for an answer is going to be longer than usual, so expect delays”.

Nine weeks after my submission date, I received an update from the font distributor saying that the answer will now come by end of January 2018… Five months after my submission date!

At that point, I started to realise that this wasn’t like publishing a book —which I have never done anyway. Instead, this was going to be more like applying for an Australian visa and getting granted, which I have done four times and I know very well how it is; and the long waits and stress that goes with it.

November was a tough month for me. I lost faith on this project, and all my hopes on getting an answer before the end of the year.

This font has been one of the toughest projects I have ever worked on. It has tested my patience and determination, and I have been on the edge of quitting multiple times, but as I promised to some of you a few months ago, I was not going to give up.

When I talked to my parents about this font, I knew they will not understand the tasks involved so I told them I was sort of “publishing a book”, so that they could picture the magnitude of the project.

In September 2017, I submitted my font files to a font distributor. I was extremely naïve about the whole process and I’m going to share it with all of you.

On my submission email, I remember stating: “I’m giving a talk in four weeks time, and I would like to know whether you are interested in publishing my font or not before my talk, is that possible?” And the answer came back to me pretty quickly…

At this point, the most challenging part was the internal dialogue with myself. Listening to my own inner voice telling me that I won’t be able to make it, that it is too hard, and that is a total waste of time. This time I pushed through and “stopped feeding the beast”, but it is not always like that.

By the end of February, after six months from my submission date, they said yes! I have been granted as a new font foundry called Maria Montes.

In March 2018 I signed the contract, and in April I submitted all my font files, marketing material and my type specimen … And finally this month, my Green Fairy Font is out in the wild!

For those of you not familiarized with typeface design, it is extremely time consuming and it requires a lot of hard work, focus and determination.

This font is a personal nine-month-full-time investment, and I wanted to share the whole process in case it may help to some of you.

This font, would probably have never happened without the extra push of these amazing women.

In 2016, I was invited to be a member of Alphabettes , an international and supportive group of women kicking ass in the type design world. Being part of Alphabettes has been an amazing experience so far.

Listening to females voices in the industry means a lot to me, they encourage my work and build my confidence.

Here in Australia, I also have a small but supportive type design community. These friends of mine have released commercial fonts in the past or are currently developing typefaces:

And they all have helped me in one way or another in the last seven years. As you can see, we are six of them, and myself.

If you know of any other Australian woman who has published a font commercially, or whose currently developing typefaces, please let me know as I would love to learn more about her, as so far I haven’t found any yet.

UPDATE 03/08/2019:

I have finally met another Australian woman type designer called Sophie Elinor who has released commercially a layered font family called Strato .

Thank You

My Green Fairy Font could not have been possible without the help of these generous professionals:

Jose Manuel Urós , typeface designer based in Barcelona and my teacher twice in the past; Jamie Clarke , freelance letterer and typeface designer who has released a couple of chromatic fonts recently; Troy Leinster , Australian full-time typeface designer living and working in New York City; Noe Blanco , full-time typeface designer and hinting specialist working for Klim Type and based in Catalonia; And Nicole Phillips , typographer currently living in New Zealand.

Mr Peel | Indoor Mural Design & Execution

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 05:47:21 GMT

Custom large-scale mural

Industries

Hospitality

Credits

Designer: Maria Montes

Client: Rick and Nicole England

Retail store: Mr Peel Cafe

Services

Illustration

Original artwork

Rick and Nicole commissioned me a mural for Mr Peel Cafe in Collingwood, Melbourne. The briefing was creating an organic shape in black and white displaying specific ingredients from Mr Peel’s menu. The client suggested designing a beautifully organic form that was not necessarily obvious to recognise at first glance.

I wrote down a list of herbs and ingredients mentioned in our meeting and I decided to go with lemon flowers, lemons (as the branding colour is yellow) and celery.

I presented my first sketch of the mural to the client. Looking for something more minimalistic, Nicole and Rick simplified my proposal suggesting to only use the celery leaves. I updated the sketch and they signed off on the mural.

Dimensions: The mural is nearly 4 x 4 metres
Materials: Posca permanent markers

Maria Montes x The Design Conference Brisbane

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 23:21:06 GMT

It’s a great honour and a huge pleasure to have been invited to speak at this year’s The Design Conference Brisbane 2018 alongside an amazing and diverse line-up of local and international creatives.

This is my second public speaking gig, and the first one with such a large audience. I’ll be sharing with you my journey, my personal and professional struggles, my new Green Fairy font release and my upcoming solo exhibition in Spain at Centre d’Art La Panera .

Brisbane, I’m coming up at you again!
May 9 – 11, 2018

In the lead up to my keynote presentation, I talked to The Design Conference Brisbane and answered a few questions.

What are you passionate about besides your work?

I love traveling, dancing, spending time in nature, swimming and watching movies.

How would you describe your work and your influences?

I would describe my work as intricate, nostalgic and colourful, with tints of humour if possible. Humour connects us to a deeper level and makes the viewer relate to my work.

What is your vision for the future of design?

If I could dream about the future of graphic design and visual communication, it would be an inclusive, supportive and caring community where transparency is key and where we have a union to join forces, stipulate minimum salaries for each level of expertise, legal departments that protect us and even medical health insurance for our community.

Isolation.

Coming to Australia by myself and living so far from my comfort zone was hard. Being away from friends and family, and learning a new language at the age of twenty-nine was a huge challenge, but loads of good things came along my way.

What has been the biggest challenge you have had to face during your career?

The internal dialogue with myself. The pressure of having to answer all my own questions.

The many difficult moments listening to my own inner voice telling me that I won’t be able to make it, or that it is too hard, or even that it is a waste of time. Most of the times, I push through and stop “feeding the beast”, but not always.

My limited experience in typeface design has taught me that there is no right or wrong, everything is measured optically. No one can tell you that there is a unique way of doing things; it is up to you to find it and take your own decisions along the way.

What is the most challenging part of what you do?

Good shit takes time.

Social media, smart phones and instant messages have created the illusion that things happen in a blink of an eye, getting an instant result or gratification.

In my calligraphy workshops I always tell students that mastering a technique takes a huge amount of time; otherwise every second person would be an accomplished professional calligrapher.

I learned Copperplate for the first time in 2011 and only in the last 12 months I am truly satisfied with the results of my practice.

Stick to your daily practice (whatever it is) and record/file all your work in progress. Being able to see your own improvements is one of the biggest motivators to keep you moving forward.

What is the best piece of advice you have heard, which you would like to pass on to others?

My inspiration comes from my day a day life. The people I am surrounded by, my neighbourhood, my partner, my family and the nature in Australia.

Where do you find your inspiration?

My grandmother has been a huge influence in my life. She was a dress maker. With her assistance, at the age of sixteen I started to cut and sew my own garments, and I loved it.

So at the age of eighteen I applied for a fashion degree. I was not convinced that you can make a living as a fashion designer, so I decided to enrol for a graphic design degree simultaneously —as everyone knows that graphic designers make soooo much more money! (LOL).

That year, I spent my days drawing fashion silhouettes and my nights typesetting in Pagemaker and QuarkXpress.

In 1995 —while studying fashion and graphic design—, Paco Rabanne released XS . I remember discovering the perfume’s packaging. Something about these letters caught my attention and I could not stop thinking about them for months.

By the end of that academic course, I decided to only specialise in graphic design as I would have the opportunity to learn more about letterforms.

What originally influenced you to pursue design?

The best is yet to come.

Being a solo full-time freelance designer means you have to absolutely believe in what you do; have the passion and tenacity for it; don’t give up when things go wrong or very wrong; hope that all your hard work will someday pay off and have faith in yourself; and that’s a lot of things to carry on mentally on a daily basis.

Keeping myself positive is the key for not losing my shit.

Do you have a life motto which you live by?

I tell myself way too often “where am I going?” and “why am I still doing this when it feels so hard?” But then, I go for a walk in nature and take perspective looking at the big picture.

I look at myself ten years ago and I compare where I was and where I am today. I look at myself five years ago and I can see my trajectory and all the good things that have come my way.

The day a day is really hard because we don’t see the progression of our career, only taking care of the small battles that come to our inbox.

As humans, we adjust fast and then we forget how things were only a few months or few years ago. I take for granted things like I can live and work in this country; I can speak three languages and understand a fourth one; I hold a dual citizenship; I do what I love for a living… And the list goes on and on. I forget that I am a privileged person, complaining about details that really don’t matter in the big scheme of things.

Then, I remember those times when I had to work sixty hours a week combining a full-time graphic design job with a bartender job at a night club in Barcelona… Then, I breath in deeply, and go back to work.

What are some of the methods you employ to staying motivated and enthused on the daily?

Never stop learning, work very hard, trust in your potential and find the people who believes in you and stick to them.

Last year I became a proud member of Alphabettes , an amazing group of women in the type design world. I have a huge admiration for all its members and I have learnt a lot since then.

Listening to female voices in the industry means a lot to me; they encourage my work and help me to build confidence.

What has been the biggest lesson you have learnt getting to where you are today?

My first job was working at a factory packing potato chips in a chain at forty-two degrees. It was my first summer job at high school.

My first industry-related job was working at a digital printing house, taking care of production while I was studying Graphic Design in Barcelona.

What was your first job?

I own a Vespa which I rode around Brisbane and now Melbourne for the last ten years.

I have been riding motorbikes since I was ten years old. My father is a cyclist and a motorbike aficionado. I remember being at the front of his bright blue Lambretta standing up between my father and the handle bars of the bike and riding around with him.

At the age of fourteen, I bought my first scooter and I have been riding since then.

What is something which most people do not know about you?

In 2011, after delivering my first typeface design project, I was exhausted and I could not create for a couple of months.

In 2015 I experienced a massive creative block after my first solo exhibition . I learned that this is also called “post-exhibition blues”.

Last year I worked on my Green Fairy font family for nine months straight; in September I submitted the font files to a font distributor followed by my first public speaking gig at Typism Conference . After that, I faced another creative block.

I have now realised that I do suffer of creative block after delivering a major project as my brain is completely fried.

I don’t have any magic answers for solving creative block. In my opinion, these are your body signs saying “you need to rest/take some time off”.

Going for a walk in nature is one of my best recipes to give myself a break. Physical activities where my body moves more and my brain works less typically work for me.

Trying new tools to experiment with different outcomes and doing something completely new for the first time can fresh up the air inside your bubble.

What’s your thoughts on creative block, and in your opinion do you think it exists?

I get bored easily so my favourite part of my work is being able to jump between analogue and digital mediums or combine them both if possible.

What is your favourite creative medium and why?

You can watch my Keynote presentation at The Design Conference Brisbane 2018.

Ten | Skateboard Deck Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 03:18:00 GMT

Two custom hand-painted skateboards

Industries

Skateboarding

Art & Culture

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Lettering

Illustration

Original artwork

TEN / DEU concept design: what does a long-term relationship look like?

The idea behind this design is that in a long relationship, you carry both beautiful memories and others that still hurt when you revisit them. This contrast is represented through the delicate beauty of flowers and the sharp presence of cacti.

PROJECT BACKGROUND: ONGOING SKATEBOARD COLLECTION

Custom Calligraphy Personalisation x Marcs

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 08:59:23 GMT

Custom calligraphy and hand lettering prototypes for Marcs’ accessories.

Industries

Fashion
Luxury

Fashion accessories

Credits

Client: Marcs (AU)
Art director: Jude Halliwell
Calligrapher & letterer: Maria Montes

Services

Calligraphy

Lettering

Marcs asked me to create a few customisation samples for the purses and wallets to display at their stores in Naarm/Melbourne and offer this service to their clients. I created a couple of classy examples showcasing initials, one showcasing a name, and two of them inspired by street art and graffitti culture designed to attract theit younger audience.

Materials used

Permanent Posca pens, round brushes and Lumiere paint.

project briefing

International Women’s Day (IWD 2018)

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 00:28:43 GMT

In honour of International Women’s Day 2018, and in solidarity with women in Spain, I want to show my face and give my support to ALL creative women out there.

Advocating for a supportive, inclusive and caring creative community.

Many people tell me that I’m always happy and smiley, but let’s make it clear: This is a personal decision I make every morning, and not a reflection of an easy and light-hearted life.

As a white woman born in the western side of the planet, I have as many reasons to be happy as to be sad, angry and frustrated.

I’m happy because I consider myself extremely privileged to be surrounded by people who care about me and for being able to do what I love. My partner constantly tells me that he is my number one fan; and being supported in that unconditional way has made me who I am today.

I’m also grateful for being part of Alphabettes , an international and supportive group of women kicking ass in the type design world. Being part of Alphabettes has changed my life. Listening to females voices in the industry means a lot to me, they encourage my work and build my confidence.

In the past, things were extremely different. My father was very competitive and I was never good enough, tall enough or fast enough for his expectations. In the last ten years, my family has changed dramatically —due to the great distance between us. I would say that by now, he is within my top ten fans most of the time.

You can’t choose your parents, but you can choose your partners, and I made pretty bad decisions in the past.

I’m also angry at politicians who think they can have an opinion —or worse, a law— on what to do with our bodies —#handsoffmypussy.

And I'm frustrated at finding out that women in Switzerland gained the right to vote in federal elections only after a referendum in February 1971. Special thanks to Michael Poland and Claire Snyder for the screening of The Divine Order .

First I’m a woman, then a partner, daughter, sister, friend, educator, artist and designer.

If you are wondering what am I laughing at, here are my answers:

I’m laughing at men who think women have it easy
I’m laughing at people who ask you to work for free
And I’m laughing at everyone who thinks our creative job is done quickly

Why does creative work cost money? Go try to make it, and find out.

Type Conferences 2018 | Resources

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:38:04 GMT

Living in Australia is awesome but one of the toughest moments during the year is when the “type conference season” starts. If you —like me— suffer of major FOMO and don’t even want to open Twitter for weeks, maybe now is a good time to schedule a trip overseas and make it coincide with your favourite type conference! Some of them are listed below:

ISType Mono – Istanbul, TR

February 22, 2018

Typo Day – Mumbai, IN

March 1 – 3, 2018

Robothon – The Hague, NL

March 8 – 9, 2018

Type Drives Culture – New York City, US

March 23, 2018

TYPO Labs – Berlin, DE

April 12 – 14, 2018

Fontstand Type Conference – Zagreb, HR

April 21, 2018

Typotage – Leipzig, DE

April 27 – 29, 2018

The Design Conference – Brisbane, AU

May 09 – 11, 2018

Dia Tipo – Goiânia, BR

May 19, 2018

TYPO Berlin – Berlin, DE

May 17 – 19, 2018

Kerning Conference – Faenza, IT

June 6 – 8, 2018

Typographics – New York City, US

June 11 – 21, 2018

Script, Print and Letterforms in Global Contexts – Birmingham, UK

June 28 – 29, 2018

Ampersand, The Web Typography Conference – Brighton, UK

June 29, 2018

Granshan Conference – US

July 23, 2018 – Los Angeles
July 24 – 29, 2018 – San Jose and San Francisco

TypeCon – Portland (Oregon), US

August 1 – 5, 2018

Typism – Gold Coast, AU

August 4, 2018

Rencontres Internationales de Lure – Lurs, FR

August 19 – 24, 2018

Typetersburg – St. Petersburg, RU

August 4 – 5, 2018

ATypI – Antwerp, BE

September 11 – 15, 2018

Women in Print: Production, Distribution and Consumption – Winterbourne House & Garden, Birmingham, UK

September 13 – 14 , 2018

TMX Tipografía México – Ciudad de México, MX

October 17 – 19, 2018

BITS – Bangkok, TH

October 5 – 7, 2018

Wayzgoose Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum – Two Rivers, US

November 2 – 4, 2018

Dynamic Font Day – Munich, DE

November 17, 2018

Encontro de Tipografia Conference – Tomar, PT

November 16 – 17, 2018

Letrástica – Guadalajara, MX

(TBC)

This list of type conferences has been put together thanks to Indra Kupferschmid and the Alphabettes calendar . Please, get in touch if you know of any other type conference and dates coming up this year.

Happy type touring!

Scared Shitless | Typism Conference Transcript Talk

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 02:22:28 GMT

This is the transcript of my talk at TYPISM Conference on September 30, 2017. The talk is about facing fear and getting out of your comfort zone. You can watch me losing my shit here , but I wanted to make the written version available for anyone who’d find that useful. Enjoy!

Hola! My name is Maria Montes and I am incredibly honoured to be here and share my journey with all of you.

First of all, thanks to Dominique , George and the entire TYPISM community for your ongoing support, it means the world to me.

My talk is called Scared Shitless –which is how I feel right now. This is my first time speaking on a big stage, so excuse me if I lose it at any point during the next thirty minutes.

This talk is a very personal journey starting in my hometown and ending on this stage today.

I was born in Blanes, a small town 70 km north of Barcelona. My father used to work for a pharmaceutical company and every Christmas, the company organised a drawing competition for the employee’s children to take part in.

I loved drawing so my father took me to the contest every year. He is very competitive and I only ever won the second prize, which he was not really happy about it.

At the age of six, I started figure roller skating. I was training every second day, a total of twenty hours a week. I loved everything about skating except the competition season.

My trainer was really tough on all of us. I remember one day going to compete and feeling sick. I don’t know if I was really sick or just completely freaked out, but I was throwing up in the toilette while the MC was calling my name on the microphone. So, I ran outside, performed my two-minute program and went back to the toilette again.

That day I finished second, and as you can imagine, neither my trainer nor my father were really impressed about it.

After that day, I started to hate skating.

Many years later I realised, that I am only competitive against myself. My goal is becoming a better version of myself as a human being as well as a designer.

So, my first message for all of you today –and paraphrasing Nicole Phillips – is: “ Be generous, share your knowledge and do not compete with your peers, but work in collaboration with them ”.

At the age of twelve, my parents were severely injured by a man who randomly threw a molotov cocktail through my mum’s car window. I was just around the corner when it happened and I saw my parents coming out of the car in flames. I was scared to death.

Since that moment onwards, fear became a huge part of my life and I have spent all these years fighting it and pushing through it.

My grandmother has been a huge influence in my life. She was a fashion designer and a dress maker. With her assistance, at the age of sixteen I started to cut and sew my own garments, and I loved it.

So at the age of eighteen I applied for a fashion degree. I was not convinced that you can make a living as a fashion designer, so I decided to enrol for a graphic design degree simultaneously –as everyone in this room knows that graphic designers make soooo much more money! (LOL).

That year, I spent my days drawing fashion silhouettes and my nights typesetting in Pagemaker and QuarkXpress.

Fashion versus Graphic Design

Paco Rabanne was one of my first big fashion influences. He was born in Basque Country and fled Spain for France with his mother after Franco won the war, in 1939.

He uses unconventional materials in his designs such as metal, plastic, and paper.

In 1995 –while studying fashion and graphic design–, Paco Rabanne released XS . I remember discovering the perfume’s packaging. Something about these letters caught my attention and I could not stop thinking about them for months.

I have only looked at these letterforms again for the first time in many years, while putting this presentation together a couple of weeks ago, and I thought that is really scary to see the resemblance between this design and my Green Fairy font.

By the end of that academic course, I decided to only specialise in graphic design as I would have the opportunity to learn more about letterforms.

I learnt calligraphy for the first time in 1996. Calligraphy was a 9-month compulsory subject as part of my BA in Graphic design. I learnt about ductus, rhythm, contrast and composition through the art of writing.

At that time, calligraphy wasn’t a trend at all, more of the opposite. The Apple Macintosh was kicking hard into the market and everyone knew that the computer was the way to go, so writing calligraphy in that time didn’t make sense to many people.

Calligraphy

I graduated in 2000 and five years later, I found myself working in Barcelona at a graphic design studio with two Germans, an Italian and a French designer. They all spoke their mother language plus English, Spanish and they all understood Catalan.

I felt very weak as I realised I was living in a comfort zone and not challenging myself enough. I was also ashamed because I could not speak English.

It took me twenty-nine years to find the courage to pack my bag and book a one-way ticket overseas. I was so scared of feeling homesick and running back home at the first chance, that I decided to fly to the furthest destination possible—as it would cost me an arm and a leg to book my return ticket back home.The twenty-eight-hours flight from Barcelona to Brisbane was one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life.

I landed in Australia in 2006 with no friends, no family and very little English. My first memories of Australia are beautiful blue skies and embarrassments.

In my first day in Australia I only had to accomplish two goals:

1) Do not get lost;
2) Have a coffee.

I was successful at the first one so I felt pretty good about the second task. At the English school where I enrolled, I asked about types of coffee in Australia and what they meant. I only had to memorise “small flatwhite, thanks”.

I walked in the coffee shop. There was a long line-up of people ordering take away so the longer I stood in line, the more nervous I became. Finally, my turn arrived and I said confidently “small flatmate, thanks”.

The bartender looked at me with big open eyes and shook his head.

I was like “what? what’s the problem?… OK, my pronunciation is rubbish but surely he got what I said, right?! Wait… is this a coffee shop?”… I was so confused!

A couple of seconds later, I realised what I said, and for the next three years I only ordered lattes although I hate latte’s foam.

Living so far from my comfort zone was hard. Being away from friends and family, and learning a new language at the age of twenty-nine was a huge challenge, but loads of good things came along the way.

Three months after landing in Brisbane and speaking a very basic English, I found a company to sponsor me as their lead graphic designer.

For the ones here today dealing with Australian visas, believe, I know how it is: I know the pain, the money and the stress you are going through. In 2006, Spanish citizens did not have a working-holiday visa agreement with Australia, so being a student or being sponsored by a company was my only chance to live and work in the country.

My three years sponsored in Brisbane were not easy. I felt alone most of the times and I was not proud of my work at all. I did not know how to reach the gap between where I was and where I wanted to be.

After spending eleven years working as a full-time graphic designer, I decided to go back to the foundations.

Typeface Design

I consider typography the main tool for a graphic designer and I felt that I needed to up-skill my knowledge, so in 2011 I went back to Barcelona for six months to study a Postgraduate Course in Advanced Typography.

During the course, I developed my first unfinished typeface design called Miłosz Italic .

After my post graduate course in Barcelona finished, I moved to Melbourne for the first time. I was planning on specialising in typography, but something very different was awaiting for me around the corner.

A fashion designer friend of mine from Barcelona, offered me to collaborate on a project about textile prints.

I knew nothing about textile design, and I hadn’t drawn organic shapes in ages. To be honest, I was really scared of starting something new, but I didn’t have work and Laura Piera encouraged me a lot and I said yes.

Textile Design

Our work during that first month gave us very positive results so Laura invited me to be part of a collaborative partnership altogether with a company in Asia who produced, delivered our textiles and paid for our work.

I was new in Melbourne and I set up my desk in my bedroom. Working from home in solitude throughout most of the day, while learning independently how to become a professional textile designer were some of the biggest challenges of my career.

Six months into my textile design journey, I could not stop thinking about typography, so I decided to enrol for a six-week Typeface Design Condensed Program at Copper Union in New York City.

Type@Coopper was a great learning curve professionally and personally. Being admitted at Cooper Union gave me the motivation to go back to my broad nib and pointed pens and start writing calligraphy as a daily exercise.

Type@Cooper

This gave me a huge advantage as during the course we designed a humanistic typeface based on our own calligraphy.

We wrote calligraphy for a couple of days and then, we selected our best letters, cut them, scanned them and redrew them by hand at 7cm x-height.

We spent a couple of weeks drawing type by hand. Once the letterforms were defined, we jumped on the computer and started to vectorise them using Fontlab or Robofont .

Our hand drawings were extremely refined so I felt that the vectorisation process was very straight forward.

During the course, I had the opportunity of developing my second unfinished typeface design called March Twenty Two . Unfinished, doesn’t mean unused!

use my design in every opportunity I have. Of course, no one knows, and of course, no one asks “oh man!… which font did you use?” but in my head I am like “hell yeah, this is my font!” and my heart is full.

When we talk about lettering, we are talking about the art of drawing letters, and this can be done by hand or by computer.

The piece below was my first lettering piece designed in 2013 and inspired by the work of Gemma O’Brien . I applied the same process I learnt at Type@Cooper with Jean François Porchez .

Lettering Design

I first wrote the quote using a ruling pen. As you can see, the calligraphic sketch does not have to be amazing at all –this one even has a spelling mistake as I was mixing Catalan and English in the word “tipography”.

You don’t need to be a calligrapher to be able to draw letters but understanding the structure, where the thin and thicks are and why, it is going to help you a lot in your design process.

Once I was happy with the sketch, I used tracing paper to draw on top of my calligraphy adding weight and contrast.

Once the hand sketch was detailed and balanced enough, I scanned the original and redrew everything in vector format using Adobe Illustrator .

With this piece, I wanted to explore the visual possibilities of creating a vector lettering piece with a very strong hand-drawn feeling.

I remembered looking at this piece and feeling really proud of my work for the first time. I told myself “I am now one step closer”.

Two years into my textile design journey, I was illustrating all day, every day. I was implementing the same process as I had used for my lettering work:

1) Starting with hand drawings using tracing paper;

2) Then scanning these drawings and applying colour in Adobe Photoshop;

3) And using Adobe Illustrator for the final layout.

At that time we were doing very well. We were so busy that I had to stop all my other graphic design work to only focus on textiles.

We were designing for big international fashion houses and our scarves were sold around the world.

In January 2014, I received an email from the Mongolian company we were collaborating with, telling me that they no longer needed my services and wishing Happy Chinese New Year.

That was shithouse! All of a sudden, I lost of all my clients and had no work and no money coming in at all.

I panicked. My first reaction was pumping up my folio and looking for a full-time job, but my partner told me “ please Maria, take time to think about what you want ”.

So I took six months off to reflect and create self-generated work for the first time in my life.

At the beginning was hard getting into the mindset of working long hours and not getting paid a cent for it, but once I got used to the idea I started to enjoy the fact that no one was telling me what to do or how to do it.

My partner was paying our house expenses and I was living out of my savings only spending $600 a month which included food and my very affordable desk space in Melbourne.

I followed the same schedule as I had before I’d been fired, and I kept writing calligraphy as a daily exercise.

Moving from my bedroom to a creative space was instrumental for me. Magic Johnston was a huge co-working space with over forty freelance designers. I didn’t know many people in Melbourne at that time, so sharing a desk in a creative space gave me the opportunity of networking, getting massively inspired, and meeting amazing designers that have now become close friends.

Some of these designers stopped at my desk at Magic Johnston asking me what I was doing, and I was like “what do you mean? I’m writing” and some of them answered: “can you teach me?”

I had never taught before and all my calligraphy lingo was in Catalan. I had no idea how to start but I told myself “let’s try new things again”.

So, with the help of my good friend Lauren Vilitati , I put together my first calligraphy course at Rotson Studios in Melbourne, at the amazing rate of $20 for four hours of tuition (LOL).

My first class was the scariest thing I’d done in a long time. I thought I was going to faint –I guess like today on this stage–, but I survived and learnt heaps of new things.

Many friends of mine came to my first classes and they all encouraged me to keep going.

During that time of uncertainty, I asked for advice from as many people as I could. In that time, I met Bobby Haiqualsyah and he was an instrumental help.

I remember showing him my textile and lettering work and we talked about mixing them both. And that’s how my first illustrated cocktail artwork was born.

The artwork took over one month. I drew by hand every element separately on tracing paper.

Then, I scanned every ingredient and coloured them individually in Adobe Photoshop .

Using my calligraphy as a base, I wrote the sentence “A Bloody Mary a day keeps the doctor away”.

Once the calligraphic sketch was interesting enough, I used tracing paper and started to re-draw the letterforms on top.

Every tracing paper worked as an analog layer where I added or removed weight, adjusted letter spacing, or changed letter shapes.

Once the hand-lettering was close enough, I scanned the original and I redrew the shapes again in Adobe Illustrator .

The process was long and painful but once I finished the piece I felt really proud of it.

A copy of my Bloody Mary artwork was sold at a group exhibition in Melbourne called Supergraph. A few months later, three more reproductions of my artwork travelled to Pick Me Up London art fair, where I sold them all. At that time, I was visiting Barcelona and a couple of friends of mine asked me to create a G&T artwork , as Gin and Tonics have been the drink par excellence in Barcelona in recent years. So I did, and more good shit happened!

This time the ingredients of the cocktail were drawn directly on the computer but the lettering followed the same approach:

1) I started with my own calligraphy;

2) Followed by hand lettering;

3) And I finalised the piece in vector format.

Once I finished the artwork, I sold a few copies straight away and I had that intuition again: “I am now two steps closer”.

And then something great happened: I received an emailed from a cocktail venue in Melbourne called Nieuw Amsterdam , offering me their space for a solo exhibition. So I was in my head “This. Is. The. Best. Shit. Ever!”

So I spent the next six months working on a series of illustrated cocktail artworks and patterns prints for my first solo exhibition in Melbourne.

This artwork below is my cocktail artwork number three called All Passion , featuring an Old Fashioned drink. The lettering is inspired by a Queen’s song called “ Good old fashioned lover boy ”.

My next cocktail is called The Stimulant and features an Espresso Martini drink. The inspiration for this cocktail is the story behind its British origins.

The artwork below is called Señorita Margarita . The Pineapple Margarita twist is inspired by Nieuw Amsterdam cocktail menu. If you were wondering –probably not, though–, the message “my heart belongs to” is set in Miłosz Italic , my first unfinished typeface design.

The next one is called Ciao Negroni! featuring a chilli-chocolate twist of the original drink and it incorporates the colours of the Italian flag. The word “time” is set in March Twenty Two , my second unfinished typeface design, so now you know!

My next cocktail artwork is a French Absinthe and I will talk more about this piece in a few minutes.

And the last one is called A Mojito Made Me Do It , featuring the classic Cuban drink.

Four of my cocktail artworks were also letterpress printed by the amazing Amy Constable from Saint Gertrude Fine Printing . I really love these prints.

My exhibition’s opening night was a great celebration of facing fear and overcoming obstacles but right after that day things started to change in my head.

“I am shitting my pants, I shit you not” is all about my feelings after my solo exhibition.

Having a six-month project ahead with a specific deadline helped me to be motivated and extremely focused. After the exhibition I felt really lost, looking around and asking myself way too many questions: “what’s next? When am I going to get paid again? Where am I going now?” I was really scared.

I started 2016 feeling really tired. I wasn’t motivated at all and I started to let myself go into a mental black hole. Nothing positive was coming to my mind and one day I sketched this: “shit will hit the fan”, as if it was a premonition for the amount of shit that was just about to come.

A few days later I sketched a second one, and then a third one… And suddenly, I was receiving messages from friends saying, “I love your Shit Series !”

“My Shit Series ? Is it a Series?… Yeah, it could be a series… Of course, it is going to be a series!”

So, I kept going. No particular style, no deadlines, just kept going!

The Shit Series

As the project was grabbing attention, I was gaining momentum and slowly getting out of my mental black hole.

By October last year I started to feel better for the first time. People kept asking me “what’s next? Are you going to do a Fuck Series ?” and I was only thinking, “I’m just starting to feel alive again”.

The Shit Series has been growing organically, creating a post whenever I feel like it and using calligraphy, hand lettering, vector lettering or typography randomly.

Up to date, I have created ninety-two artworks and I have decided to finish at one hundred.

This project has made me realised the importance of being creatively fit: A commercial client can ask you to deliver a job in a couple of days, sometimes less than that.

Delivering a job with such a tight deadline is like running a marathon of forty-eight hours: unless you are not training daily and keeping your body in a good shape, you won’t make it.

The Shit Series has been part of my weekly routine for over twenty months now. Some of these posts have taken me days while others have taken me only minutes.

Being able to stop a commercial project and squeeze in two hours of self-generated work has freshened things up and it has made me creatively fitter, and I recommend it to everyone.

At the beginning of this year, something amazing happened.

After holding a student visa, a 457 sponsorship visa, a defacto visa and a permanent residency for past ten years… Me, myself and I became Australian, and I was on top of the moon! A week later I turned forty and I thought that my citizenship was the best present ever.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Releasing a font commercially has been on my to-do list since I first studied typeface design.

In the past, I have tried to finish my first typeface design without succeeding. I have also tried to finish my second typeface, but the task felt really daunting and I never had the guts to do it. So, I guess I feared failing and disappointing myself for the third time. But then, I thought of this man who is my all-time inspiration.

His name is W.A. Dwiggins , and he was a prolific American book designer, calligrapher and type designer who coined the term graphic designer for the first time in 1922. He also released his first commercial typeface in his forties so I told myself: “I am not too old for this shit!”

As you saw earlier on, I designed an illustrated cocktail artwork called Absinthe .

Green Fairy Font

The lettering “absinthe” got stuck on my mind and a year later, I went back to it and drew the rest of the twenty-six letters of the uppercase alphabet using Illustrator.

I started 2017 having my first two calligraphy courses sold out, so I took this amazing opportunity to devote myself to my baby for a few months.

My baby is called Green Fairy . I purchased the font software Glyphs App and I started to re-draw all twenty-six letters of the uppercase alphabet again. I told myself, “this time is going to be easy, it is only an uppercase design after all!” and then “sheeeeeeit…” I was so wrong!

Green Fairy started being one weight, but quickly turned into a layered/chromatic font.

Things were going more or less fine till I arrived to the Dots weight. I started drawing squares following a grid;

Then, the squares turned into diamonds following the same grid;

Then, the grid wasn’t working so well on the round letters so I tried randomising the position of the diamonds but it didn’t work;

So I went back to the grid, and this time scaled down the size of the diamonds creating a visual half-tone effect.

I spent over four weeks working on the Dots weight and I felt like I was in the middle of a very long tunnel and I couldn’t see the light at the end.

I encountered many other problems along the way but by June this year, I felt I was back on track again.

I kept working, tweaking, re-drawing and re-adjusting, and then the diacritics came on board…

And then more re-drawing, re-tweaking, re-adjusting and then numbers…

And then spacing, symbols, and currencies…

And then more spacing, kerning, contextual kerning for triplets… This month of September I told myself “that’s it, I’m going to finish it now!”

But guess what? More re-tweaking, testing, hinting, testing, rendering, testing…

I would love to tell you that my Green Fairy font is finalised and available on the market but it is not ready yet. Although I am really close… Although I have said that many times before… But seriously, I am really really close this time!!! And I can assure you that I am not going to stop till it is commercially out there, and you all will know about it.

For those of you not familiarized with typeface design, it is extremely time consuming and it requires a lot of hard work, focus and determination. This project could not have been possible without the help of these legends: Jose Manuel Urós , typeface designer based in Barcelona and my teacher twice in the past; Jamie Clark e , freelance letterer and typeface designer who has released a couple of chromatic fonts recently; Troy Leinster , Australian full-time typeface designer living and working in New York City; Noe Blanco , full-time typeface designer and hinting specialist based in Catalonia; And Nicole Phillips , typographer currently relocating from Australia to New Zealand. To all of you “thank you very much”.

Nowadays, my professional practice sits between three main categories. The first one is commissioned work.

Below is my co-working space called Rotson Studios . I have been at Rotson for over two years now. I share this space with sixteen other designers, photographers, videographers, film directors, copywriters and entrepreneurs. I feel very lucky to be in a space where everyone respects and supports my practice.

Commercial Work

I also do illustration commissions in a bigger and smaller scale.

And I keep my textile design practice going. This time collaborating with independent fashion labels, with whom I share an aligned vision and have a good relationship.

My second big category is self-generated work.

My partner collects skateboards. We have over forty-five decks hanging from on the walls in our house. Every now and then, I become a better girlfriend by designing skateboards for our anniversaries, and he loves it!

Personal & Self-Generated Work

This is a wedding gift for my good friends Filipe and Lauren Vilitati .

And this is what I call “rebranding yourself, and the pain that goes with it” And if you have ever done this exercise, you know exactly what I am talking about.

My third category is education.

I love being a student as much as being a teacher. Every year I go back to Europe to learn calligraphy from my all-time favourite teachers Amanda and Keith Adams .

Education

Being on this side of the classroom –on the student’s side of the room– makes me a better instructor.

Finally, for the last four years I have been teaching calligraphy workshops in Australia and I am really enjoying the experience.

As you have seen, my journey is not a straight line. There are some successes and some setbacks. There are days when you feel like you are winning, and other days when you feel like you are losing all your confidence… Maybe some of you in this room have been through similar experiences, and I would love to hear all your stories.

As for me, I am still scared of what’s coming, but I am determined and I am not giving up. So guys, do not give up!

So... What Now?

Maria Montes x Chorus Insights | Interview

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 01 May 2017 04:36:17 GMT

The life of contemporary women is complex, multifaceted, sometimes challenging, sometimes overwhelming yet also brimming with opportunity.

This month we ask our long-term collaborator Maria Montes to reflect on her life of patterns and letters, personal style and what it is like to work with Chorus and wear your own print head-to-toe.

Would you describe your line of work as conventional?

You can either specialise or you can be versatile, being able to do different things in different ways. I get bored easily, so I like jumping from one discipline to the other constantly or combine them all if possible.

What do you write on your business card?

On my current business card there is no description of what I do, only my name, my social media username, and contact details. My Instagram account has become a folio project in itself, so if you want to see what I do you’ll get a pretty good idea over there.

How did you come into this line of work?

First of all came calligraphy, then typeface design. Through textile design came illustration and finally lettering as the sum of all.

I learnt calligraphy for the first time in 1996 under the tuition of Keith Adams. During my first year at university we had to study 9 months of formal calligraphy as a compulsory subject.

After working as a graphic designer for over 10 years I felt that I needed to go back to the foundations. I consider typography the main tool for a graphic designer and I felt that I needed to up-skill my knowledge.

In 2011 I enrolled for a postgraduate course of advanced typography in Barcelona. During that course I studied formal calligraphy again with Keith Adams and Oriol Miró . I was shocked by how something you love so much can be forgotten for so many years. I grabbed my calligraphy nibs again and since then I haven’t let them go.

After my postgraduate course in Barcelona I came back to Melbourne and started a collaborative project on textile design. I learnt how to illustrate, create patterns and all things related to CAD from my bedroom. I re-discovered that drawing was another of my big passions.

My collaborative textile project was going really well: I was illustrating all day, every day and learning a great deal of new stuff.

The experience of learning type design in Barcelona was so good that a year later I decided to enrol for a condensed program in typeface design at Cooper Union in New York City .

Type@Cooper was a turning point in my career. By that time, I was illustrating full time and writing calligraphy every morning as a personal development. At Cooper Union I learnt a method of drawing type by hand that was a revelation for me and I started to apply the same methodology to illustrating for textiles.

In 2013 one of my typography teachers at university passed away and I received an email asking for submissions to pay homage to Josep Maria Pujol , a great typographer, teacher and type historian. This gave the motivation to send my first lettering submission to a group show.

Lettering made so much sense to me. I see it like the result of combining my interests in writing letters and drawings patterns, which is drawing letters.

Nowadays my weekly practice sits between illustration commissions, lettering projects, calligraphy workshops and textile design.

Community and studio culture. Having people around you that respect, support what you do and understand the emotional mindset of a freelance designer is very important to me.

Being surrounded by other creatives that inspire your work and being able to collaborate with them is the second great deal about my workspace.

At the moment, I feel really lucky to be at Rotson Studios as it gives me the opportunity to work and teach calligraphy from the same space.

Other factors that count is having natural light, good internet connection and a space where you don’t freeze in winter and don’t dehydrate in summer.

What is the most important element in a workspace for you?

The conceptual work behind each collaboration. My work is strongly concept driven and I feel like there is a lack of it in the commercial fashion world.

I am personally very interested in the collision between art and fashion, and I consider CHORUS ’ work to be the expression of fashion art. It is funny because I never knew that Cassandra worked with Viktor & Rolf for a few years, and when I recently found out, everything made so much sense to me.

I am proud of CHORUS unconventional approach to fashion and I am proud of the result of each of our collaborations.

This edition is third time we have worked together, what is the most unique part of working with us?

I like briefs, they make my work easier. Having a concept or vision behind, visual reference material, a colour palette and a deadline make me focus and look for the best possible outcome.

Your briefs are detailed as well as inviting to bring new elements or a new perspective to the plate.

With all our collaborations , I feel there is a lot of mutual respect and trust from each other’s practices and that’s why the result is always so interesting.

We enjoy your easy going yet uncompromising attitude when we work together, is this a hard thing to balance in collaboration? Meeting a brief yet expressing yourself?

Absolutely. My dressing habits always combine colour and patterns.

My grandmother was a fashion designer, dressmaker and a huge influence for me. Eight years ago, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer and by now she doesn’t recognise anyone nor remember her passion for fashion.

In her house she has four wardrobes full of her own designs (bold colours and patterns) and I am very lucky to own a few of her handmade blouses.

Your work is often highly detailed and multi coloured, is this reflected in your dressing habits?

I think my dressing habits help me to interact with new people. Recently I wore the Hashtag suit to a friend’s wedding. The print is so bold that I wasn’t sure to wear the whole outfit so I asked the bride beforehand. Claire encouraged me to wear it as she loves the design.

After a few glasses of wine, more than half of the wedding guests came to talk to me about my outfit and asked me who the designer was and where did I purchase it, so I ended up meeting a lot of new people on that day!

We have known you to wear print from head-to-toe, do you think this changes the way people engage with you?

Sneakers and a one-piece suit.

What are you wearing when you feel most comfortable?

I never thought of it! Living in Australia has definitely changed my work. I think my dressing habits are now aligned to my work, whereas before wasn’t like that.

Living in Fitzroy for the last 6 years has made me appreciate independent fashion and has changed my shopping habits radically. I shop way less and I pick my garments carefully.

You recently became and Australian citizen, do you think living in Australia has changed the way you dress?

Every piece in my wardrobe has a story, specially the pieces from my grandmother. I am lucky to be the same size since I was seventeen years old, so I keep a lot of my clothes since then.

I have a leather jacket that is twenty three years old. It was completely new when I bought it and now is a great vintage piece wore out by myself. It has been with me through high school, uni, my first trip to New York City in 2001 and many other adventures. This jacket carries a lot of memories.

Do you have any sartorial memories that have stayed with you?

Never stop learning, work very hard, trust in your potential and find the people who believes in you and stick with them.

Last year I became a proud member of Alphabettes , an amazing group of women kicking ass in the type design world. I have a huge admiration for all its members and I have learnt a lot since then.

Listening to female voices in the industry means a lot to me; they encourage my work and help to build my confidence.

What is the biggest insight you can offer other women?

Cabernet Franc | Wine Label Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 05:31:40 GMT

Typographic packing design

Wine label design and illustration for Whistle Post winery in Coonawarra (South Australia).

The client was looking for a premium typographic solution with a subtle illustrative touch using a dried embossing technique on the label.

Industries

Wine industry

Australian made & owned

Credits

Client: Angus Smibert

Designer: Maria Montes

Wine Label: Whistle Post (AU)

Services

Packaging design

Packaging illustration

Hashtag Print | Womenswear Collection

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 05:45:20 GMT

Flamingo Textile Print Design

Hashtag Print is my second textile design collaboration with Melbourne independent fashion label CHORUS.

What I love the most about our collaborations is that the end result is always surprising, outside of my graphical repertoire and conceptually very strong.

Hashtag Briefing

The concept behind the Hashtag Print is the ‘selfie’ culture and the trend for ‘outfit of the day’ shots on fashion blogs, analysing the difference between those shots that are always showing their faces, and those that cut their heads out of the picture due to shyness/insecurity/less interest in self promotion.

The print can look very retro and formal/grown up out of a subject matter that is very contemporary.

Hashtag design process

My friend the talented designer, Lauren Vilitati , has always been an inspiration for me. When this project came up she was the first person I thought of. I jumped on her social media accounts and decided to download a few images of her and started to experiment with simple line work capturing the main details.

The print combines faces with headless bodies forming a bold repeat. I remembered a folder with original sketches from my life drawings classes in Brisbane back in 2008. I scanned my drawings and re-worked them using the same simple lines as the portraits. The third element I introduced was organic forms from the Canna Indica plant. Lastly, a small detail to tie the whole idea together was the introduction of hashtags inside the textile print.

Check out my first and third fashion collections with CHORUS.

Industries

Womenswear Collection

Fashion

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes
Client : Cassandra Wheat

Fashion Label : CHORUS (AU)

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

LOVE | Private Commission

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 07:34:41 GMT

Private Illustrated Lettering Commission

In August 2016 my good friends, Lauren and Filipe Vilitati, surprised everyone with a secret wedding celebration in Fitzroy North, Melbourne. LOVE is a private illustrated lettering commission.

Industries

Wedding Gift

Art Commission

Credits

Art Director: Maria Montes

Client: S elf-initiated project

Photographers: Lauren Vilitati and Elsa Campbell.

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

project background

The idea behind the illustration is combining Australian (Lauren’s background) and Fijian (Filipe’s background) native flora and fauna to build the LOVE message. The artwork features rosella birds, waratah, birds of paradise and hibiscus flowers.

A rosella is one of six species of colourful Australian parrots. Rosellas are native to Australia and nearby islands. Male and female always travel together and they enjoy bathing in puddles of water in the wild.

LOVE is my third typeface design. I first drew the lettering “absinthe” for an illustrated cocktail artwork featuring the classic French drink. A year later, thanks to the project @36daysoftype I found the motivation and most importantly, the deadline to push the rest of the twenty-six letters out there.

In May 2017, I released Green Fairy commercially at MyFonts. Currently the font is distributed at Adobe Fonts and Type-Ø-Tones font foundries.

DESIGN CONCEPT

ARTWORK info

Final artwork size: 120 x 65 cm
Paper stock: Moulin Du Gue 270gsm
Pens: Rotring Rapidograph, Posca marker and Pentel Touch brush pens

Nine | Skateboard Deck Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 08:52:10 GMT

Two custom hand-painted skateboards

Industries

Skateboarding

Art & Culture

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Lettering

Illustration

Original artwork

nine / nou concept design: what does a long-term relationship look like?

Both skateboards have the same message in English and Catalan:

“For the next (NINE) years together”
“Pels propers nou (ANYS) junts”

The Copperplate lettering is not very legible, making part of the message hidden (just for ourselves and a few of you now), nevertheless the sentences make sense without discovering the words “nine” and “anys”.

The background on both skateboards represent our native environments: Gum trees, palms and pines. I grew up with the smell of pine trees and the taste of pine mushrooms (rovellons) and these will always bring me back to my hometown (Costa Brava).

PROJECT BACKGROUND: ONGOING SKATEBOARD COLLECTION

Hidden Gems in Melbourne: Renaissance Bookbinding

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:36:11 GMT

In 2012 I discovered a great hidden treasure in Fitzroy North (Melbourne) called Renaissance Bookbinding.

I walked in the shop and I was absolutely amazed by the fantastic collection of books, printing presses, metal and wood type collections, not to mention the wide knowledge of Nick Doslov, a great professional bookbinder who has been in the business for over thirty years, and whose love and passion for the trade is worthy of everyone’s respect.

During my first visit to Renaissance Bookbinding, I approached Nick and without hesitation, asked him for a six-month apprenticeship. Nick was incredibly kind to agree, and a couple of weeks later I was hands-on learning the art of bookbinding.

My apprenticeship was a taste of many trades: we created a few handmade notebooks, handset type, gold blocking, embossing and letterpress printing.

At Renaissance Bookbinding you’ll find many traditional tools and old presses worth checking out. There are public tours available to the Bindery, Printery and Museum for small groups, and a two-hour introduction to the ancient art of bookbinding and letterpress printing ($50 per person).

1961 Vandercook Universal I, Cylinder Proofing Press;
1858 Albion Printing Press, Hopkinson & Cope Finsbury London. Press No. 3554;
1950, John.T. Marshall London Gold Blocking Presses. Small press: 10 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches. Large press: 10 x 16 1/4 inches;

1800 Hughes & Kimber Limited London. Gas heated gold blocking and embossing press. The body is cast in one piece and the stand has four lions’ feet and a separate casting;

10 Bookbinders’ Nipping presses from 1800-90, with original brass handles, baked on enamel and hand-painted gold decoration, all from different sources, including the Big Master Press Nick worked on during his apprenticeship at S. G. Graham Smith Bookbinders, Pty. Ltd;

1 Hamilton and 1 Presco cabinet containing over 100 different fonts cast in monotype (lead and antimony), foundry (lead, antimony and tin), and bookbinders’ engraved brass type. Plus 300 monotype fonts located in galley trays and racks;

The oldest books Nick has ever restored are “Anatomia Deudsch” by Andreas Vesalius, printed in Venice in 1551 and “The Holy Bible” printed in 1577. The oldest books in Nicks’ collection are two volumes from 1600 and 1605 documenting the life and work of Spanish Jesuit Ioannis De Pineda.

During his extensive career, Nick has worked for many clients including Melbourne University Library , St. Mary Mackillop Centre , The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons , The Melbourne Museum and The State Library of Victoria .

He has also worked on Architectural development presentations for some of Melbourne’s landmark buildings such as 101 Collins Street, The Argus Centre, Melbourne Exhibition Centre, The Bolte Bridge, Etihad Stadium, Federation Square and The Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

At the moment, Nick is working on the full restoration of a rare elephant folio book called “Anatomia Corporum Humanorium”, written in Latin and printed in Venice in 1750, containing human anatomy and copperplate engravings.

Six complete wood type fonts and many incomplete alphabets, wood borders and decoration;

And some prospect type, lettering, signage and found objects.

After completing a four-year apprenticeship at S.G. Graham Smith Bookbinders, in 1981 Nick Doslov opened his doors for the first time at The Victorian Hardware Club offering bookbinding and restoration services. In 1984, he moved to Brunswick street (Fitzroy North), where he currently resides.

I asked Nick whether he prefers bookbinding or letterpress printing, and he looked at me with a smile and replied “both of them, as they both belong to the process of creating a book from the inside out”. As a renaissance artist, Nick is multitalented. He plays a couple of instruments, wood engraves, prints, paints oil and acrylic marbling and is very interested in visual projections and psychedelic music. In 2013, Nik collaborated with Rob Jones on “Dr. Projectionists”, an installation and multi-projection show displaying traditional and contemporary marbling concepts at Top Shelf Gallery in Melbourne.

Nick Doslov understands the nature of a book from the inside out. Like a surgeon, he can dissect it recognising its paper, its bookbinding origin and date, its cover, its spine and its printed type. He is extremely skilled and we need to preserve this knowledge and what it represents for our culture and future generations.

Believe me when I say that none of these images do justice to Renaissance Bookbinding. The smell and tactile experience of the handmade paper, leather, inks and traditional tools it is impossible to reflect in an article.

A few days after interviewing Nick, I flew overseas to visit my family. While I was in Barcelona, I went to one of my favourite art stores called Barna Paper and a poster with the message “inútil” meaning useless in Catalan, caught my attention. See the English translation below:

“The Catalan Government consider the specialisation of artistic bookbinding offered at Llotja Shool of Art to be useless, and intend to remove this subject from the program. We claim the importance of what it is believed to be useless!”

The poster also quotes sections of the manifestos below:

Usefulness of useless knowledge by Nuccio Ordine
Useful work versus useless Toil by William Morris

Reading the poster, I recalled my conversation with Nick about the importance of preserving old trades such as bookbinding and letterpress metal and wood printing.

We live in a moment in history where some trades are experiencing a revival. Calligraphy, lettering and sign painting on one hand, screen printing (refer to Made You Look documentary) and photopolymer letterpress printing on the other hand, seem to be very popular at the moment, but there are other trades that we should not forget. It is up to us as individuals and artists to support and protect these incredible trades and recognise their skilled artisans.

Special thanks to Nick Doslov for preserving our history.

If you are in Melbourne, Renaissance Bookbinding offers one-to-one workshops to learn the medieval craft of bookbinding, including historical sewing structures, book design, gold lettering and tooling, handset type, wood block cutting, wood engraving, linocut and letterpress printing.

Renaissance Bookbinding

Apart from Nick, these are a few other artists and friends offering their services in Australia.

Melbourne Museum of Printing (MMoP)
Wood and metal letterpress workshops, Melbourne

Irwin and McLauren
Bookbinders, letterpress printers and marbling artists, Melbourne

Saint Gertrude Fine Printing
Letterpress printing, Melbourne

The Hungry Workshop
Design and letterpress printing, Melbourne

additional SERVICES in australia

Bloody Maria | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 05:36:17 GMT

Bloody Maria illustrated cocktail artwork

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Self-generated artwork

Art direction: Maria Montes

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

DESIGN BRIEF

I looove tomatoes and I like vodka, so obviously Bloody Mary is always my cocktail of choice. I thought of this funny idea combining a pattern made out of the basic ingredients of the cocktail accompanied by the alternative popular saying a Bloody Mary a day keeps the doctor away.

From 2012 to 2014 my professional career focused exclusively on textile prints, although my formal education is Graphic Design and my major, typography. After these two years working on patterns, I felt the urge of combining my illustration skills with my passion for typography. This artwork is the result of my first attempt combining surface patterns with typography.

BLOODY MARIA PATTERN

Hand-made line art using a 0.38 and 0.50mm ballpoint pens. Pattern retouched and coloured in Photoshop and final lay-out in Illustrator.

BLOODY MARIA ,LETTERING DESIGN PROCESS

The base for the lettering is my own calligraphy using a ruling pen and walnut ink. After that, using 0.38mm ballpoint pen I added weight. Then, I scanned the hand lettering and vectorised the letterforms using Illustrator. As a final step, I added hand-drawn details on top of the lettering to make it more human and less computer-perfect.

Every element of the pattern has been drawn individually at around 15x15cm on tracing paper. The final layout is done in Illustrator at 70x100cm. The current artwork is a limited edition of 200 art prints all signed and numbered.

Sizes available: 50 x 70 cm
Paper stock: 320gsm slightly textured 100% cotton rag paper

Artwork available on my online store .

Letterpress Cocktail Cards | Collaboration

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 02:51:55 GMT

Lettering collaboration with Ladies of Letters

I had the pleasure of collaborating with the amazing team at Ladies of Letters , as part of their Flourish Together project, designing a series of 4 lettering letterpress cards inspired by my full colour cocktail artworks.

These illustrated letterpress cocktail cards were printed in Melbourne by Saint Gertrude on 354gsm premium card. Each card comes with a craft envelope and are cello wrapped. Featuring the following cocktails:

A Mojito Made Me Do It , featuring the classic Cuban cocktail
Absinthe, La Fée Verte, featuring the classic French liquor
Ciao Negroni!, featuring the classic Italian cocktail
All Passion, featuring an Old Fashioned cocktail

Letterpress cards size: 125 x 175 mm

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Lettering designer: Maria Montes

Letterpress printer: Saint Gertrude

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

Bloody Tomato | Pattern Print Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 03:09:35 GMT

Bloody Tomato Pattern Print was created using the individual ingredients of my artwork called Bloody Maria .

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

Every element has been drawn by hand using a 0.38mm ballpoint pen. Then scanned and coloured in Photoshop and final layout in Illustrator. This pattern features tomatoes, celery, lemons and lemon flowers. This print was originally designed as part of my first solo exhibition called Breaking The Ice .

This artwork (70x100cm) was also featured in second solo exhibition in Spain called What a Shitshow .

Tomato Print | Surface Pattern DIGITAL License

ARTWORK LICENSE TERMS

— Non-exclusive use
— Media: Online and print media only.
— Distribution: Worldwide
— Period: In perpetuity

FILE FORMAT

— NON seamless repeat
— Digital File: Flattened PSD with transparent background
— Size: 50 x 70 cm (19.6 x 27.5 inches)
— Resolution: 300dpi
— Colour Mode: RGB

Tomato Print | LIMITED EDITION ART PRINT

— Designed and number by Maria Montes
— Limited edition of 25
— Size: 80 x 80 cm (31.5 x 31.5 inches)
— Giglée print on 320gsm slightly textured 100% cotton rag paper

The Stimulant | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 03:56:16 GMT

Espresso Martini illustrated cocktail artwork

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

This is my fourth illustrated cocktail artwork called The Stimulant featuring a Espresso Martini. This artwork is a homage to all fashionistas out there.

ESPRESSO MARTINI: COCKTAIL RESEARCH

In 2015 I taught Computer Aided Design at Melbourne Fashion Institute. During that year, I did some research on fashion illustration. I really admire Kelly Thomson’s work and her illustrations have given me the inspiration to try my first portrait drawing.

I researched the story behind the Espresso Martini cocktail, originally called “The Stimulant”, and I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to give fashion illustration a go.

Here is an insight about the creation of this cocktail from Punchdrink.com:

The story goes that Bradsell created the drink—originally called The Pharmaceutical Stimulant—at Fred’s Club in the late 1980s, when a young model, who Bradsell claims is now world famous, sidled up to the bar and asked for something to wake her up, and then fuck her up. His solution was a combination of vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur and sugar, shaken into a frothy mix of bittersweet addiction. (Some speculate the model was Kate Moss, others Naomi Campbell, but Bradsell has never revealed her identity.)

The first thing I wanted to try was illustrating the face of the cocktail, the model. I emailed a few friends and asked them to take a selfie. I chose Sarah Graham as my inspirational image. The pencil illustration is an original in A2 size. I scanned the image and started to apply contrast and colour.

I knew that the make up had to be very pronounce to obtain a high-contrasted image. I wanted to create a dehumanise face, as some modelling images can be, where you cannot feel the soul of the girl behind the face.

I created e a pattern from the coffee plant to apply on Sarah‘s shirt. The lettering and the cocktail glasses I want them to be the main elements of the illustration so that the model will be fade out in the background.

The vector grid in the background represents the texture of a hessian bag of coffee beans.

ESPRESSO MARTINI: DESIGN PROCESS

ESPRESSO MARTINI LETTERING DESIGN

My idea for the lettering style of this Espresso Martini artwork was having funky letterforms with high contrast between the thin and thicks. I wanted to alter the x-high of the letters and also give them more dynamism.

Señorita Margarita | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 05:14:38 GMT

Señorita Margarita

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

Señorita Margarita artwork is dedicated to Mexico and tequila. Margarita is a refreshing artwork, using bold colours and Tropicana vibes. Below is my personal connection with this drink.

Tequila Margarita Context

A few years ago back in Barcelona, I studied a Master’s Degree in Interactive Interfaces Design. The course was a great personal experience as it consisted of a group of twelve students representing seven different nationalities. One of my classmates, Rodrigo Morales (from Mexico), taught us about Mexican food and good tequila, and he brought some amazing samples to our reunions. I associate that period of my life with a fascination for tequila and a loving relationship with Mexico, which I am yet to visit.

I learned about this variation on the classic Mexican cocktail when I first visited Nieuw Amsterdam and I decided to use their cocktail recipe to create my new artwork.

Señorita Margarita features pineapples, lemons, limes and agave. The lettering design is an interpretation of my own calligraphy. Using my calligraphic sketch as a reference, I started drawing the lettering on top with tracing paper. Once I was happy with the hand-lettering sketch, I moved to the computer to vectorise and interpret the letterforms.

The phrase “my heart belongs to” is set in Miłosz Italic which is my own typeface design.

Señorita Margarita | Design Process

All Passion | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 04:46:58 GMT

Old Fashioned | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

This is my third illustrated cocktail artwork called All Passion featuring an Old Fashioned drink.

The origins of the Absinthe drink

When I thought about whisky, the first image that came to my mind was a really comfortable dark space, full of beautiful leather couches and warm lights; a very intimate space with cigars.

I did some research about the cocktail’s recipe and I decided to work on oranges as the main ingredient for this piece. I love this fruit and its colours.

All the oranges and the glass were drawn by hand using a 0.38mm and 0.50mm ballpoint pen. Then scanned, cleaned and coloured in Photoshop.

Doing further research about this cocktail I found an interesting post which states:

The Old-Fashioned is at once ‘the manliest cocktail order’ and ‘something your grandmother drank’ and between those poles we discover countless simple delights, evolutionary wonders, and captivating abominations. […] It is a platform for a bar to make a statement […]

The lettering of this artwork comes from a song titled “Good Old Fashion Lover Boy”. I used to be a big fan of Queen when I was younger, so this song gave me the inspiration for the message “I learnt my passion in the good Old Fashioned”.

Regarding the lettering style, from the beginning I had the idea of creating a neon sign combined with a leather couch pattern in the background.

I began to work on the lettering using a monoline. Then I vectorised the forms and added layers of bright colours on top using Adobe Illustrator.

Old Fashioned Lettering Process

Ciao Negroni | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 04:44:05 GMT

A Mojito Made Me Do It

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

This is my sixth illustrated cocktail artwork called Ciao Negroni! featuring this classic Italian cocktail.

The artwork is an elegant interpretation of the Negroni drink combining red, green and white colours and featuring chillies, mint, a cocktail glass and sections of the lettering “salute!” as decorative elements to build its final shape.

NEGRONI RESEARCH

The inspiration behind this piece is a blog post from BonAppetit.com called “How to Drink like an Italian”. On this post, Bon Appetit restaurant and drinks editor Andrew Knowlton states:

“Italians drink diff erently than we do. They sip, stir, linger over low-octane cocktails”.

Personally, I love Italy and as Jessica Webster says:

“How can you not love a culture that so lustily celebrates the finer things in life? Opera, art, fashion and food.”

Nieuw Amsterdam —where I hosted my first solo exhibition — offers a variation on this cocktail called “Chilli-Chocolate Negroni”. I love chillies so I decided to go ahead with this version of the Italian drink.

I wanted to use the colours of the Italian flag without being too obvious. Chillies gave me the red colour palette I needed, so I began to illustrate them as my starting point.

The other ingredient from Nieuw Amsterdam’s cocktail recipe is Vietnamese mint, which became the second main element in my Negroni artwork. All the ingredients have been drawn by hand and coloured in Photoshop.

Negroni Design Process

Negroni Lettering

Following the Italian theme, I wanted to introduce an Italian word that could be easily understood in English, so I chose “Salute”. This lettering has been designed using my own Copperplate calligraphy as a reference.

On the other hand, “Negroni” is a custom lettering design based on my own Fraktur calligraphy.

Absinthe, The Green Fairy | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 07:40:07 GMT

Absinthe, The Green Fairy | Artwork

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

This is my seventh illustrated cocktail artwork called Absinthe, La Fée Verte (The Green Fairy). This lettering artwork wants to glow in the dark and keep us on dreaming.

The origins of the Absinthe drink

Henriette Henriod, often called ‘Mother Henriod’, said that she had always been aware of the medical benefits of wormwood. In the second third of the 18th century, she produced an elixir made of wormwood in her hometown in Couvet, Switzerland, which was used to cure various diseases. […]

With the beginnings of the industrial production of absinthe, it was decided, that it was necessary to modify the recipe of the wormwood elixir to satisfy the growing number of customers.

The bitterness was reduced through:

– using less wormwood in the recipe
– using more anise and fenne

Absinthe | Design Process

Doing further research on the Absinthe formula, I found a informative post from Wikihow.com. Following Wikihow recipe, I began to draw the ingredients involved in the formation of Absinthe: Wormwood, hyssop (whole plant), Chinese star anise (fruit/flower), anise seeds, fennel seeds, lemon balm, coriander and thyme.

The colour palette of this artwork is clearly inspired by the popular Green Fairy name associated with Absinthe. I wanted to create a glowing visual experience.

All the elements of this piece have been vector drawn, except for the green spirit in the glass.

Absinthe Lettering

The message of this piece arose from a brainstorming session with my colleagues, Tim Allan and Sarah Graham at Rotson Studios.

Sarah suggested the idea of replacing absinthe by absence in the popular saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder”; and Tim added the poetic sentence “absinthe makes the mind go wander”. I loved both ideas so I started working on them straight away.

Ab·sinthe

The reason behind the breaking up of the word ab·sinthe in my artwork lies in the relationship between the meaning of the Latin prefix, ab– (which means away) and the fact that I replaced the word “absence” by “absinthe” on the piece, so it all made sense.

A Mojito Made Me Do It | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 07:35:40 GMT

A Mojito Made Me Do It

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

This is my eighth illustrated cocktail artwork called A Mojito Made Me do It featuring a Strawberry Mojito.

Mojito Design Process

I haven’t been in Cuba yet, but my idea about this country is a place with great architecture, vibrant colours, cuban rhythms and passionate people.

My starting point was researching the message for this piece. I wanted to find a phrase that had some sort of naughty meaning. In the end, I decided to go with “A Mojito made me do it”, an intriguing message that awakens wonder and the curiosity. The lettering design aims to represent a drinking straw.

The letterforms have a low contrast between thin and thicks, and an inline stroke, as well as a hollow space representing three-dimensional forms. The sub heading, “Pasión Cubana”, means Cuban passion, and it is dedicated to my friend Marta and to all loving relationships with Cuban men and women.

Mojito Lettering

Mojito Cocktail Research

During my research for this artwork, I found this interesting article about the Australian Rum Rebellion:

“The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in Australian history. During the 19th century, it was widely referred to as the Great Rebellion.” Read the complete post here .

The ingredients represented on this artwork are strawberries, blueberries, limes and mint.

I decided to introduce some floral elements. I researched native Cuban flora and I found The White Ginger (Hedychium coronarium) also called “Mariposa” (butterfly in Spanish), as the Cuban’s National Flower.

“The white mariposa, its scientific name ‘Hedychium Coronarium’, from the family of the Zingiberaceas, native to Vietnam, became a symbol of Cuban flora because Cuban women used it to smuggle messages to the battlefield during the liberation wars of the 19th century. Its perfume is exquisite.”

Regarding the colour palette, I wanted to use pink and purple tones, so I chose a Strawberry Mojito as the cocktail for this piece. Sue Harrell from The Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) states:

“Mojitos are sweet, minty and icy-cold cocktails; perhaps the best hot weather cocktail around! It’s no wonder it comes from Cuba where the average temperature is 77°F with 75% humidity.” Read the complete post here .

Botanical Print | Lamp Collection

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 09:51:21 GMT

Botanical Textile Print Design

Tamara Watts from Retro Print Revival commissioned me a textile print design for her Australian lamp collection SS2015. My Botanical Print is a vector design inspired by a vintage fabric based on floral elements combined with Art Nouveau lines. The print was developed in 3 colourways and this is the result. Designed and printed in Australia.

Industries

Homewares

Fashion

Interior design

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes
Client : Tamara Watts
Fashion label: Retro Print Revival (AU)

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

La Lió | Limited Edition Scarf

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:48:15 GMT

La Lió Textile Print Design

Second scarf design under my own design label called MarchTwentyTwo . Textile design in collaboration with Laura Piera.

The name La Lió is the colloquial name that is commonly used to refer to the Lyon-Barcelona Company, which is Laura’s grandfathers patterned fabric factory, established in the 1930’s. This company became the initial point of influence and inspiration for us to start our own label.

This pattern talks about the flora and fauna, elements that constantly appear in our designs. Laura and I met each other for the first time in Australia, a place where the nature has a big presence and that has influenced very much our work.

We like creating patterns that can take us to a specific time or a place, and connect this moment with our day-to-day lives.

Scarf size: 112 x 112 cm
Limited edition of 51 scarves
Composition: 100% Silk Crep
Finish: Hand-made seam finish with our logo embroidered in one corner.

This scarf is currently sold out.

Industries

Womenswear Accessories

Fashion

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes
Client : Self-generated product
Fashion Label: MarchTwentyTwo (AU)

Photographer: Mark Lobo

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

Ippon Print | Womenswear Collection

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:09:17 GMT

Ippon Textile Print Design x Chorus

I was commissioned by independent Melbourne fashion label Chorus to create a textile design and embellishments for their latest collection called The Realease. This is the first collaboration with Chorus and so far the experience has been fantastic.

DESIGN Briefing

Judo uniforms, motifs and terminology. Stills from 1978 martial arts film ‘Heroes of the East’ and vintage instructional magazines presenting movement frozen in time.

Ippon Print | Design Process

I wanted to create a textile print design that from far away had a traditional look and feel, but when looking at it closer, you could discover the basic elements of the pattern becoming a non-conventional print, and containing in itself two layers of information.

Elements of the Judo uniform can be seen in soft suiting, tie fastenings and generous proportions. Literal motifs of judo men caught in motion are printed onto jersey styles and laser cut from multi coloured acrylic appearing in the form of jewellery, accessories and embellishment. Judo terminology reflecting physical or emotive characteristics is used to name each piece.

Chorus showcased their collection at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2014 in the Designer Runway 4. You can check my second and third textile print collaborations together.

Industries

Womenswear Collection

Fashion

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes
Client : Cassandra Wheat
Fashion Label: CHORUS (AU)

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

The Richardson Family | Private Commission

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 04:42:20 GMT

Private Lettering Commission

The Richardson Family is a lettering artwork commissioned by Nathan Tremlett for our common friends Megan Richardson and Alan Richardson. The client approached me with the idea of creating a customised wedding gift under the idea of synergy .

I researched synonyms of synergy and found some words that I liked and gave a positive message: Unity, symbiosis and harmony. I also included concepts of family such as trust, love and respect. And lastly, I included their own names: Megan, Alan, Evelyn and Mae.

Following the definition of synergy –the creation of a whole is greater than the sum of its parts– I created a contemporary typographic doily, referencing those old school knitted ones that can be found at home.

I showed a loose sketch to the client and we decided to change the word “synergy” by “family” and move ahead.

Nathan and I gave the artwork to them in private on their wedding day and their faces made all my efforts totally worth it.

The Richardson Family was selected to be part of the ‘Goodtype The Book Volume One’.

Industries

Art & Culture

Wedding Gift

Credits

Lettering designer: Maria Montes

Services

Lettering design

Surface pattern design

Vector lettering artwork printed at 50 x 70 cm on 100% cotton rag paper.

ARTWORK INFO

Bubble Print | Menswear Collection

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 06:04:18 GMT

Textile print developed in collaboration with Ema Hewitt for her debut SS14/15 menswear collection, HEW.

Ema defined the initial colour palette, while I developed a second complementary colourway.

The brief called for a pattern design that could be reduced to 30% of its original scale, allowing it to function as a refined internal detail across the collection — featured within shirt collars, cuffs, and waistbands.

The concept behind the print draws on the idea of a micro-universe: an abstract, living system, as if observed through a microscope, where organic forms appear in constant motion.

Deliverables
Vector textile repeat design in two colourways.

Industries

Menswear Collection

Fashion

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes
Client : Ema Hewitt

Fashion Label: HEW Clothing (AU)

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

Breaking The Ice | Solo Exhibition in Melbourne

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 03:59:10 GMT

reaking The Ice | Opening Night

The Breaking The Ice exhibition launch at Nieuw Amsterdam was an awesome afternoon full of good vibes, great company and delicious cocktails. My friend the great filmmaker, Cam Suttie, photographed the opening day and this is a taste of that great evening.

Breaking the Ice Solo Exhibition by Maria Montes | Nieuw Amsterdam, Melbourne 2015.

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

Embracing both aspects of this idiom —making a start, and the art of mixing drinks— this exhibition brings the excitement of new beginnings with a salute to tradition, in both cocktails and art.

Combining patterns, lettering and illustration , this body of work is an explosion of colour and intricate detail, celebrating the finer things in life. Cheers!

I am really excited to present my new body of work featuring a series of eight illustrated cocktail artworks and six patterns prints created from the individual cocktail ingredients, I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.

ILLUSTRATED COCKTAIL ARTWORKS

Bloody Maria : featuring a Bloody Mary cocktail
You Are The Gin To My Tonic : featuring a Gin & Tonic drink
All Passion : Featuring an Old Fashion coktail
Ciao Negroni! : Featuring the classic Italian cocktail with the same name
A Mojito Made Me Do It : Featuring the classic Cuban cocktail
The Stimulan : Featuring an Espresso Martini cocktail
The Green Fairy : Featuring a French Absinthe cocktail
Señorita Margarita : Featuring the Mexican classic coktail

surface pattern prints

Bloody Tomato Pattern Print : 80 x 80 cm
Strawberry Mojito Print: 50 x 70 cm
Piña Margarita Pattern Print: 50 x 70 cm
Cuban Mariposa Pattern Print: 50 x 70 cm
Coffee Plant Pattern Print: 50 x 70 cm

LASER WOOD ENGRAVINGS

G in & Tonic: Wood engraving: 30 x 40 cm
Absinthe, The Green Fairy: Wood engraving 30 x 40cm

Gin Tonic | Illustrated Cocktail Artwork

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 07:39:10 GMT

You Are the Gin To My Tonic

Industries

Art & Culture

Credits

Art direction & design: Maria Montes

Photographs by Mark Lobo from Foliolio
Frame by Wilma Art Framing Concept
Artwork available on my online store

Services

Illustration

Lettering

Surface pattern design

Original artwork

Gin Tonic is a self-initiated project and personal tribute to the city of Barcelona.

For the last years, I have been lucky enough to visit friends and family and spend over two months in the city of Barcelona. Everyone who lives there, knows that gin tonics are the drink of choice, and also knows that we don’t call them gin and tonics.

Gin Tonic | DESIGN Research

I read an article about the passion for Gin Tonics in Spain and about some bars in Barcelona specialised on this type of drink. The article called “ Gin and Tonic, A Love Story ” gave me the inspiration to create this piece.

Gin Tonic | Design Process

The artwork features several ingredients used in the elaboration of Gin and the drink. You’ll notice some Arbequina olives as well, maybe not commonly associate it with Gin, but they are the gold ingredient of one of our national gins called “ Gin Mare “, a Mediterranean Gin that I like and I wanted to give support.

The artwork is built entirely in vectors.

Gin Tonic | CALLIGRAPHY & HAND LETTERING

The lettering is based on my own copperplate calligraphy and then added weight by hand and vectorised in Illustrator.

Gin Tonic | LASER WOOD ENGRAVING

One unique copy of this artwork was produced as a laser wood engraving, taking advantage of the design process being developed in vectors.

15.05.2014 | Private Wedding Commission

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Thu, 15 May 2014 05:10:19 GMT

Private lettering wedding commission

This project is a private commissioned for a custom wedding gift.

My client, a close friend of the bride and groom, briefed me with a list of concepts and topics that the couple love. I decided to create an illustration using the date of their wedding day as the main focus.

Every number of the artwork features their special connection with a topic or a memory. The illustration includes their daughter and their own names with the special wishes “today and forever”.

Hand-illustrated fonts: Worthe Numerals by House Industries, Memoriam III by Patrick Griffin and AW Conqueror Slab Light by Jean François Porchez.

I hope the artwork will bring them happy memories and will become a reference to celebrate their wedding anniversaries to come. Congratulations Carla i Carles, I hope you had a lovely wedding day!

Industries

Art & Culture

Wedding Gift

Credits

Art director: Maria Montes

Services

Lettering design

Illustration

Rotson Studios Coworking Space | Logotype Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 03:08:00 GMT

Rotson Studios Creative Coworking Space | Logotype & Mural Design

Industries

Creative spaces

Credits

Co-founders: Robert Tickner & Maria Montes (AU)

Designer: Maria Montes

Rotson Studios is a logotype designed for a creative co-working space in Fitzroy, Melbourne (Australia).

The name of the studios does refer to the original name of the building called Rotson Knitting Mills . I thought that keeping the name acknowledges the rich history of the building and also brings back to life the great signage in place, helping everyone to find the studio easily. Rotson lettering design is inspired by the original R of the signage of the building. The word “studios” is set in AW Conqueror Inline Regular by Typofonderie .

My partner and I opened this creative space in 2014 and we managed the space till June 2022. During these seven years, we gave its name, created a large-scale mural, we furnished the space, curated the studio culture and run its accountancy.

In 2022, the studio was transferred to Peter Tarasiuk who currently runs the space.

Services

Naming

Logotype design

Mural design & execution

Website design

Interior design

Accountancy

MarchTwentyTwo | Brand Identity Design

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 01:23:32 GMT

MarchTwentyTwo | Brand Identity Design

Industries

Luxury

Fashion

Homewares

Credits

Art direction: Maria Montes

Co-founders: Maria Montes & Laura Piera

Fashion label: MachTwentyTwo

In 2014 my business partner Laura Piera and I decided to create a textile design studio called MarchTwentyTwo . Laura lives in Barcelona and I live in Melbourne and both of us were born on that date.

LOGOTYPE DESIGN

I wanted to create a logotype that viasually represented our personality, energy and vibrancy, expressed through high contrast, bold and rounded edges.

SWING TAGS

I came up with the tagline "the best quality goods always make you happy" to be featured on our swing tags, also displaying my own custom font design with the same name MarchTwentyTwo .

ORIGINAL FRAMED TEXTILE ARTWORK

Once the vector logotype design was approved, I created a hand-embroidered version of the logotype to be displayed along a custom textile design which we framed.

2 x limited edition scarves

Under our own label, we designed and produced 2 limited edition scarfs called Marimurtra and La Lió . Additionally, we produced hand-made cotton baskets like the one displayed above.

website design & social media presence

Our label closed down in 2017 due to Laura having a baby and shifting priorities. You can check our Instagram feed here.

Services

Brand identity design

Logotype design

Swing tag

Business card design

Website Design

Product development

Social media development

Marimurtra | Limited Edition Scarf

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 00:30:12 GMT

Marimurtra Scarf & Textile Print Artwork

Marimurtra is my third limited edition scarf in collaboration with Laura Piera.

Textile design inspired by Marimurtra Botanical Garden in Blanes (Spain), my hometown. The plants and flowers in the print are Plectranthus scutellarioides and Brugmansia versicolour. Hand-drawn line art, coloured in Photoshop and layout in Illustrator. Designed in Melbourne.

Scarf size: 190 x 98 cm
Composition: 35% Silk, 65% Cotton
Background colours: Navy (edition of 54) and off-white background (edition of 51).
Finish: 1cm fringe on the short sides and machine finish on the long sides. Our logo MarchTwentyTwo is embroidered in one corner of the scarf.

This scarf is currently sold out.

Additionally, I created a one-off textile framed artwork available to purchase .

Industries

Womenswear Accessories

Fashion

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes
Client : Self-generated product
Fashion Label: MarchTwentyTwo (AU)

Photographer: Mark Lobo

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

Flamingo Print | Menswear Collection

robtickner@me.com (Robert Tickner) — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 04:30:54 GMT

Flamingo Textile Print Design

In 2015, I collaborated with Ema Hewitt on the development of a textile print for the debut SS14/15 collection of her Australian menswear label, HEW.

Design Brief

Ema commissioned this print with the intention of combining geometric elements with avian forms. She defined the initial colour palette, while I developed a second complementary colourway.

The brief also required the design to be scalable to 30% of its original size, allowing it to function as a refined internal detail across the collection — featured within shirt collars, cuffs, and waistbands.

The translation from vector artwork to garment was executed with precision, resulting in a seamless integration of the print within the final pieces

Deliverables

Vector textile repeat design in two colourways.

Industries

Menswear Collection

Fashion

Credits

Textile designer: Maria Montes
Client : Ema Hewitt
Fashion Label: HEW Clothing (AU)

Services

Illustration

Textile design

Surface pattern design

1977968

Itinerarios de Caligrafía (ICKI) | Visual Identity

ICKI | Visual Brand Identity

Industries

Creative spaces

Education

Credits

Designer & art director: Maria Montes

Director: Sonia Beroiz

Client: Itinerarios de Caligrafía / Kaligrafia Ibilbideak (ES)

DESIGN BRIEF

Services

Naming

Logotype design

Collateral applications

Poster design ﻿

Barcelona | Lettering & Monogram Design

Lettering & monogram B design

Industries

Education ﻿

Credits

Art director: Maria Montes

Client: Self-initiated project

Services

Script lettering design

Type Design Education x Graphic Designers [Updated 2026]

Type Design Resources

Anne Lamott’s 12 Truths I Learned from Life & Writing

Number one

Number two

Three

This brings us to number four

Number five

Number six

Seven

Number eight

Nine

Number ten

Eleven

And finally: death. Number 12.

Women in Type & Design | Resource Updated [2026]

Fonts, Women & Type

Graphic Design & Women

Thank You | Printed Ad Campaign

Press ad application in The Guardian & The Australian newspaper.

Printed Ad Campaign x University of Melbourne

Industries

Education

Publishing

Credits

Lettering Designer: Maria Montes Ad Agency: McCann Design Group (AU) Client: University of Melbourne (AU)

Materials

Services

Lettering

Deliverables

design brief

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

ORIGINAL ARTWORK

Fifteenth Anniversary | Lettering Design

Fifteen/Quinze Lettering Design

Industries

Visual Communication

Credits

Art direction: Maria Montes Client: Self-initiated project

Services

Lettering

Deliverables

project background

design concept: ants in my pants

cat-size dogs

Pussy Pink | Lettering Design

Pussy Pink | Lettering Design

Industries

Visual Communication ﻿

Credits

Art direction: Maria Montes Client: Self-initiated project

DESIGN Services

Lettering

Deliverables

project NAMING

Poster design

Education

Lettering Designer: Maria Montes
Ad Agency: McCann Design Group (AU)
Client: University of Melbourne (AU)

Art direction: Maria Montes
Client: Self-initiated project

Visual Communication

Art direction: Maria Montes
Client: Self-initiated project

→ Daiso brush pen