My feelings about hand lettering directly correlate to a good glass of wine. I fall in love with wine when I can taste the soil the grapes grew in and my palette fills with wood flavors of that the wine fermented in. A good glass of wine will give you a tour of a winery without ever being there. It can take you to Oregon, Argentina, Italy, France, Chile, or Napa in just a small sip. This the exact same reason I love to see things done by hand by such deeply creative individuals. In a world of perfection the imperfect has become so beautiful. Many have come to recognize that the simplest things at their root are the best; eggs from the farm down the street, a handmade quilt from your grandmother, listening to NPR instead of watching TV, and baking and cooking from scratch.
All this to say that is why I am in love with the work of Leanne Shapton. Not only is she a totally adorable and stylish woman, accomplished in her profession, but she has a wonderful sense of embracing the world of imperfection and the beauty in it. There is no doubt in my mind I would buy any number of these books simply for their striking difference than most book covers. Her use of line and pattern with watercolor and paper textures is totally wonderful and something any designer can take note of. Even on the last image how right where the lines cross they bleed only in that moment. Her work is extremely inspiring to me and I hope you find it the way way today.
Happy Thursday my friends!
