How to see like a designer: The hidden power of typography and logos | Jessica Hische (Lettering Artist, Author)

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Lenny Rachitsky

Technology, Business, Entrepreneurship

5 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2024

⏱️ 82 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jessica Hische is a lettering artist and New York Times bestselling author based in Oakland, California. She specializes in typographical work for logos, film, books, and other commercial applications. Her clients include Wes Anderson, The United States Postal Service, Target, Hallmark, and Penguin Books, and her work has been featured in design and illustration annuals both in the U.S. and internationally. She’s been named a Print Magazine New Visual Artist (20 under 30), one of Forbes 30 under 30 in Art and Design, an ADC Young Gun, a “Person to Watch” by GD USA, and an Adweek “Creative 100.” In our conversation, we discuss:

• My new logo and brand!

• Jessica’s process for refreshing my logo/brand

• Why most startups shouldn’t worry about their logo/brand

• The psychology behind different typography choices

• Balancing creativity with business needs in logo design

• Jessica’s unique approach to pricing logo work

• How AI is (and isn’t) impacting the design world

• Jessica’s other creative pursuits, including children’s books and art supply stores

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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/seeing-like-a-designer-jessica-hische

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Where to find Jessica Hische:

• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jessicahische

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicahische

• Website: https://jessicahische.is

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Jessica’s background

(01:32) The logo refresh process

(09:45) When to refresh your logo

(11:45) High-level overview

(18:04) Approaching Lenny’s brand refresh

(24:25) How to see like a designer

(37:53) Lenny’s new logo: where we landed

(44:07) Brand’s role in company success

(50:04) Jessica’s flexible pricing strategies and collaborative design process

(57:14) Balancing multiple creative projects

(01:01:48) Using AI in creative work

(01:05:50) Upcoming projects and final thoughts

(01:08:24) Lightning round

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Referenced:

• Jeni’s: https://jenis.com

• James Edmondson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamestedmondson/

• Figma Config: https://config.figma.com/

• Helvetica: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica

• MyFonts: https://www.myfonts.com/

• Geometric sans serif fonts: https://www.myfonts.com/pages/tags/geometric%20sans%20serif-fonts

• The Rise of Fractional Executives: https://www.reforge.com/blog/leveraging-fractional-executives

• JH&F: https://jessicahische.shop/pages/my-oakland-store

• Drawling: https://drawling.shop/

• Jessica Hische’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jessica-Hische/author/B082XDN54V

• Dreamforce: https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce

• Bezier handles: https://www.tella.tv/definition/bezier-handles

• My First Book of Fancy Letters: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Book-Fancy-Letters/dp/0593385012/r

• The Creative Act: A Way of Being: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886/

• Inside Paragraphs: Typographic Fundamentals: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Paragraphs-Fundamentals-Cyrus-Highsmith/dp/1616899417

• Just Kids: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Kids-Patti-Smith/dp/0060936223

• Robert Mapplethorpe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mapplethorpe

• The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer: https://www.amazon.com/Emperor-All-Maladies-Biography-Cancer/dp/1439170916/r

• Severance on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Severance-Toby-Stephens/dp/B001ARYGCU

• Penco brown bag stand: https://penco.jp/en/products/db079/

• XOXO: https://xoxofest.com/

• Mariame Kaba quotes: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/8156101.Mariame_Kaba

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Most people are better at understanding the feelings and sensations that
0:06.5	typography and logos give us than they give themselves credit for.
0:10.3	Because what we are as people are endless absorbers of patterns and
0:16.2	information and all this kind of stuff as we move throughout the world. We don't
0:20.1	take time to sit and digest it but it's still coming in and getting logged.
0:24.9	And so even as like a non-designer, I think you can look at examples of logos where something's
0:31.2	not quite right and be like something's not right here.
0:33.2	I just don't know how to name it.
0:34.8	But I think a good exercise is just sort of like looking at fonts that are available
0:39.6	in the world and asking yourself what feeling does this give me.
0:44.0	Today my guest is Jessica Hish.
0:49.0	Jessica is a design legend and it was such an honor to both have her on this
0:53.9	podcast and also to work with her on a refresh of my newsletter and
0:57.5	podcast logo and brand which is launching around the same time as this
1:01.0	episode comes out. Jessica is a lettering artist specializing in typographical work for
1:05.9	logos, film, books, and other commercial applications.
1:09.2	Her clients include West Anderson, the United States Postal Service,
1:13.0	Apple, Nike, Tiffany and Company, The Gap, and Penguin Books.
1:17.0	And her work has been featured in design and illustration annals,
1:19.8	both in the US and internationally.
1:21.9	She's helped create logos for Phil's coffee,
1:24.0	event-right, and MailChimp is a best-selling children's book author, and if you live around the Bay Area,
	...

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