Craig Black’s lettering process begins with jotting down his ideas and creating rough thumbnail sketches. After finding the best direction, he then begins drawing each letterform.
“This is an iterative process that includes several stages of refinement by illustrating, erasing, tracing, rinse, and repeat,” he explained in an interview with Talenthouse. “Once I’ve taken the concept as far as I can by hand, I scan the image and begin the digitization process.”
But, of course, it’s hard to pinpoint where exactly it is during this process that the magic happens. With thousands of followers online and exhibitions in cities such as London, Barcelona, Australia, and Dubai, it’s clear Black knows what he’s doing. A graphic designer, lettering artist, and typographer, Black says that his strengths lie in his ability to cross disciplines without the restriction of a fixed personal style.
This versatility has offered him the opportunity to work on a varied mix of collaborations with local and international clients of all business backgrounds, with his work being published internationally, in addition to regular features by online media. His work varies not only in style, but also in size and scope, ranging from small packages to massive murals and installations.
But his initial inspiration doesn’t come from the art scene but rather from the soccer field. “I absolutely loved football (soccer) growing up,” he says. “I was so fascinated with the design around the beautiful game such as colorful football shirts, team badges, football boots, and TV commercials and programs. This all contributed to my curiosity in design and made me wonder how things like that were made.”
We can’t wait to see what he’s up to next.
