Telling good from bad

Lettering is everywhere, and social media has driven a boom that shapes how many people practise it professionally. In this keynote from beyond tellerrand 2015, designer and illustrator Martina Flor asks a simple question: how do you tell good lettering from bad?

She sets out several criteria designers can use to identify and filter good quality lettering from the constant stream of typographic work online. Along the way she gives a broad overview of the craft: what lettering is and what it is not, and how it differs from type design.

The talk also walks through the working process of a lettering artist, covering both the analog and digital tools involved. It is a useful watch for anyone who commissions, judges or produces typographic work and wants a clearer vocabulary for quality.