Why Are Hand Drawn Logos and Typography Better?
Vol. 031
Why Are Hand Drawn Logos and Hand Drawn Typography Better?
Accidentally finding my creative style through honest incompetence. Why I draw logos by hand, and how the aesthetic of hand drawn branding has kept my business alive.
A quick bite:
After a good long bit of trying to master the pen tool and bezier curves, I threw in the towel. I began focusing exclusively on hand drawn work. Not only did this better suit me, but as I leaned more into the craftsmanship of hand drawn logos, I began to fall in love with the distinct and unique style of logos drawn by hand.
Continue reading below…
What I love most about graphic design (visual identity design, branding and logo design in particular) is the combination of objectivity and subjectivity.
When beginning any sort of logo design project we inherently begin with brand strategy: we work to understand the brand story, vision, mission and values; what is their unique selling proposition (USP), who is their target market, what does the competitive landscape look, talk and feel like, etc. All of these findings ultimately inform our creative, branding and logo design process. With these insights, the questions to be answered by a graphic designer such as serif vs san serif or blue vs green begin to almost answer themselves.
However, some of the nuanced art direction or execution styles (the style of illustration, the style of lettering or something like photo treatments) ultimately does have some degree of subjectivity or personal style preference. Sometimes shit just needs to look cool. Sorry, strategists, but I’m not sorry. It’s true.
I started hand lettering ~7 years ago for fun. Eventually, I found my niche of intentionally rough and perfectly imperfect hand lettering as well as its application across branding, packaging and murals.
Funny enough, this discovery of style was birthed out of incompetence and not necessarily by choice. My hand drawn illustration, logos and lettering are rough around the edges because I was unable to properly use bezier curves and the pen tool. I was incapable of creating the “perfect” logo or the perfect hand lettering with the pen tool, so I just further leaned into the roughness of my branding and letterforms.
Funny to think: what catalyzed the growing success of Vicarel Studios was incompetence. And, instead of focusing on “fixing” my incompetence, I leaned away from it. I started to focus on exclusively hand drawn work, and it was the best decision I ever made.
Now, ~95% of our graphic design and logo design clients work with us because of our approachable, hand drawn quality of work.
So, why are hand drawn logos better than traditional branding? (personal opinion)
Hand drawn logos and typography help convey approachability
While yes, essentially every brand needs to live in a digital space, not all brands and logos need to look or feel digital. Drawing logos by hand and utilizing hand lettering and hand drawn typography for branding oftentimes reduces the digital feel of a brand. The softer edges and loose imperfections of hand drawn logos is something that feels authentically human, and many brands could use a bit more approachability and humanity.
Hand drawn logos and typography highlight craftsmanship and quality
There is an undeniable sense of craftsmanship tied to a hand drawn logo. The nuanced details and perfectly imperfect qualities of hand drawn branding feel considered, cared for, and timeless. Just as your grandpa’s favorite leather jacket from when he was 20 is aged with love but still somehow in great condition, hand drawn logos oftentimes feel like they’ve already stood the test of time. The idiom “they don’t make them like they used to” perfectly captures my argument for hand drawn logos — when you take the time to invest in every line, curve and dot, the quality transcends the work itself.
Hand drawn logos and typography are 100% unique and ownable
You can try all you want, but you can’t replicate hand drawn logos by simply using textures and actions in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Of course, there are ways to make digital design look worn or hand drawn, but a computer (at least currently) cannot digitally replicate the spontaneous and nuanced imperfections afforded by the human hand. As a logo designer, the ability to create unique and ownable designs is one of the most important things you can do, and hand drawn logos enables you to do just that. Conveying this message to your client will work in your favor as well, as they will be more excited about getting something that has literally never been done before.
Hand drawn logos and typography capture nuanced elements of the brand
It’s oftentimes difficult to find the perfect typeface for the base of your logotype. Instead of trolling 100’s of font websites looking for the perfect typeface, drawing your branding by hand enables you to create exactly what you want. Hand drawn logos give you the chance to capture, highlight or emphasize particular aspects of the brand that couldn’t otherwise be captured with a standard typeface.
If you’re looking for a way to sharpen up your illustration or lettering skills, check out my digital lettering workshop. Or, try this tutorial on turning tight vectors into rough, hand drawn marks.
