"Stroopwafel"
A custom lettering workshop with Martina Flor
As part of the RMIT Study Tour, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in a hand lettering workshop with Berlin's Martina Flor. The workshop was aimed at teaching us how to customise typography using a tracing paper method to apply small adjustments throughout the design process. We were also encouraged to include flourishes and illustration, in order to visually communicate the intent behind our chosen word or phrase.
My final lettering outcome.
I found the word "stroopwafel" to be an appropriate descriptor for the Study Tour so far, as we had just traveled from Amsterdam where many of us had discovered stroopwafels for the first time (and we were, at that point, very close to overdosing on them).
Our workshop table quickly became a maze of type and tracing paper.
The technique taught to us by Martina Flor used only a pencil, an eraser, a sketchbook and a roll of tracing paper. We were asked to quickly write out the letters of our word/phrase on a paper, and then place a fresh piece of tracing paper over the top of it in order to trace and sketch it again. By being able to see our old sketch underneath the new sketch, we were able to apply small adjustments slowly throughout the process.
Quick thumbnail sketches used to determine the placement and shape of my chosen word.
An early iteration in the design process. Using this sketch, I was able to identify where I needed to adjust any contrast, and which spaces in the design felt too empty (for example, the spaces in the middle of the O's).
Martina directed me to use circular sketching motions when adjusting the contrast in each letter. This helped in forming rounded, circular shapes.
An iteration towards the end of the design process. Here you can see that I have refined the contrast in the letters, I have filled in the spaces in the middle of the two O's, and I have included small droplet illustrations to reinforce the lettering's circular shape.
A visual representation of the build up throughout my design process.
My final lettering design aims to mimic the look of a stroopwafel, which can be seen in the rounded letters and circular artboard (with swashes used to reinforce the shape). Notably, I wanted the letters to look like the caramel syrup that makes up the centre of a stroopwafel.
