Logotype Masterclass with Jessica Hische
Jessica Hische · Letterer and Illustrator
Learn Jessica Hische's own logotype critique checklist through real client rebrands like MailChimp and Jeni's.
What you will learn
- A repeatable checklist for auditing logotypes: letter style, baseline, spacing, width, height, weight, stroke angle, pen influence, ascenders/descenders, ligatures and ornaments
- How to evaluate big-picture issues first (hierarchy, sensitivity, overall shape, legibility) before diving into letterform details
- How to diagnose specific letterform problems using real logos (MailChimp's tight kerning and gaping C, EatingWell's leaning g, Southern Living's contrast)
- How to sketch and vectorize a logo refresh and make small-scale optical adjustments in Illustrator
- How to talk clients through a rebrand critique and justify typographic decisions
Standout ideas
- The 'read at the volume it's typeset' trick for spotting hierarchy problems: whisper small words, shout large ones
- Overshoot on rounded letterforms (O, C) needs to extend slightly past the cap height and baseline or it reads as optically smaller than straight-sided letters
- Judging pen influence, i.e. checking whether every letterform's marks are physically possible from the same nib or brush, as a way to argue against arbitrary client change requests
Best for: Intermediate-level letterers and graphic designers who already draw or set type and want a structured method for critiquing and refining logotypes rather than a beginner introduction to lettering.
This delivers exactly what the blurb promises: a genuinely detailed, reusable checklist for diagnosing logotype problems, walked through against real, recognizable client logos (MailChimp, Southern Living, EatingWell, Jeni's). The case-study format makes abstract terms like stroke angle or pen influence concrete. Its limitation is that it is a critique and refinement framework, not a from-scratch lettering or Illustrator tutorial, so beginners with no drawing or vector background will get less out of the hands-on segments than intermediate designers already comfortable sketching and vectorizing type.