Behind the type

Discover Hitchcut Font, a bold cut-out display typeface inspired by Saul Bass and Hitchcock, with three contextual alternates for every letter.

A w30 × 30 cm David Beckham portrait created in Procreate, printed onto canvas and finished by hand with acrylic paint, gold leaf and glossy gold spray.

Desktop font licences are easy to outgrow. Here are seven common ways brands accidentally misuse them, what desktop use normally covers and how to audit your font licensing.

A practical guide to commissioning a custom typeface, from the first brief and creative direction to testing, licensing and delivery.

How to Add Convincing Paper Stains in Photoshop. See how Stain O Matic can bring stronger character, clearer purpose and a more human finish to the work.

Learn what a plastisol texture is and how to use real cracked ink textures in Photoshop and Illustrator for authentic vintage screen-print effects.

Compare custom fonts, modified fonts and retail fonts to find the right balance of originality, cost, speed and ownership for your brand.

Build a Watercolour Effect in Photoshop Without a Filter. See how Watercolour toolkit can bring stronger character, clearer purpose and a more human finish to the work.

For years, commissioning a custom typeface was something mostly associated with very big brands and very big budgets. That is changing. Today, more businesses are realising that custom typeface isn’t just about making letters look nicer. It’s about giving a brand a voice that feels like its own. It can give a brand a recognisable voice, simplify licensing, improve consistency and solve very practical problems across websites, apps, packaging and advertising. So when does it make sense to commission a custom font rather than buy one off the shelf? A logo might appear once on a page, but type can appear...

Learn when you can use a font in a logo, whether you can trademark it, what your licence covers and when custom lettering is the safer choice.