Sharpen Your Typographic Eye with Martina Flor

Martina Flor has recently added a free online course to her existing programmes, inviting you to "sharpen your typographic eye" by becoming a "Letter Hunter". Here she shares the story of how the course came about, and what you can get out of it.

Letter Hunters: Train Your Typographic Eye and Find Letter Inspiration Around You

As a lettering artist, I often have to answer the question: what’s your secret weapon or tool to draw letters?

Many think that it is about a particular skill in my hands. Or that my brain is wired in a specific way that allows me to just sit and draw good-looking letters.

My answer is always the same: my observation skills. This superpower is the one thing that makes a difference in the work I do. It’s what allows me to identify the flaws and improve my work, as well as absorb inspiration from my surroundings and the things I’m exposed to.

I’ve been studying, making, and teaching lettering for over ten years, and something I love about typography is how you can find it everywhere. And by everywhere I don’t mean Google, Pinterest, or your Instagram feed. I mean everywhere around you.

There’s so much out there that we miss seeing.

I learned this early in my career thanks to one of my former design teachers. I remember that during our first lesson she skipped the scheduled lecture, told us to put on our coats, and took us on a type-walk around the city.

We walked down the same streets that I walked down every day, only this time she made me notice the beautiful pieces of typography that could be found by just paying attention.

In addition, she invited us to understand and to question some of the underlying design decisions behind those pieces. She encourages us to ask, “what would I do differently?”.