Jessica Hische: Why a logo is a feeling before it is a shape

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

October 20, 2024

Duration

1h 21m

Channel

Lenny's Podcast

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Jessica Hische is a lettering artist and New York Times bestselling author based in Oakland, California. She specializes in typographical work for logos, film, books, and other commercial applications. Her clients include Wes Anderson, The United States Postal Service, Target, Hallmark, and Penguin Books, and her work has been featured in design and illustration annuals both in the U.S. and internationally. She’s been named a Print Magazine New Visual Artist (20 under 30), one of Forbes 30 under 30 in Art and Design, an ADC Young Gun, a “Person to Watch” by GD USA, and an Adweek “Creative 100.” In our conversation, we discuss:

• My new logo and brand!
• Jessica’s process for refreshing my logo/brand
• Why most startups shouldn’t worry about their logo/brand
• The psychology behind different typography choices
• Balancing creativity with business needs in logo design
• Jessica’s unique approach to pricing logo work
• How AI is (and isn’t) impacting the design world
• Jessica’s other creative pursuits, including children’s books and art supply stores

— Brought to you by:

• The Enterprise Ready Conference — For B2B leaders building enterprise SaaS: https://www.enterprise-ready.com/
• OneSchema — Import CSV data 10x faster: https://oneschema.co/lenny
• Merge — A single API to add hundreds of integrations into your app: http://merge.dev/lenny

Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/seeing-like-a-designer-jessica-hische Where to find Jessica Hische:

• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jessicahische
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicahische
• Website: https://jessicahische.is

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Jessica’s background (01:32) The logo refresh process (09:45) When to refresh your logo (11:45) High-level overview (18:04) Approaching Lenny’s brand refresh (24:25) How to see like a designer (37:53) Lenny’s new logo: where we landed (44:07) Brand’s role in company success (50:04) Jessica’s flexible pricing strategies and collaborative design process (57:14) Balancing multiple creative projects (01:01:48) Using AI in creative work (01:05:50) Upcoming projects and final thoughts (01:08:24) Lightning round Referenced:

• Jeni’s: https://jenis.com
• James Edmondson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamestedmondson/
• Figma Config: https://config.figma.com/
• Helvetica: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica
• MyFonts: https://www.myfonts.com/
• Geometric sans serif fonts: https://www.myfonts.com/pages/tags/geometric%20sans%20serif-fonts
• The Rise of Fractional Executives: https://www.reforge.com/blog/leveraging-fractional-executives
• JH&F: https://jessicahische.shop/pages/my-oakland-store
• Drawling: https://drawling.shop/
• Jessica Hische’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jessica-Hische/author/B082XDN54V
• Dreamforce: https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce
• Bezier handles: https://www.tella.tv/definition/bezier-handles
• My First Book of Fancy Letters: https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Book-Fancy-Letters/dp/0593385012/r
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886/
• Inside Paragraphs: Typographic Fundamentals: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Paragraphs-Fundamentals-Cyrus-Highsmith/dp/1616899417
• Just Kids: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Kids-Patti-Smith/dp/0060936223
• Robert Mapplethorpe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mapplethorpe
• The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer: https://www.amazon.com/Emperor-All-Maladies-Biography-Cancer/dp/1439170916/r
• Severance on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Severance-Toby-Stephens/dp/B001ARYGCU
• Penco brown bag stand: https://penco.jp/en/products/db079/
• XOXO: https://xoxofest.com/
• Mariame Kaba quotes: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/8156101.Mariame_Kaba

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Jessica Hische

  guest

• Lenny Rachitsky

  host

• Christina (OneSchema)

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lenny's Podcast, featuring Jessica Hische and Lenny Rachitsky, Jessica Hische: Why a logo is a feeling before it is a shape explores designing feelings: Jessica Hische demystifies logos, typography, and rebrands Lettering artist and typographer Jessica Hische walks through how she refreshed Lenny Rachitsky’s podcast and newsletter brand, using it as a case study to explain how designers think about logos, typography, and systems. She argues most early-stage companies should start with a ‘good enough’ logo, and only invest in deeper branding once the product and direction are clearer. Jessica breaks down what makes type and logos feel a certain way, how non-designers can learn to “see like a designer,” and what actually triggers the need for a rebrand or refresh. She also covers her unconventional pricing model, her broader creative practice (books, printmaking, stores), and a nuanced take on using AI in creative work.

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