Sharing My Design Process: Awarded Calligraphy Editorial

My creative practice is set by the principals of never stop learning, sharing knowledge and create emotion through my work.


Following these principles, I’m sharing with you the creative process behind a calligraphic editorial, recently awarded by TDC70 and Communication Arts Magazine.

Video credits: Educational video by Maria Montes.

Video Contents

  • 1 calligraphic editorial explained in detail
  • The client's visual references
  • The original brief
  • Every iteration I went through
  • The digital and analogue tools I used to execute it
  • The final calligraphic outcome

Tools I used on this project

  • Nib: Hunt 101
  • Pen holder: Oblique pen holder
  • Ink: Walnut crystals + liquid watercolours
  • Mechanical pencil
  • Galgo 70gsm paper

Calligraphy Editorial Description

Calligraphic editorial commissioned by Pentagram, part of their full Middlebury Magazine redesign, including the magazine rename to just “Midd”.


The feature showcases a highly ornamented and fully customised pointed-pen calligraphy piece, displaying high contrast, angular attributes and a discontinuous ductus to match the energy and personality of the partner illustration by André Carrilho.

Design credits: Calligraphic editorial by Maria Montes.

Awards

  • Communication Arts Magazine | 2024 Typography Winner
  • TDC Certificate of Typographic Excellence 2024

Credits

  • Designer + calligrapher: Maria Montes
  • Creative director: DJ Stout
  • Design lead and art director: Stu Taylor
  • Design firm: Pentagram (US)
  • Editor: Matthew Jennings
  • Client: Middlebury Magazine (US)
  • Nib + ink: Hunt 101 + walnut ink mixed with liquid watercolours
  • Paper: Galgo Parchemin 70gsm
  • Editorial: “We’re all just reading with one another” Elianna Ran’10 in conversation with professor Stephen Donadio.

Hey! I'm Maria Montes, a Catalan-Australian multilingual, multicultural designer, calligraphy-and-type educator. My creative practice is set by the principles of never stop learning, sharing knowledge and create emotion through my work.


I have been teaching calligraphy independently since 2014. My favourite way of learning is by teaching others. I offer in-person and online calligraphy and lettering courses, corporate in-house workshops, as well as private one-to-one custom calligraphy sessions.

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