Lettering - The Art of Frozen Poetry

Jyotirmayee was always drawn to art as a child, nurturing it with passion and perseverance over the years. While school and studies did sap her motivation, big dreams cannot be sacrificed. Despite numerous challenges, right after her board exams, she carved her own path into design.

Jyotirmayee credits her NID education for her distinct perspective and approach to design. It really primed her creative acumen for life by focusing on the fundamental principles of design. The majority of Jyotirmayee’s design decisions are driven by a macro perspective, which she credits to NID for keeping her ahead of the game.

Jyotirmayee’s work emphasises holistic wellness, making nature the obvious choice. Her lettering illustrations are dominated by flowers and nature. She never passes up the chance to incorporate them into her work. Her personal journey is inextricably linked to Mother Nature; it has aided in her healing and growth as a person.

She has been on a spiritual journey for quite some time, and it has resulted in dramatic changes not only in her personal life but also in her visual style. She is drawn to colours and textures like she has never been before. While her earlier lettering work is black and white, her more recent pieces pop with colour.

Lettering is a process. It is done in 4-5 phases, beginning with research and brainstorming - where the majority of the groundwork occurs.

Understanding the client’s brief and expectations and breaking them down into important keywords is what makes or breaks the project The concept sketches follow, beginning with an elaborated mood board, the anchor point throughout the process.

This adds visual elements to the design brief and establishes an overall tone. The earliest concept sketches, which transform those thoughts into forms and possibilities, are the most difficult and thrilling part of the entire process.

After that comes colour & refinement, selecting the best concept from all of them, perfecting it. Although revisions are imminent, a distinct design direction appears. The final factor influencing the artwork is the designer’s proficiency and talents in design implementation. Delivering requires the ability to make the client’s ideas and vision a reality.

Jyotirmayee has worked with a mix of different mediums, but when asked what her favourite is for lettering, her prompt response is, “It’s a tough call!”. She is equally drawn to both digital and handmade mediums, but lately has been enjoying working with water colours, exploring ways to find the sweet spot by incorporating it into her digital artwork.

Having worked in both the corporate and freelance worlds, she believes the design approach is very similar. The main differentiators are the design choices made. Those are either influenced by the constraints of a rigid corporate system in which one gets to flex their creative muscles or by the freedom of creativity in the freelance world in which they get to churn their juices for those unique design solutions

In a world where every artist is obsessed with their unique style, Jyotirmayee sees each new client brief as a new set of challenges and opportunities to explore the full potential of her unique style. Just like a video game, that’s how she sees it. While keeping her attention on the big picture and preserving balance, she lets the thoughts run free. “Find and hone your niche,” is her advice. “If you excel at what you do, opportunities will present themselves to you”.