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Type-Driven Brand

Create a full brand + layout design using only typography.

(no illustration skills required!)

Sign Me Up!

Have you ever wondered what consistently makes certain designs stand out?

  • Creative color palettes?
  • Illustrations?
  • The latest software or tools (Procreate, Showit, iPad)?

While each of these features enhances designs, I believe there’s one skill that’s the backbone of every stand-out design.

Typography.

… but the way most of us designers have been taught to design brands and layouts likely doesn’t emphasize typography enough.

At least not in a way that:
  • Creates compelling layouts that don’t blend in
  • Avoids “playing it safe” when selecting type (“when in doubt: Proxima Nova!”)
  • Doesn’t depend on color, imagery or illustrations

The common brand identity design process leans heavily on sketching logo marks, illustrated brand elements and submarks. I know this, because for years it’s what I thought was the proper (and only) method to creating custom brands… especially for clients.

But what do we, ahem: I, do when illustrating isn’t my strong suit? Or a brand doesn’t lend itself to an illustrated concept (a coaching client, lifestyle brand, etc.)?

Despite what many might think… designing only using typography isn’t lazy design.

In fact, it takes a lot of restraint and practice to finesse type without relying on design distractions such as color, photography and imagery.

Something that goes against what I was taught in school & early in my career!

Yet, over the last 10+ years I’ve built a profitable design career + studio based on my type-setting skill-set.

Whether when I was an in-house print designer or designing for brands for our Spruce Rd. clients, typography has always been the foundation of what pays the bills (and gives me joy!).

Through designing countless custom Type-Driven Brands for our clients, and 1,000+ PDF layouts/year, we’ve honed our craft into a unique framework built on a solid typography foundation.

For the past six years I’ve helped designers create a friction-free client process from zero revisions to repeat clients. I’ve seen my 1,000+ designer students experience drastic increases in income, and better yet, eliminate friction in their client process!

But… there was something missing.

I’ve been asked countless times to share more insight into our Spruce Rd. design process — specifically when it comes to working with type!

I believe with the skills to identify quality typefaces, create compelling layouts and custom logotypes + submarks, you’ll design beautifully timeless Type-Driven Brands in no time!

Type-Driven Brand will help you:

  • Design uniquely custom logotypes and submarks
    Discover our simple tips + tricks to creating logos + submarks that stand out.
  • Uncover tried and true methods for pairing type
    Step aside, overwhelming research for selecting type. We’ve got methods that make this easy (and fun!).
  • Layout compelling grid and type-based PDF layouts
    So long layouts that blend in. Hello eye-catching, editorial-esque PDF layouts that sing.
  • Boost your portfolio with your Type-Driven Brand project
    … And book more clients who will swoon over your designs

If you focus on these 4 core areas in your design process, you’ll create Type-Driven Brands that pop on Pinterest, and increase client inquiries in no time.

Without needing to learn new software, or how to draw 😉
Introduction

Your Type-Driven Brand Project

  • Select from one of our copywriter-provided creative briefs to design a concept brand + PDF layout
  • We’ll design a logotype, submarks, brand cards, and a 3-page PDF with content provided
  • Stretch your creativity by designing a full typography-centric portfolio piece
  • Beef up your portfolio with the design work you ultimately want to attract through our Type-Driven Brand project
Module 1

Type-Driven Brand Process

  • How to structure your creativity: Reduce overwhelm through our systemized design process
  • The filtering process: How to select type amongst infinite font options
  • The 5 layers of design, and exactly how to implement them into your process layer-by-layer (most of us skip to layer 5, without hitting the foundations!)
  • Type Dissected: Watch as I dissect various brands, reveal fonts used, and why they work
Module 2

Style Tiles

  • The “secret sauce” to our design process that helps you see the type in application
  • A powerful tool to visually see the brand together, without creating a formal presentation or finished collateral design
  • Trial-run your brand typography, before finalizing the design or collateral
  • Our exact style tile template you can simply plug and play for your brand
Module 3

Logotypes

  • Mastering manipulating letterforms: Easily create custom logotypes with our simple Illustrator tips
  • The 5 pillars of a successful logotype
  • The 10-step logotype process: Avoid the overwhelm, and follow our simple process to master logotypes
  • Over the shoulder tutorial: Watch as I walk through customizing a logotype for our case study Type-Driven Brand project
Module 4

Submarks

  • The 5 categories to create compelling submarks: Going beyond repeating the brand name, and into unique content ideas for submarks (so handy when you’re stumped on a client submark project!)
  • 4 typographic methods to create compelling submarks (beyond text-wrapped in a circle!) The ideal number of submarks to deliver to clients
  • Tutorial: How submarks relate to logotypes for our Spruce Rd. branding clients
  • Over the shoulder tutorial: Watch as I design submarks for our case study Type-Driven Brand project
Module 5

Type-setting

  • How to showcase your finished logotype + submarks alongside typography application in our unique “brand card” method
  • Demystifying the technical “rules”: An application-based take on the essential rules of typography
  • Our simplified 2 methods to creating swoon-worthy type pairings
  • How to break free of “playing it safe” when type setting
  • Working with a grid: Our recommended grid for layout design, and how to create a versatile layout through a structured grid
  • Spruce Rd. Clients: Revealing our type-setting methods (and fonts!) for actual branding clients
  • Over the shoulder tutorial: Revealing my process to designing a 3-page PDF for our case study project
Type-Driven Brand

Design Showcase

  • A growing resource showcasing Type-Driven Brands
    Reveals fonts used for finished designs
  • Submit your finished project for a chance to be included in our showcase PDF
  • An unprecedented inspirational tool to uncover Type-Driven Brands, layouts and PDF examples of student + (future!) mentor work
Best Typography

Resources

  • Our ever-so-coveted short-list of our favorite type foundries to find unique fonts. (beyond MyFonts and Creative Market!).
  • Typography tools to enhance your workflow and identify fonts on existing brands/sites
  • Our go-to collection of typography books and type inspiration tools/sites (both digital and in print)
SARA GISABELLA

“I actually already felt confident in my typography work before, but nonetheless I felt like there was room for improvement. I was right about that because I learned so much from Type-driven Brand and improved my type design process.

I use the guides to give me ideas and inspiration during every project now and it’s diversified my typographic choices. I wasn’t aware how much I gravitated towards certain staple fonts instead of exploring more intentionally!”

TESSA DE JONG

“Through TDB, I’ve gained confidence in my own ability to choose fonts and step outside the box with typography for a project—without looking at Pinterest first. When pairing typography, I appreciate having inspirational resources to look back on like the bonus Type Collections.

Since enrolling in TDB, I’ve created two brands where my focus was building a strong typographic foundation first. I love how the personality of both brands can be seen within the typography alone. Both were approved on the first draft :).”

MORGAN, THURO DESIGN

“Before Type-Driven Brand, I didn’t think strongly about my secondary logos, and instead spent most of my time focused on the primary logo. I come back to this specific part of the course time and time again to really elevate my entire logo design family.

Rather than searching the bottomless pit of Pinterest for inspiration, I have a more honed in idea of where to start my projects and a better understanding of how I can make type the driving element of a timeless brand. Highly recommend TDB!”

Ohhh… this sounds good!

How much is the investment?

  • You could pay for a few university design classes — about $10k per semester. This is how I gained my 4-year designer education… and there was only one type class offered!
  • … and I charge my clients $5,000 for a finished Type-Driven Brand project (logotype, submarks + PDF layout)
  • But the honest truth? I want to help designers master typography and demystify the Type-Driven Brand process. All the while providing practical tips to create swoon-worthy typography layouts, and save you time uncovering fantastic font finds.
  • You won’t pay $5,000. Or heck, even $1,000 🙂

Instead, if you join now you’ll pay $349!

Sign Me Up!

Bonus #1

Go-To Type Collections

Ease the overwhelm of selecting typefaces amongst thousands of options, and reference our Go-To Type Collection.

In this 50-page PDF, you’ll uncover:

  • Our top 10 go-to serif fonts
  • Our top 10 go-to sans-serif fonts
  • Our top 25 type pairings

Chock full of new font finds, sans the overused designer favs ;). (talkin’ about you, Helvetica!)

Each go-to font includes details and history of the typeface, display + body copy examples, alphabet + numbers, recommended font alternates, and unique features. I’ve done the research for you!

Bonus #2

Styles Type Collections

On the hunt for a specific style font, yet tired of scrolling through Pinterest or Creative Market?

Download the 68-page PDF of our top fix styles:

  • Our top 10 heritage style fonts
  • Our top 10 luxury style fonts
  • Our top 10 retro style fonts
  • Our top 10 sturdy style fonts
  • Our top 10 playful style fonts
  • Our top 10 script style fonts

Great for logotypes, displays or accent brand fonts!

Each style font includes unique details + features about the font. I’ve pulled from various price points (free options as well!), indie foundries, and likely new-to-you font finds.

Bonus #3

Designing Icons

Ready to enhance your Type-Driven Brand through custom icons?

We’ll share our favorite two methods:

  • Geometric Icon Video Tutorial — Join me behind the screen as I design custom geometric icons from scratch. I’m revealing fairly new tools in Illustrator that speed up and simplify the process, as well as a few designer tricks to achieving a harmonious mid-century style geometric icon. A never before shared look into my process!
  • Hand-drawn Icon Video Tutorial — Watch as our Spruce Rd. designer, Ash, reveals her distinctive hand-drawn icon process. This video covers designing hand-drawn icons, the technical side of scanner settings, ideal tools to use in Illustrator (beyond image trace) and polishing the icons.
Bonus #4

Creating Color Palettes

Working with color can be both overwhelming and intimidating. From selecting colors that work harmoniously together, versatile yet limited for brands, and the technical side (which mode should designers use?! RGB, CMYK?). Which is why I created this succinct video walking through a practical take on working with colors… specifically for Type-Driven Brands.

 In this video you’ll learn:

  • Our go-to two-method system to creating unique color palettes
  • How to create with accessibility in mind for branding color palettes
  • Our Color Type Styles template (.ai) to ensure you create a color palette that works in application.

Here’s what you’re getting with the Type-Driven Brand program:

  • All 21 core Type-Driven Brand videos with over 5 hours of training ($5,000 value)
  • The Designer Showcase: inspirational type-driven layouts, fonts in use revealed, growing PDF as more designs are showcased ($299 value)
  • Best Type Resources: our coveted list of best type foundries, books + type inspiration and tools ($99 value)
  • BONUS: Go-To Type Collections — our trusty, and unique, collection of 10 serifs, 10 sans, and 25 type pairings ($99 value)
  • BONUS: Styles Type Collections — our top 10 recommended fonts for the heritage, luxury, retro, sturdy, playful and script styles. Ideal for logotypes + displays ($99 value)
  • BONUS: Designing Icons — two videos taught by myself and our designer, Ash, uncovering how to design geometric and hand-drawn icons ($147 value)
  • BONUS: Creating Color Palettes — our unique and simple 2-method process to creating accessible and beautiful color palettes for Type-Driven Brands ($99 value)
Total value of the program = $5,800+

Kind words about Type-Driven Brand:

“Joining TDB was one of the funnest courses I looked forward to diving into every week. Even as a seasoned designer (15+ years) with a college degree in design (with many typography classes under my belt), it was both a great refresher and a new learning experience. Seeing how Jamie, a master at typography, breaks down her thought-process and work-process was exciting!

Being able to apply what I’ve learned from this class to my side hustle of branding and web design, as well as my full-time role as an art director for a consumer-facing brand is 10x worth what Jamie is asking. Type Driven Brand is worth it and you will enjoy every second!

In the end, you not only get all this juicy typography knowledge, but you also get an amazing, polished brand you designed (without a client!) that you probably wouldn’t have made the time for! :)”

– Rita Gunderson, Beta Course Student

Seconds away from mastering typography!

  • When you join, you’ll get instant access to all of the training, templates and resources.
  • The entire program is self-paced — watch in a weekend, or a module a week. Whatever works best for you!
  • You’ll have unlimited access (for as long as Spruce Rd. is in business… and I’m not planning to go out of business anytime soon!) to the course. You’ll also get any future updates to the Type-Driven Brand course.
Don’t want the bonuses?

If for some reason you don’t want any of the bonuses, I’m offering a “core” version of Type-Driven Brand.

You’ll get all 21 videos of the course, the showcase + the resources. But, you won’t get the Go-to and Styles Type Collections, Designing Icons and Color Palette bonus trainings.

  • All 21 core Type-Driven Brand videos with over 5 hours of training ($5,000 value)
  • The Designer Showcase: inspirational type-driven layouts, fonts in use revealed, growing PDF as more designs are showcased ($299 value)
  • Best Type Resources: our coveted list of best type foundries, books + type inspiration and tools ($99 value)
  • BONUS: Go-To Type Collections — our trusty, and unique, collection of 10 serifs, 10 sans, and 25 type pairings ($99 value)
  • BONUS: Styles Type Collections — our top 10 recommended fonts for the heritage, luxury, retro, sturdy, playful and script styles. Ideal for logotypes + displays ($99 value)
  • BONUS: Designing Icons — two videos taught by myself and our designer, Ash, uncovering how to design geometric and hand-drawn icons ($147 value)
  • BONUS: Creating Color Palettes — our unique and simple 2-method process to creating accessible and beautiful color palettes for Type-Driven Brands ($99 value)

You can get the “core” version of the Type-Drive Brand for one payment of $249.

Select which option is right for you!
Core
the essentials

$249

  • Type-Driven Brand course (21 videos)
  • The Designer Showcase
  • Best Type Resources
  • BONUS: Go-To Type Collections (20 sans/sans-serif + 25 type pairings)
  • BONUS: Styles Type Collections (60 type style recommendations)
  • BONUS: Designing Icons Training (2 methods/videos)
  • BONUS: Creating Color Palettes Training
  • Join Now
Complete
best value!

$349

  • Type-Driven Brand course (21 videos)
  • The Designer Showcase
  • Best Type Resources
  • BONUS: Go-To Type Collections (20 sans/sans-serif + 25 type pairings)
  • BONUS: Styles Type Collections (60 type style recommendations)
  • BONUS: Designing Icons Training (2 methods/videos)
  • BONUS: Creating Color Palettes Training
  • Join Now