Jill Bell

Written by Joshua Lurie-Terrell on March 28, 2005

jill-bell-robt-rauschenberg.jpgJill Bell – a mellifluous name for a tremendously talented graphic designer who has integrated her calligraphic and illustrative skill into a wide range of typefaces. And also, she’s super cute and has great musical taste. pictured: Jill getting a smooch from America’s greatest living artist, Mr. Robert Rauschenberg.

32 Comments

  1. Si says:

    Everyone loves Jill, but is there any recent news or info related to her and her work? Or is this the start of a new Typographica series on “people we like”?

  2. Hrant says:

    She got married to (or at least partnered with) Rick Cusick, and they now live in Kansas City, where he’s been living and working for Hallmark. Maybe she got a job there herself? Doesn’t sound probable though – it seems hard to go from freelance to employee.

    hhp

  3. Gerald Lange says:

    >Or is this the start of a new Typographica series on �people we like�?

  4. jlt says:

    Slow news day, and reading about Doyald Young got me thinking about other folks whose skillset runs the gamut of calligraphy, lettering & the more formal “graphic design,” whatever that is, and who use turn this typographic skill to logo/type production. But sure, people we/I like, why not? I should write something on Mr. Lange, then, too, as his photopolymer type book was instrumental in my purchasing my SP15.

  5. nick shinn says:

    >Or is this the start of a new Typographica series on �people we like�?

    I believe the technical journalistic term for this kind of thing is “totty”.

  6. Ray Fenwick says:

    “I should write something on Mr. Lange, then, too”

    Oh, please do! His posts on the Photopolymer Letterpress list are always incredibly informative. He seems to be quite an amazing guy.

  7. Hrant says:

    Andy Crewdson once did a very good interview of Gerald – but it has disappeared into the nether now.

    Whatever you can learn from Gerald, do.

    hhp

  8. Si says:

    Nick,

    >I believe the technical journalistic term for this kind of thing is �totty�.

    You’ve been spending too much time reading those Irish tabloids!

  9. nick shinn says:

    >You�ve been spending too much time reading those Irish tabloids!

    Actually, it was reading The Female Eunuch in 1970 which turned me on to feminism.

  10. Hrant says:

    I myself was turned on to feminism at puberty.

    hhp

  11. Gerald Lange says:

    SI

    FYI: When Andy went AWOL I dug the interview up out of my files and put it up at http://bielerpress.blogspot.com/

    I miss him. He kind of got us all back on track.

  12. Jill getting a smooch from America�s greatest living artist, Mr. Robert Rauschenberg.

    Really?… I can’t agree.
    I was always more of a Johns guy, I guess.

    He does look pretty krunked, though.

  13. James Arboghast says:

    Calling it “totty” is mild. The fact Jill Bell exists and is a celebrated lettering artist we all already know.

    It certainly is not news, but it is enough for a thread with flattering picture. Pardon me, but this kind of thing is liable to make the rest of us talented visual artists who have also integrated our innate skills into our typographic work feel neglected, or possibly unadored.

    H’rumph. Favourtism. Sycophancy.

    [blockquote]she�s super cute and has great musical taste[/blockquote]

    Good for Jill. How often are male type folks called ‘cute’? I pride myself on my own excellent musical taste, ie: we all love music, dude.

  14. jlt says:

    Stephen Coles is regularly called “super cute,” at least by me, and I have heard his musical tastes complimented on a number of occasions.

  15. jlt says:

    and, an open invitation to anyone who is disappointed with my attempts to put something up on a slow news day: write something yourself.

  16. Hrant says:

    There’s worse things that simply featuring a designer you like. What, is ASCII bandwidth SO precious? Don’t be so uptight and whiny – you guys are starting to sound like blondes.

    hhp

  17. Fredrik says:

    I’d never heard about her.
    I love filling in my astronomous reference gaps, so keep on digging.
    There’s always room for some proper love-bombing!

  18. nick shinn says:

    You’re the one who’s whining, Hrant.
    The question was asked, was this a legitimate news item? –and, non judgmentally, I used my passing knowledge of matters journalistic to identify the editing strategy behind this item as “totty”.

    In other words, no news today, but guys (most of the posters here are male) are always interested in pretty women, so here’s something about Jill. Of course, women are perhaps more interested in this kind of “celebritization” than men, if popular magazines are anything to go by. For the record, the sonorously named Rian Hughes is tall, dark and handsome, a fact which escaped mention in his recent Typophile interview. I don’t know if he’s single, though.

    BTW, I was recently at Tom Jones’ birthday party. No smooches, though.

  19. nick shinn says:

    Sorry, I meant Typographica interview. I was thinking “It’s not Typographicom”!

  20. Hrant says:

    I don’t know who Tom Jones is. He must be pretty famous though if he has a wax sculpture.

    hhp

  21. John Butler says:

    Nick, it’s not unusual to be loved by anyone.

  22. nick shinn says:

    Tom Jones is Wales’ greatest living singer.

  23. Tom Jones? Isn’t the guy behind this font (see here after the link)? Perhaps one of these obscur designers working for others.

    http://www.myfonts.com/search?search%5Btext%5D=tom+jones

  24. Kristin says:

    I can attest that Nick is “supercute” and has great typographical taste. Don’t know nothing about his musical tastes.

    Good to see Jill getting attention. Sure, lots of us have had the pleasure of meeting her, but I imagine Typographica gets hits from neophyte typophiles.

  25. nick shinn says:

    Thanks Kristin, I’ll put it in my CV!
    Still listening to Brian Whitman’s Christmas album.

  26. Gerald Lange says:

    I figure it ain’t Christmas until I hear Joan Jett’s Little Drummer Boy. Missed it this year.

    What? This doesn’t fit the thread?

  27. Jill says:

    Stuart just told me about this thread. I’m flattered and embarassed…haven’t done much lately to deserve this (although getting smashed with Rauschenberg was a blast). I did finally just update my “what’s new?” page on my site (www.jillbell.com), and put up some new pictures (of the TDC2 2004 judges among others), and perhaps my most newsworthy bit: I will be speaking at TypoBerlin2005 in May, “Traces of the Brush”, about melding analog and digital lettering, the importance of both traditional training and flowing with changes in technology, marketing. (shameless plug)

    And to bring this thread full circle, I will send a copy of my TypoTechnica keepsake booklet, Paradox, letterpress printed by Gerald Lange (written by me, printed with my fonts) to the first 10 people who e-mail me and include their snail mail address.
    Jill

  28. Hrant says:

    Hey Jill! Nice photos. BTW, real quick: Cyrus Highsmith, not Hightower.

    Have fun in Berlin – that’s what it’s made for I hear – I haven’t been since childhood.

    hhp

  29. James Arboghast says:

    Don’t be so uptight and whiny – you guys are starting to sound like blondes.

    :D True, but then artists have their ‘bitchy’ days, and mine was one of those. But I am not merely cynical, or carping in jealousy.

    I can attest that Nick is “supercute” and has great typographical taste.

    All-righty then! That’s why I asked. I spend most of my spare time making fonts and minimal time reading typography; about 5 hours a week, mostly printed books rather than online sources. I suppose that makes me a bit out of touch.

    Residing in Australia, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Nick, Jill, Hrant or any other luminaries of the North American type scene, but I do appreciate Mr. Shinn as one of the leading typeface designers, educators and writers on the subject. The Shinntype PDF catalog I treasure the more than any other. I return to it often, looking at Nick’s letters for inspiration, but never as a reference when designing my own fonts, most of which are still in the pipeline, gunning to get out.

    I love Jill Bell’s calligraphy and art so much it has motivated me to at last take up the Speedball before linear type design becomes outmoded by the great resurgence in pen & tool-driven lettering. Hats off to you Jill, leading the great chirographic revival by so many sublime examples. The tool rules. And hats off to JLT and Mr. Coles; Typographica is the #1 type news source, without which our lives would be drab, dispirited and much poorer.

    Good to see Jill getting attention. Sure, lots of us have had the pleasure of meeting her, but I imagine Typographica gets hits from neophyte typophiles.

    A ‘neophyte typophile’, no. I design typefaces. Still much knowledge and technique to learn. But no, not a neophyte. Why, do you imagine (a) I’m a neophyte, and (b) Everybody on the internet lives on the North American continent?

    I think Jill should get attention too, but if there is no actual news, in place of a routine thread, how about an interview with Jill? See, if I’m going to criticize, I do make an effort to be constructive. Sometimes it takes a while tho, ‘coz I’m a very busy man.

    My original point: there are dozens of other type designers doing great work and making progress who deserve attention, yet certain individuals are apparently ignored by Typographica. In some cases the font maker’s work is not considered ‘cool’ enuff. Balancing against that (and acting negatively), many of the individuals I’m thinking of do not write press releases for their fonts, much less send them to Typographica; they find the prospect of being the subject of discussion here uncomfortable. Why do they feel this way? I’ve seen some of them post innocent comments (on other topics) only to have certain Typographica regulars piss on them or post responses that are off-putting, because the Typographica regulars are so formidable, and could do better by showing more sensitivity. It’s been done to me, and I have made the same error myself here and there, of failing to put potent, informed views in acceptably civil form. Martin Archer, if you’re reading, I’m sorry I overdid it that time.

    and, an open invitation to anyone who is disappointed with my attempts to put something up on a slow news day: write something yourself.

    Sorry, Joshua, I didn’t mean to ruin your day. I’ve just completed an interview with Daniel Gauthier, who makes some great display fonts. I’ll see if I can get his permission to give Typographica an exclusive feed of the typescript in the near future. You’d be getting the text ahead of the actual planned publication.

    Meantime, a suggestion: as a regular thing, sift thru the new releases pages at Myfonts.com and Phil’s Fonts, and if you find something interesting, make it news by contacting the font’s creator and inviting them to be featured. For the mainstream Press this is standard operating proceedure. Slow news day? There’s a million stories in the naked city, and many of them won’t come to you unless they think themselves newsworthy.

  30. James – Sometimes it’s not a slow news day for the editors, but a busy day/week/month. As much as I’d like to post a hefty article each day, Typographica isn’t a full or even half time job.

    But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a desire to make the content worthwhile. You’ll see a couple of very in-depth articles within the next few days.

  31. James Arboghast says:

    Understood, Stephen. I was already aware Typographica is not your full-time occupation. I have to deal with the same pressure of juggling a full time day contract against fonting activities in spare time myself.

    ‘slow news day’ — I was only going on the information JLT provided. Only making a suggestion.

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