If you’ve ever wanted to know more about letterer and typographer Jessica Hische, be sure to watch this instalment of Like Knows Like, an innovative video series by the team of filmmaker Bas Berkhout and photographer Marije Kuiper.
The short documentaries portray the more human side of their much-admired subjects that is not evident from media coverage on them. Hische, who has twice graced Forbes’ “30 under 30” list, is widely known for her book jackets, commercial identities and typography commissioned by big names such as Dave Eggers, Wes Andersen and American Express. She has a sunny disposition that clearly comes across in her work, and hearing her narrate her daily life somehow makes these projects even more accessible.
Living in between Brooklyn and San Francisco’s Mission neighborhoods, Hische spends her life in the thick of a predominantly young, trendy morass of subcultures. Coming from the East Coast of the US, she found it tricky to adjust to California life at first she says, but after exploring, has settled in.
For Hische there is a direct correlation between the personal style she has created and the type of commissions she gets hired for – her feel-good work attracts feel-good clients. This has allowed her to hone in on an aesthetic that is suitable for a wide variety of commercial applications but that retains an emotional charge.
In the film, Hische reveals some of the personal life experiences that have moulded her, including a pivotal event that forced her to transition from a shy young child to her current extroverted self.
As a general personal goal, Hische seeks to “enable as many people as possible to find what they want to do“. She advocates keeping work as play, and having “your career be a calling not just a job”. It's a belief that Hische clearly practises herself.
