The science of signs
Entrepreneur Lily Hawkins’ new sign-writing business ties her love of type and science into a neat business bundle.
Words by Shannyn Oberegger
Lily Hawkins’ freelance sign-writing business, Lily Ligature, is still pretty new.
'I’ve been planning and organising it for a year, but it’s really only been active for six months,’ Lily says. ‘I didn’t know much about business at all and it’s been a huge learning curve for me.’
Lily is a regular around Melbourne’s weekend craft markets, where she sells hand-lettered prints and greeting cards.
She has just branched out into selling her work online, as well as painting signs for Melbourne bars and restaurants: most recently The Rose Hotel in Fitzroy.
‘That involved a lot of larger boards, climbing ladders and chairs to reach heights,’ she says. ‘It’s also probably one of the longest projects I’ve taken on ... a couple of solid days painting.’
Lily is studying communication design at RMIT University, though she started out in a science degree.
‘I thought science was the more ‘sensible’ career option,’ she jokes. ‘[But] I didn’t enjoy my degree and decided to leave science for graphic design instead. Typography really attracted me because of the maths and proportions involved in letters – it felt like a good middle ground between the two.’
‘There’s a lot more science behind typography than people realise, when it comes to proportions and how well letterforms are recognised and read. Creating good type requires a fine balance between well-proportioned shapes and good creative thinking that births typefaces that are new and exciting,’ she says.
Ligature is a typographic term for two letters – say, a double f – joined together into one character.
‘Aside from sounding catchy, I also like to see design as a force for bringing people together. That’s why I like to think that the word ligature nicely captures that feeling of connectivity,’ she says.