Brand by Hand: Blisters, Calluses, and Clients: A Life in Design

I’ve had the pleasure of following Jon Contino’s work for years, and learning of this book’s release was a milestone to say the least; not only in the sheer volume of work provided in these pages, but giving the hand-lettering icon an opportunity to share his story, through the passages and history of family, failure, success, and inspiration.Arriving today, I was able to look over its beautifully crafted construction, with the words, icons, and images standing out from their pages; like anything else with Jon’s name on it, it’s clearly a labor of love, and nod to his relentless pursuit of placing craft above all else. It’s a dark and honest book, and one that can stand on its own in any collection.For those with creativity; the artists, designers, and craftsmen, or someone who simply appreciates the finer things such as American history, baseball, and handmade goods: this is a book is for you, for us. It will make you think, laugh, and most importantly inspire you to continue your own craft; to add value and purpose to your life, so you can look back fondly at the final product and say, in Contino’s own words, “There’s that way of doing something the way it’s always been done, that’s the kind of thing that someone can look at and say, ‘Wow, you created this’, and you can actually look at it, and say, ‘You know what, I did create that, that’s all me.’”Thank you to Jon Contino, and Abrams Books, for bringing this book together, and sharing it with the world.

Jon is one insanely talented dude. This book is full of so much inspiration for all creatives, not just those who work primarily in illustration and branding. I love the extra back stories he has included about many projects, too. Just need to hit us with volume 2!

I've liked Jon's work for a long time and also have taken his online classes. This book however, is a bit too scary and creepy for most. Lots of occult symbolism and dark art that makes me very happy. It was not what was expecting and feel like could be inviting something evil into my home by having this book. I was really looking forward to this book and I am not disappointed.

I've been a fan of Jon Contino's work for a while now, ever since I saw his class on Skillshare a few years ago, I've always wanted to look at more of his work in an organised fashion and hear the stories behind the ideas and designs. And that is finally here, a complete hardcover book, elegantly designed with lots of stories, designs and ideas. Definitely recommended!

I stumbled onto Jon's design years ago by total and complete accident. I discovered CXXVI Clothing and was hooked on the hand crafted typography and vintage inspired design. Ever since then, I've made it a point to follow "the nose" and just feed off of the energy and design prowess he puts out there. Not only is the book a design marvel in its own right, the content is awesome and a must have for any serious designer's reference and fun read shelf.5 dinosaurs for sure!

Purchased this book hoping for some tips on branding by hand, and I suppose there are some if you read the lengthy stories, which are great, but this is mostly an auto-biography with the illustrator's work as imagery. Most of the text is small and white set on black paper, which can make reading this book kinda difficult to do all at once. The book quality is great, though. Nice thick paper, great binding, and beautiful work.

Contino is a legend already and this book showcases his work up until this point. Beautifully laid out and full of great stories about how he got to this point. Recommended.

Love the art and the stories Jon Contino Shared. It was very inspiring to no that you are not the only one dealing with the struggles as an artist.

Me encantó el libro. Se ve de una calidad increible de pasta dura y los diseños se ven perfecto. Super inspirador ☺️

An amazing book all around.Well designed, beautiful work, and great insight into John's Life and work. I love this book for inspiration both visually and when i'm feeling unmotivated. I love the book and recommend it to all my fellow graphic designers and illustrators.

Excelente

No tengo ni un pero para este libro, la calidad de las tapas, la impresión y el interior es excelente.Si te gusta este artista o este tipo de lettering/ilustración es un libro que tienes que comprar.Jon Contino es un maquina y en el libro puedes ver además de diseños finales el proceso que lleva a cabo en sus proyectos. Oro puro.

As a graphic designer I'm constantly looking for new sources of inspiration. Jon Contino is one of those people whose quality and level of work is just incredible. It's interesting to see the process and hard work he goes through to get to the end result. Check out his podcast (the nose knows) as well for more of his humour and nuggets of wisdom.