Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Robinson.
Brooke, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was a graphic designer for a local Texas retailer called TYLER’S (there is one in The Woodlands) from 2009 to 2012. The summer of 2012, I got antsy and wanted more from life. I quit my job, sold my car and rode my bike with a friend down the West Coast from Vancouver, B.C. to the border of Mexico. As a graphic designer, I’d always had a passion for the art of lettering and typography.
But it was on this trip that I rediscovered my passion for this particular art form. The West Coast is a treasure trove of hand-lettered signs and logos, hand-painted murals and typography. Being on my bicycle allowed me to better connect with each city’s environment and allowed me to discover and absorb much of the city’s art and culture.
As the trip went on, I thought to myself, “There must be a place for the art form of lettering and type to live. A convenient place for people to discover this art.” On my 30-hour train ride home, I spent a little bit of time on Instagram. I clicked on the hashtag #typography, and when I did, I was opened up to a whole world of lettering art. I was overwhelmed with inspiration by the talent I saw all over Instagram.
I took screenshots of images I loved and did this for almost a year until they began taking up too much space on my phone. I didn’t want to delete any of these pieces and I wanted to keep collecting. Then it dawned on me, I can start my own Instagram account and unload all of these images onto it while tagging the artists. I posted my first image on July 24th, 2013, calling it Goodtype with the tagline of “Giving credit where credit is due.” I didn’t want to be a curated account without crediting the lettering artists behind the art.
I think the reason Goodtype’s audience grew so quickly is because I was crediting the artist. Before I knew it, it had grown to 10,000 followers in less than six months. Within the year I was nearing 100,000 followers and receiving requests to do a coffee table style lettering book. I released Goodtype’s first book via Kickstarter. This project really opened my eyes to how global this art form really is. I did an open call for lettering art submissions for the book and received around a thousand entries from artists all over the world. The book ended up hosting artwork from 175 artists from 32 countries. It was mind-blowing.
From then, I began receiving requests for lettering workshops. Since 2016, Goodtype has hosted almost 20 different lettering workshops all across the nation from NYC to LA to San Francisco and Austin. We have spoken on a panel and hosted workshops at SXSW in 2017 and 2018. We have a second book being released in July 2018 being published by Rizzoli. We have a couple public art projects in the works, partnering with artists from all over the world. Goodtype turns 5 on July 24, 2018, and is coming up on 900,000 followers on Instagram.
It is my hope for Goodtype to have a physical brick and mortar place in Austin, TX for workshops, retail and of course, coffee. Lettering and coffee go hand in hand.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Goodtype’s road has been anything but smooth. There have been a lot of learning curves, not only for the company but for myself, personally. I, unfortunately, lost quite a bit of money during Goodtype’s Kickstarter. I vastly underestimated how much it would cost to ship one book internationally and didn’t charge enough for shipping.
Another major bump in the road came when I brought on business partners to help me take Goodtype to the next level. I didn’t trust that I could do it on my own and I relied too heavily on them. But they gave me the opportunity to quit my day job for good and pursue Goodtype full-time. And for that I am grateful. And they also allowed me to learn a lot about myself and the areas I needed to grow. We have since gone our separate ways and I am now back on my own.
Life is full of trials and tribulations, but these trying times yield great moments of celebration and learning. Allow these trials to refine you and your business and remember to stay focused on your mission and why you began in the first place. Don’t give up!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Goodtype story. Tell us more about the business.
Goodtype is a showcase of the letter arts and a place to discover and connect with lettering artists and illustrators from all across the globe, whether it be through one of our workshops or through browsing our robust collection of lettering art on Instagram or from one of our Goodtype books.
Goodtype ’s tagline is “Strength in Letters” was built upon our wildly supportive and growing community of artists and enthusiasts. It is through the art form of lettering and typography that has allowed us to gain strength and build a global platform to tell the artists’ stories, build an education program and inspire up and coming artists to pursue a career in the letter arts. It has allowed us to work with artists from all over the world and spread positive messages through public art and other forms of media.
Goodtype is mostly known for our robust curation of lettering on Instagram with nearly 900,000 followers. I think what makes me the most proud is when we hear testimonials from artists sharing their success stories from one of our features. Or hearing about how a student from one of our workshops was able to gain that extra push they needed to stay inspired and take their career to the next level.
I think what sets us apart is our desire to seek opportunities that we can give to artists that can gain them some extra exposure or give them the experience to tell a story or an opportunity to tell their story and let the inspiration spread like a wildfire.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
When you have the discipline and grit to stay the course, despite any and all adversities, luck will find you. It’s only a matter of time.
For me, the luck manifested itself in the timing. I combined my passion for lettering and type with a social media platform that was quickly growing—Instagram. Social media allowed me to realize that my love for the art form of lettering also happened to be a love shared by many around the world.
I seized that opportunity and stayed the course. Since then, luck has found me many times over with meeting just the right person at just the right time opening door after door. Just keep going.
Pricing:
- Goodtype: The Art of Lettering book to be released July 10th is $45.00 USD
- The Art of Skate: Lettering & Illustration on Skate Decks Workshop in Brooklyn, NYC on July 14th $395
Contact Info:
- Address: 2028 E Ben White Blvd. Ste 240 PMB 1508 Austin, TX 78741
- Website: www.goodtype.us
- Email: hello@goodtype.us
- Instagram: @goodtype
- Facebook: fb.com/lovegoodtype
- Twitter: @lovegoodtype
Image Credit:
Main photo: Tim Clancy
Stefan Kunz, Lj Gay, Jason Naylor
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
