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Ep. 10 - Lettering, Design, & Building a Niche Career
Overview
Jason Carne has been doing lettering professionally for two decades. His client list reads like a mashup of a record store, a sports bar, and a spirits cabinet — and that range isn't accidental. It's the result of staying a student of lettering long after most people would've gotten comfortable. In this conversation, Jason and Joe get into how that career actually gets built: the early days doing hardcore merch, the pivot toward packaging and branding, the Stanley Cup project that came in during COVID and somehow still landed, and the ongoing challenge of positioning yourself without losing what makes your work yours.
Key Takeaways- Jason started in design through the NJ hardcore and metal scene ( making flyers, album art, and MySpace layouts for friends' bands
- The Stanley Cup project came through Fan Brandz (via a conference connection with Mike Sulik), got shelved when COVID hit, and was quietly approved once sports resumed
- When he works with big names (Harley-Davidson, NHL, Wu-Tang ) he's rarely talking directly to them. There's always a layer between. Know what you're claiming and how.
- Closer and Closer reps him; roughly 50% of his work comes through them, the rest direct
- He's currently repositioning his site to focus on two things: high-end spirits packaging and logo/branding work
- Carmel Type Co fonts (including Botanist, Railroad Company)
- The Lettering Library to preserve lettering and design from the past.
- His ideal art director gives some guardrails, then trusts the creative like the positive experience working with Joe Baron
- When work slows down: focus on personal work, fill gaps with less glamorous jobs, and reach back out to clients you already have relationships with
"Give me some guardrails, but trust me enough to do my thing." - Jason Carne
0:00 - Preview
0:04- Intro
1:19 - Influence of the Hardcore Scene on Design
2:34 - Tom was everyone's 1st friend
3:01 - Creative Challenges in High-Stake Projects
4:12 - The Stanley Cup Project
5:45 - Working with Smaller Agencies vs. Big Brands
7:50 - Navigating Client Relationships and Expectations
8:52 - Lettering is Easy
12:52 - Relationships in the Creative Industry
16:57 - Quality Work and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
19:45 - Client Needs vs. Personal Vision
22:19 - Marketing Yourself as a designer
25:10 - Art Representation
28:26 - Navigating NDAs
30:07 - Jason Carne's Type Foundry
33:08 - The Business of Fonts
35:57 - Preserving Design History with the Lettering Library
40:02 - Art Directors nailing it like Joe Baron
44:46 - Adapting to Slow Periods
45:18 - Rapid Fire Questions
Connect with US
https://markit2me.com/
Jason Carne
http://jasoncarne.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasoncarne
Behance: https://behance.net/jasoncarne
Joe Baron
https://www.brandedbaron.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandedbaron/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brandedbaron
View all episodes
By Mark It 2 MeOverview
Jason Carne has been doing lettering professionally for two decades. His client list reads like a mashup of a record store, a sports bar, and a spirits cabinet — and that range isn't accidental. It's the result of staying a student of lettering long after most people would've gotten comfortable. In this conversation, Jason and Joe get into how that career actually gets built: the early days doing hardcore merch, the pivot toward packaging and branding, the Stanley Cup project that came in during COVID and somehow still landed, and the ongoing challenge of positioning yourself without losing what makes your work yours.
Key Takeaways- Jason started in design through the NJ hardcore and metal scene ( making flyers, album art, and MySpace layouts for friends' bands
- The Stanley Cup project came through Fan Brandz (via a conference connection with Mike Sulik), got shelved when COVID hit, and was quietly approved once sports resumed
- When he works with big names (Harley-Davidson, NHL, Wu-Tang ) he's rarely talking directly to them. There's always a layer between. Know what you're claiming and how.
- Closer and Closer reps him; roughly 50% of his work comes through them, the rest direct
- He's currently repositioning his site to focus on two things: high-end spirits packaging and logo/branding work
- Carmel Type Co fonts (including Botanist, Railroad Company)
- The Lettering Library to preserve lettering and design from the past.
- His ideal art director gives some guardrails, then trusts the creative like the positive experience working with Joe Baron
- When work slows down: focus on personal work, fill gaps with less glamorous jobs, and reach back out to clients you already have relationships with
"Give me some guardrails, but trust me enough to do my thing." - Jason Carne
0:00 - Preview
0:04- Intro
1:19 - Influence of the Hardcore Scene on Design
2:34 - Tom was everyone's 1st friend
3:01 - Creative Challenges in High-Stake Projects
4:12 - The Stanley Cup Project
5:45 - Working with Smaller Agencies vs. Big Brands
7:50 - Navigating Client Relationships and Expectations
8:52 - Lettering is Easy
12:52 - Relationships in the Creative Industry
16:57 - Quality Work and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
19:45 - Client Needs vs. Personal Vision
22:19 - Marketing Yourself as a designer
25:10 - Art Representation
28:26 - Navigating NDAs
30:07 - Jason Carne's Type Foundry
33:08 - The Business of Fonts
35:57 - Preserving Design History with the Lettering Library
40:02 - Art Directors nailing it like Joe Baron
44:46 - Adapting to Slow Periods
45:18 - Rapid Fire Questions
Connect with US
https://markit2me.com/
Jason Carne
http://jasoncarne.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasoncarne
Behance: https://behance.net/jasoncarne
Joe Baron
https://www.brandedbaron.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandedbaron/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brandedbaron