Scott Biersack is an independent designer, illustrator and type designer. We’re delighted to feature Scott’s work in Ascenders Volume.1, Leaders in Contemporary Lettering. We spoke to Scott about his creative practice and influences

Hello Scott,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, we’re looking forward to hearing more about you and your practice, as well as the pieces you’ll be featuring in our forthcoming typography publication, Ascenders Volume.1, Leaders in Contemporary Lettering.

You created the ‘Gatefold’ typeface whilst you were studying at the Extended Type@Cooper Program in New York City. Gatefold is an elegant font, primarily designed for editorial usage and is available here. Could you tell us about the work behind ‘Gatefold’ and how you began concepting it?

Gatefold began as a school project but was actually wrapped up a little over a year later. It certainly took a while because I was a bit ambitious with the amount of characters the font family consists of. It was first drawn in a TypeCooker workshop with my friend, James Edmondson of Ohno Type Company. I had a few characters drawn that then allowed me to explore the typeface further in a light and bold weight. The italic styles were created shortly after. They took a bit more time to create as I was trying to understand the characteristics each glyph needed to have in order to fit in well with the roman style.

We’re very pleased to be showcasing your work in our upcoming typography and hand letting directory, Ascenders Volume.1, could you tell us about the pieces that you have featured in your profile? (Good Things Coming, Sorry Not Sorry, Hawaii Volcanoes poster and Yung Trinity poster)

Sure thing! The pieces selected are just a few of my favorite recent projects that hopefully showcase a variety of skill sets I’m capable of. Each of these pieces was created for a client that truly trusted me and my process. That trust, in my opinion, makes the final result so much better.

You’ve created works for some major brands and businesses, including Facebook, Four Seasons, Starbucks, Warner Bros and more. Do you have a favourite project or piece of work from your portfolio?

I think my favorite project shall always be the skateboard I designed for Girl Skateboards. It was part of collaboration with Adobe as they wanted students to “make it big” working on a super fulfilling project. I was overjoyed for the opportunity to create a skateboard for Girl while still in school. Being able to tour the HQ, meet the team and gifted some branded merch was unforgettable.

You produced a deck design for Girl Skateboards, arguably one of the most iconic skateboard companies of all time. How did this collaboration come about? I imagine it must have been quite a positive, yet humbling experience seeing your artwork alongside the work from Girl Skateboard's super talented art department The Art Dump.

Yes! Incredibly humbling experience like I mentioned above. As I briefly mentioned above, Adobe and Girl had a contest running via social media. All you had to do to enter was hashtag your work with “#MakeItGirl”. At the time, I had a project where I painted lettering on blank skate decks. That passion project was the reason I was chosen to be a part of the amazing opportunity. Creating a deck for Cory Kennedy and my (new) friends creating decks for the rest of the Girl team was beyond cool. A truly amazing experience all around.

We see from the concert posters you create, and even from the name of your company, youbringfire that music is a huge part of your life and influences.

What are you listening to now that you can recommend us?

Music has gotten me through some tough times, indeed. As of right now, I’m not sure if there’s many out there that like the kind of music I’m into but, I of course have recommendations! If you’re into the heavy metal scene, I’ve been jamming: Bury Tomorrow, Bad Omens, Architects, Wage War, Beartooth and Dream on Dreamer to name a few.

We enjoyed looking through your job wishlist on your website, can you tell us about the project where you were able to ‘take a paid vacation working with a brand?’

I have had a few of these projects actually! The one that sticks out the most was for Acorda Therapeutics. They were putting on their national sales meeting that took place at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, Miami. I was there for about 2 days working on a live lettering piece that was influenced by the attendees ideas. A very on-the-fly sort of experience and I couldn’t complain about the excellent views, great food and breezy weather.

We’re looking forward to hearing about your upcoming work and projects, can you tell us what the rest of 2018 looks like for you?

As of right now, I’ve wrapped up nearly every project I’ve been working on! I do have a typeface in the works that will be released sometime early next year. Other than that, I plan to take it easy and relax a bit during this downtime because it’s only going to last so long ;)

Thanks for your time today Scott!