Jacob Hutchinson merges the structure of swiss type with the soft imperfections of old stamps and vinyl stickers

Stamp silhouettes, sketchbook grids and vinyl stickers are often the frame for Jacob Huchinson’s intricate design work. The Sheffield-born creative has always been drawn to the tactility of this kind of vintage print ephemera, and the soft imperfections that come with it – he’s perpetually scanning in old printed matter “to preserve those imperfections,” he says, “keeping a tangible link to print in an increasingly digital world”. A lot of the graphic designer’s work explores this blend of physical and digital media in order to find ways for his compositions to converge with old-school materials.

Currently flying freelance, Jacob had his start in design working as a creative lead at a music venue, a disciplinary cross over that’s come to shape a lot of his current work crafting visual identities and album art for a range of musicians and bands like Sex Mask and The Cure. With the roots for his practice planted firmly in the musical corner of the creative industry, the designer has been able to build a portfolio through, “visualising the sounds and stories that inspire me most”, he says.

Although the vibrant nostalgia of music (and film too) influences the mood of the visual work he makes, Jacob looks to more clean cut, practical means for layout: detailed grid systems and the structure and clarity of Swiss typography. “I’m inspired by designers and studios who balance restraint with experimentation, and by photographers who focus on atmosphere as much as subject,” he says. Whilst “grainy, real-world photography, scans and tactile texture” bring all the more soul to the designers work, he always aims for “clear hierarchy and structural discipline” in each application across branding, posters and personal projects.

“This approach keeps the work tight, versatile and campaign-ready, allowing the same visual language to live seamlessly across posters, social carousels and short-form motion,” he says. But the designer isn’t afraid to break the symmetry. With occasional After Effects motion that feels like a natural extension to his cut out stills, the analogue magic of Jacobs animations take hold “when the design needs movement or energy”, he ends.