A lot of things nowadays seems to be made without any real care for craft

While it may feel as though the era of true craftmanship is behind us, there are still plenty of ways to learn from the past. Getting into town and finding some local antique / charity shops can provide a wealth of different ideas.

Sourcing Inspiration

There are some absolutely fantastic designers who use the "junking" method of looking for inspiration. Notable ones include Aaron Draplin, the founder of the Draplin Design Company, and Hoefler&Co.

These successful and influential people pour through retro and historic pieces for interesting graphics and typographic inspiration. In fact, the first typeface, used by Johannes Gutenberg on the first printing press, was created to mimic the calligraphic handwriting used by monks to hand-transcribe manuscripts.

What to look for

The best things to look for if you are starting out are books, signs and branded items that are retro and really show attention to detail. Getting your hands on slightly more expensive or hand crafted items (or just taking some pictures of it) can also be great. The font "Decimal" was inspired by vintage watch lettering.

On my travels, I am always intrigued by the different typography and graphics. It's interesting to see how cities adopt fonts and how different styles can be traced back to much more humble beginnings.

Go outside

Now that you know where to go all I can say is go and get stuck in. Once you start keeping an eye out you will be astounded at what you can find.