Meet Jay Roeder | Hand Lettering Illustrator, Author & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Roeder and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risk and stepping outside of your comfort zone can unlock some of life’s greatest achievements. They can also teach us a lot—in both failure and success. One risk I took early on in my career was making the decision to resign from my position at a marketing agency to pursue my passion of hand lettering illustration while also working with marketing agencies on a freelance basis. I felt stagnant and uninspired, so I decided to jump. I saved up six months of living expenses, and took a risk. I’ve been on my own ever since, freelancing with agencies and building my hand lettering brand and have not looked back at my comfortable and uninspired past life. I’ve had the opportunity to do illustration work with brands like Nike, Facebook, Subway and Hilton and I’ve also written three books on hand lettering over the past few years which have been some of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever accomplished. Today, I look at risk in a very positive light, because it ended up altering the trajectory of my life and career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Jay Roeder and I am a freelance illustrator who specializes in hand lettering. I like to think of myself as a geek with a love for music and letters. I’ve always had a strong interest in retro technology and I think a lot of it has to do with nostalgia and personal experience. Things like boomboxes, cassette tapes, Nintendo, and Ninja Turtles were a big part of my childhood, which is why I love to draw them. My first boombox provided some of my earliest experiences with music, and anyone who knows me, knows that music is one of the most influential forces behind my art. No matter how fast technology advances, I’ll never forget my first boombox and the memories I have of growing up in the 80’s. Each nostalgia-based drawing I do takes me back—and I love that.

When I graduated from college, I worked at several agencies doing graphic design and did hand lettering in my free time. I posted lettering art to my site and eventually clients started to reach out with larger projects. Eventually I decided to go out on my own, and although it was not an easy decision at the time due to the risks it presented (lack of steady paycheck, no health benefits, etc)—it ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Over the years I’ve written three books on hand lettering; 100 Days of Lettering, Lettering Alphabets & Artwork, and Harry Potter Hand Lettering. Each book is between 170-200 pages, and I handled everything from the art featured in them, to all of the written content, and the page layout design. These books are probably what I am most proud of in my career thus far.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I moved back to Minnesota a few years ago, which was where I grew up. After living a large part of my life on the east coast, in Connecticut, I have a lot of friends that visit from out-of-town. Showing friends around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area has become somewhat of a regular thing these days. In my opinion the key to showing someone a good time revolves around bringing them to delicious restaurants and breweries that play up local Minnesota culture. Specifically, Minnesota is known for Juicy Lucy’s, which are hamburgers with cheese inside the burger—if you haven’t tried one do it immediately, they’re absolutely delicious. There are also so many great parks and outdoor activities in the area and more specifically: activities that revolve around boating and lake life. If we have any spare time I like to visit art museums because many of my friends come from the illustration and design industry and can appreciate that sort of thing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my Mom and Dad. They’re both entrepreneurs that inspired and encouraged me to pursue my passions early in my career. I would not be where I am today without their encouragement, love and support.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/jayroeder

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayroeder

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayroeder/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayRoeder

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayRoederLettering