Orvis Brand Illustrations

To capture the natural world in lettering…

Orvis requested a set of beautifully illustrated letters encapsulating their brand essence and reflecting the company’s love of adventure and wonder of nature. Each letter in the ORVIS name would be illustrated with flora and fauna from a different natural setting, inspiring a year-round excitement for the outdoors.

I began by drawing the characters, before exploring the relationship between each letter and the imagery it would contain, to find harmonious shapes and compositions.

O – River: Trout with aquatic vegetation, bubbles and water patterns. Rock and sand at the bottom.

Each letter has an ornate, woodblock feel, reminiscent of the pre-Victorian alphabets of Louis John Pouchée’s foundry in London.

The settings chosen for each of the letters were: River, Uplands, River Bank, Forest Floor, and Salt Water.

R – Uplands: A dog flushing two pheasants, surrounded by tall grasses and wild flowers.

V – Riverbank: Caddisfly with bullrushes, showing water and dragonfly.

Letter I – Forest Floor: Nesting grouse under oak with acorns. Showing mushrooms and bracken.

S – Salt Water: Tarpon fish struggling against a line. Palm tree top and bottom for context.

Original sketch for each of the letters.

Photo Credit: Gregory Allen

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