Monday Motivation: Lettering with Scott Biersack

images & words by photographer Scott Biersack (@youbringfire)

Hey everyone! My name is Scott Biersack, I'm an illustrator and designer located in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm about to finish up my last semester at ASU and couldn't be more excited.

Now let's get straight to it. This is the story about my experience working with State Bicycle Co. on their Monday Motivation pieces.

It's funny, I actually had no clue who or what State Bicycle Co. was until about 2 years ago. My buddy Cheman is an intense cycler and probably rides miles and miles every single day. He was riding a State Bicycle Co. bike and still does to this day when I met him 2 years ago. 

One fine afternoon, I had completed a "Chalkboard Saturday" piece at the public chalkboard outside the COOR building at ASU. Cheman then rode by my piece and snapped a quick photo of my work with his bike in the photo and hashtagged it on social media with #StateBicycleCo. The rest is history.

Don't judge! This lettering piece was completed when I knew absolutely nothing about typography. I've practiced a lot since then. Hopefully that practice shows through in my recent work!

Anyway without social media, I don't think Mehdi and I would have connected and begun working together on projects. Social media is the reason why I have worked with a wide variety of clients. And social media is the reason my life has changed for the better. The Monday Motivation project I had the chance to be a part of begun all because Cheman had shared my work via Instagram.

Thanks to the partnership between Mehdi and I, I've been riding a custom made State Bicycle Co. bike ever since. It's actually changed my life. I ride nearly everywhere I go. Waking up first thing in the morning, I ride to work. Then, ride to school to attend class. For a while I rode about 13 miles every day back and forth to work, school, and home. I felt great! I take my bike with me everywhere. It's essential to life!

To continue, I completed a good number of Monday Motivation pieces back towards the end of 2013 and the early part of 2014. These pieces below were some select few that were created. This was when I first began my lettering career. I didn't know as much as I do now, so there's definitely some flaws in all these pieces. Regardless, I always enjoy the process and seeing the improvement I've made.

Fast forward about a year and within the past 10 weeks I've been working on new Monday Motivation pieces utilizing my new typography knowledge. It's crazy to see the progress I've made from the first couple pieces above to the newer pieces below. I'd say there's been significant improvement overall. 

These Monday Motivation pieces not only helped others stayed motivated and inspired, but definitely helped me as well. There's tons of times in my day to day life that I get discouraged with what I'm creating. Luckily, with this project, I had creative freedom. Mehdi was kind enough to let me create/select the quotes, style, and photos to accompany the quote. First and foremost, the typography wouldn't work as well if it wasn't for the wonderful Jeffrey Olsen photography. That man knows his stuff.

Anyway, being able to create nearly every aspect of these pieces was truly an honor. It not only helped me stay motivated, but helped me explore myself, what I could do, and what I'm capable of.

Thanks to Mehdi for including me! Thanks to Jeff for the sick photos! Thanks to the customers/friends/family that support the work I've created. And most of all, thanks to everyone that has inspired me to keep creating. Even though times get tough, this Monday Motivation makes everyone's Monday a much better day.

If you'd like to view my other work, or want to stay up to date with my creations. Follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or nearly anything else - @youbringfire