A hand-illustrated postcard set exploring connection, care, and colour during lockdown.

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Notes from Isolation was developed during the first UK lockdown in collaboration with Hurtwood, as a way to send something real – through the post, by hand, from one person to another – at a time when physical connection had all but vanished. The result was a set of four postcards, each pairing a portrait of a cultural figure with their own quote chosen for its clarity, resolve, or quiet wit. Drawn in London in the early months of the pandemic, the illustrations reflect the disoriented rhythm of that time. There’s a looseness to the linework and a heightened sense of colour – sharp, saturated tones chosen instinctively, almost as antidote. These were not studied likenesses, but felt images—quick, bright, and emotionally attuned.

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Typography throughout the set was hand-drawn. Traditional typesetting felt too formal, too complete. Instead, the letterforms retain the provisional quality of something jotted down – a note, a reminder, a thought in motion. This sense of immediacy was key to the tone of the project: unguarded, human and unpolished. Each set included a letter, with text by Hurtwood's Jo Hilton, that extended the tonal register of the cards: direct, warm, and slightly surreal. Less an introduction than an invitation; to share what was helping, to keep in touch, to send something back.

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Notes from Isolation wasn’t a campaign, or a product, or a call to action. It was a small, analogue act of care, an attempt to create something beautiful, strange, and connective in the midst of global suspension. Designed to be passed from hand to hand, it offered a counterpoint to the screen: something physical, personal, and completely unvirtual.

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Produced in collaboration with Hurtwood Press

Design & Illustration: Billie Temple

Photography: Holly Pickering

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