Watching a sign painter in Chicago freehand a perfect script with a mahl stick changed how I think about digital type.

Now I can't look at a font without seeing the hand that could have made it, so what's a good place online to find inspiration for hand-drawn lettering that isn't just another script font pack?

3 comments

3 Comments

flores.jana2mo ago

That idea about seeing the hand in the type is exactly right. I skip font sites and look at places where the process is still visible. Check out old technical manuals or patent drawings for weird, functional lettering. Watch sign painting videos where you see the brush drag. Even graffiti blackbooks show the sketch layers before the clean outline. It's the mistakes and pencil lines that make it feel alive.

noahchen2mo ago

Yeah @flores.jana, ever find a perfect example of that?

amymartinez2mo ago

Honestly, where do you even find those old technical manuals? That's a great call because those draftsmen weren't trying to be stylish, they just needed it clear, so the shapes get real weird and honest. Tbh, I'll spend an hour looking at like, 60s appliance repair guides just for the capital letters.