Now Playing: The American Sign Printer

Letterology is typically not in the habit of making product reviews, but I'm making an exception today, and giving two thumbs-up for this dramatic production of the American Sign Printer kit by the Superior Marking Equipment Company of Chicago. Originally staged in the 1940s, the colorful art direction and cast of characters built a suspenseful yet familiar plot: young child with lofty ambitions of becoming a successful sign maker, quickly has hopes dashed by diminished expectations. "This American troupe's patriotic production must have been directed by the 'Inferior' Marking Equipment Company", cried some of the blistering reviews. In comparison to the mighty opening credits in the first act, the shrinking performance was considered uninspired and featureless. Unfortunately, even with its large cast of 26 characters and a parade of extras (along with one lone star), nothing could save this play from a short shelf life. Now, nearly 70 years later, the revival of the American Sign Printer is a real sleeper of a hit. It's now playing in limited release. Get one here and here while supplies last!  

Disclaimer: Letterology receives no funding nor commercial loot from independent dealers, and only offers reviews and recommendations as a public service ;)
  

Okay, they deserve one gratuitous star for casting an outline face. Done!

Vital Signs in Tacoma

This fabulous collection of Polaroid photos on RoadsidePictures Flickrstream once belonged to an employee of a sign company in Washington state. Most of the photos are taken in and around the city of Tacoma in the 1960s with a Polaroid Land camera. Some of the old black & white Polaroid films produced the most rich, warm tones and detail, but they would fade away completely unless you gave each print a stinky preservative coating with a roll-on stick. All of these Polaroid photos are remarkable for their historic, typographic, AND photographic significance. Though most of these Tacoma signs are now long gone; some still show vital signs of life. Many, including this Wigwam, I actually recall from my youth. With their large "teepee type" signage—they were much like the K-Mart of their day. I do appreciate how the A in Wigwam reveals itself as a teepee, yet someone forgot to mind the gap between letters.  

This homey motel still exists on Pacific Avenue South. But do they still have ice picnic tables? 

I definitely recall this towering sign for the discount department store "Gov-Mart" which later changed its name to the "Gov-Mart/Baza'r" near the Fort Lewis army base, just South of Tacoma. Is that a missile underpinning that bizarrely ugly type? 

The sad little Royal Typewriter shop ;(  

This 1960s Olympic Village, in nearby Gig Harbor, must have made a desperate pitch for the 1988 Summer Olympics? 

I believe the P-X Sooper Market was located on the military base. Their sign, with the distinguished looking ladder and suspended colored balls, had considerable character. In the far background, note the spinning "Norge ball", as they were affectionately known. Norge Village Cleaners had one of the grand old signs spiraling across America's laundromat landscapes in the 1960s. A few of these polka-dot globes still remain, but they are rapidly disappearing sadly. The "Lucky" sign below is not so lucky. They vanished altogether. 

Looks like Paulson's gets a facelift.

The Johnson Candy Company and sign still exists in the Tacoma hilltop neighborhood today. Sweet!

After over eighty years, the Poodle Dog restaurant and Pup Room, just off of I-5 in Fife, is still open seven days a week. This diner's great old signage was replaced probably shortly after this photo was taken, but it is still a treasure. Also from Roadside Pictures, is this old matchbook cover. For more Tacoma signage photos, be sure to check out his pool of Polaroids here. Not one Polaroid of Bob's Jave Jive on South Tacoma Way; but this roadhouse was a roadsign all itself.

Lastly, but not leastly, my good friend Chandler O'Leary of Tacoma, recently painted an homage to the old Poodle Dog neon sign. She hand-lettered a day and a night time version, in addition to many other memorable old neon signs from Tacoma. They are all currently on display in her "You'll Like Tacoma" exhibition. Learn more about it here.

A Love Letter to the City

New York artist, Stephen "ESPO" Powers, began his love affair with letters as a young graffiti artist living in Philadelphia. Eventually his graffiti transitioned from writing personal messages to something on a much grander scale, when he combined his community activism with public lettering art. Powers and a team of "sign mechanics" began to collaborate with individual residents of several host communities, before painting murals. After gathering the collective hopes and dreams of individual neighborhood residents, the team would then mirror their comments back on large walls and rooftops for all to see. In effect, these messages and murals became a love letter to the city—lifting spirits and blending art with commerce. The first of these love letters appeared in Coney Island in 2003. Powers then ventured to Dublin and Belfast after receiving a Fulbright award for his work in 2008. Since that time, his work has appeared in the Venice in Liverpool Biennials and on the walls and rooftops of his home town of Philadelphia, Syracuse, São Paulo, Brooklyn and Johannesburg.

Today, Stephen Powers makes his home in New York City and continues to make art and hand lettered signs from his two ICY Signs shops in Brooklyn and in Philadelphia. On March 4th, 2014, Princeton Architectural Press will release a book about Powers' colorful street art titled A Love Letter to the City. A tad late for Valentine's Day, but still a nice treat. Brief sidenote here: Master sign painter and good friend of Letterology, Justin Green, also has a few walk-on parts in this book, which could be summed up nicely as "mentor". 

When this mural first appeared above a Tony's Pizza in Brooklyn, the dots were added to YOU, to give the impression of pepperoni. After Tony's fell victim to the 99 cent pizza trend, the chicken shop moved in. Powers responded by adding a pizza chef to his work. Below is just some of ICY Signs handwork. 

Mister Courtesy and Friends

Meet Mister Courtesy, the smiley-faced man with a bow tie and funny cap, who might make a better Mr. T. He was once the official brand character for the Tradewell grocery store chain which had a large presence in the Northwest in the 1950s until mid-1980s. Though long ago retired, Mister Courtesy was once a distinguished resident in the stores—seen on grocery bags, in newspaper advertisements, and on every plastic employee badge—often surrounded by what appears to be a halo of Futura type. I rescued this badge for a quarter's ransom, where it sat in a pile of odds & ends on a flea market table. His smiling face now rests comfortably on my bookshelf amongst some type and lettering books. I could think of worse places to retire I guess.

This advertisement was published in the Shelton-Mason County Journal in 1959. The earlier stores of that era could be spotted from space by a gigantic condensed slab-serifed T—the size of a two-story house—as can be seen in this photo from my local Wedgwood neighborhood blog.

The slab-serif type was also used in other signage for the Tradewell stores and appears to me as if it might have originated from a newspaper advertisement or circular, likely set by a job printer. 
::Source: Vintage Everyday

The Typographic Character Trademark Defined

Finding Mister T, as I prefer to call him, got me thinking the other day about the many character trademarks designed from letterforms. These marks became widespread in the early 1920s, particularly in Germany, where designers preferred the modern, bold strokes popularized by poster designers of the day. As advertising increased in the 1940s and 50s, so did character trademarks. However, most of them were designed as actual cartoon mascots, instead of those made with letterforms. As a result, I feel the term trademark character is unfair and much too confusing. It does not appropriately distinguish the typographic version, so I prefer to add the term anthrotypes to this graphic lexicon, which seems a more perfect analogy to describe these little typographic mascots. They are anthropomorphic characters constructed of letterforms, designed to humanize and establish appealing personalities for business. These little anthrotypes, (OR trademark characters if you prefer) are also another reminder of just how closely the letter structure is identified with the human form. When we speak of the letter's anatomy, we often describe the legs, arms, shoulders, and spine to identify it. Naturally, the letter's K and R are most frequently used anthrotypes, because they essentially have two legs already. Others are constructed with combinations of letters—usually with the initials of the company name. I've included some of these endearing little lettermen (and letterwomen in one example) from various resources on my bookshelves. Captions and credits follow at end. 

From top L to R: 1 | Watt A. G. (electric lamps), 1922, British Trademarks of the 1920s & 30s, John Mendenhall

2 | The O-P Craft Company, Inc. (Household decorating kits), 1922, Trademarks of the 40s & 50s, Eric Baker and Tyler Blik

3 | J.H. Pelt A.G. (Clothing), 1934, Early Modernism, Swiss & Austrian Trademarks 1920-1950, John Mendenhall

4 | Gasum (musical instruments) designed by Karl Schulpig, 1923, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

5 | C. Bolle Co. (Dairy), designed by Karl Schulpig, 1923, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

6 | Chemischen Fabrik Oberschöneweide (chemical company), designed by Karl Schulpig, 1921, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

7 | George Mason & Co. Ltd. (sauces and jellies), 1934, British Trademarks of the 1920s & 30s, John Mendenhall

8 | Arabia Kaffee-Tee (imported coffee and tea), 1932, Early Modernism, Swiss & Austrian Trademarks 1920-1950, John Mendenhall

9 | Patcraft, Inc. (cotton rugs & carpets), 1953, Trademarks of the 40s & 50s, Eric Baker and Tyler Blik

10 | Thüringer Mützenfabrik (hats), 1921, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

11 | Krisp-Pak, Inc. (soup mix and salad greens), 1956, Trademarks of the 40s & 50s, Eric Baker and Tyler Blik

12 | Kapman Aktiebolag, (handtools), 1963, Sweden, Character Trademarks, John Mendenhall 

13 | G. Kruegrer Brewing Co., (beer and ale), 1935, Trademarks of the 20s & 30s, Eric Baker and Tyler Blik

14 | Master Vibrator Co. (space heaters), 1956, Trademarks of the 40s & 50s, Eric Baker and Tyler Blik

15 | Roma Wine Co. (wines), 1943, Character Trademarks, John Mendenhall 

16 | Reica S. A. (industrial products), 1928, Early Modernism, Swiss & Austrian Trademarks 1920-1950, John Mendenhall

17 | Runnymede Mills, Inc., (hosiery), 1955, Trademarks of the 40s & 50s, Eric Baker and Tyler Blik

18 | Richmond Radiator Co. Inc. (bath fixtures), 1936, Trademarks of the 20s & 30s, Eric Baker and Tyler Blik

19 | Weiner-Feinkost (fruit & vegetable juices), 1928, Early Modernism, Swiss & Austrian Trademarks 1920-1950, John Mendenhall

20 | Mensing Co. (men's clothing), 1924, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

21 | Frankendruck Inc. (printer), 1925, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

22 | Bernhard Kass Inc. (children's clothing?), 1925, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

23 | Havengo Tobacco (tobacco), 1924, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

24 | Sitos Hats (hatmaker), designed by Wilhelm Deffke, 1923, The New American Logo, Gerry Rosentsweig 

25 | California Literacy (proposed logo), designed by Irene Yap, 1992, The New American Logo, Gerry Rosentsweig

26 | Deutscher Sparkassen Und Giroverband (savings bank), 1925, German Trademarks, Leslie Carbarga

27 | John Evans Design (design studio), designed by John Evans, 1993, The New American Logo, Gerry Rosentsweig

Winter Cold Remedies

Aside from a homemade pot of hearty chicken soup, this Mt. Fuji tissue container is the best cold remedy ever. It warms my heart. Cleverly designed by Tomohiro Ikegaya for his company, Good by Market.

More signs of Winter cold 

Source: Marc N



Source: Mrs. Easton

This letter could use a good T cozy.
Source: MyOrb

Master Sign Smith

British sign artist David Smith, claims he has the best job in the world, and judging from his uncompromising work, he may well be the very best at it. Smith has the uncommon lettering talents of a 19th century master signmaker, and he is one of the few remaining traditional glass artists to excel in the trade of glass embossing. He is without peers, and in order to prevent his trade from becoming a lost art, he is on a personal mission to teach his skills to as many as he can. I was delighted to write about the design of John Mayer's Born and Raised album cover artwork in a previous post last August, but this video by Danny Cooke may be the most inspiring 18 minutes of your entire week. And don't miss the closing titles!
::With gratitude to Design Envy today.

In case you haven't had enough, this is an earlier documentary on David Smith.