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ICE
Ice boxes are a streetside staple of New York bodegas. The typography and architecture vary slightly from model to model, but the basic formula is the same: snow-capped red shadow type on a battered white cooler, somewhat obscured by hastily rendered tags and stickers. A few seen recently in Brooklyn and Manhattan:
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RETURN TO NEWARK
Despite efforts to revitalize Newark, many of the businesses and storefronts in the downtown area remain shuttered and crumbling. Signs advertise businesses that are long gone and the ghost signs that pepper brick walls are fading away, being erased by weather and construction cranes. The signs and buildings that remain (like the beautiful Newark Theater Marquee, United States Savings Bank Building, and the Griffith Piano Company Building) are boarded up, advertised over, or covered by For Rent signs. Here are a few favorites (including a surviving Solari flip board in Newark’s Penn Station) from a recent trip to Newark, taken mostly on and around Broad, Market, and Halsey Streets: More…
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RANDOM BOOK COVERS
Some book titles you might find on the bookshelves of a former English teacher and computer engineer in upstate New York:
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BERLIN PREVIEW
Here are a few of my favorite shots from a recent trip to Berlin. The city has beautiful neon, fading hand painted signs, wild train station designs, Futura everywhere, Zoidbergs, some fine umlauts, and graffiti–lots and lots of graffiti. p.s. I maybe accidentally deleted the main Vernacular Typography website. It will be back up shortly with a couple thousand new images. Updates will be posted here and here—> Follow @VernacularType
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VINTAGE BASEBALL TEES
This cache of vintage tees was recently rediscovered at the bottom of a drawer upstate. In the 80s, my uncle (an incredible sports photographer and writer who has photographed for the USTA and Nike) frequented a custom shirt kiosk at the mall. These are some of the gems he made (note the fuzzy Cooper Black type and pre-photoshop hand cutting and pasting of images):
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PARANOID IN DUMBO
These 5 signs were found within a 4 block radius in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. DUMBO is watching you.
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VERNACULAR TYPOGRAPHY IN JAPAN
Vernacular Typography tees, stationery (and unsanctioned totes) are now available at Abahouse in Japan. Check out their posts with more pictures here and here. Retailers interested in carrying the tees and stationery line can contact hello (at) vernaculartypography (dot) com for more information or to request a lookbook.
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VERNACULAR TYPOGRAPHY x TWITTER
Vernacular Typography is now on Twitter (@VernacularType). It will be a daily (or daily-ish) look at found lettering and design from New York City and beyond.
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VERNACULAR TYPOGRAPHY TEES
The first line of Vernacular Typography t-shirts is now available through Homestead LTD in Japan. US ordering information and other inquiries can be sent to hello[at]vernaculartypography[dot]com. Hats, bags, and other things forthcoming. These shirts are soft. Like really soft.
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ISRAEL PREVIEW
A preview of the new Israel section soon to be added to the main archive. Typography and lettering from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Ein Gedi, Tzfat, Golan Heights, Negev Desert, random kibbutzim, and other places. If you’re interested in supporting Vernacular Typography, consider making a donation to the project through Artspire & New York Foundation for the Arts 501(c)3 HERE. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Letterforms in the Urban Environment
