Hand Painted Typography

I found this example of hand painted typography while looking through old record album covers. I thought this was really neat because it's not just a font made to look authentic.  The words are actual painted letters on the brick wall. It makes a simple and effective use of space.  The band name is the largest text, with the album name next. It follows the typical reading direction from left to right.

I'd never heard of this music group prior to seeing this cover, but I think the combination of the text on brick and the washed out photo make for a unique album photograph.

Type With Interesting Color Treatment

This is an image from a T-shirt sold at Sgt. Grit, a Marine Corps specialty shop.  The image is a tribute to fallen Marines and the United States Marine Memorial.  Visitors to the memorial can trace the names of fallen Marines on the walls with a pencil. 

The text treatment of the "U.S.M.C." is interesting because there is no actual color or pattern--the text is mimicking the tracing of the engraved wall.  (Or it may be a genuine wall tracing applied to the design)  This choice to use the text this way is significant because it enforces the remembrance aspect and the experience of visiting the memorial.  It is not flashy or embellished, but it draws your attention to the main focus of the design in a way that is completely relevant to the memorial.  It's powerful.

Logo-Typography

I admit it. I'm a regular at Dunkin' Donuts. And I love their updated marketing look.  I went on their website to find an image of a shirt they sell because it's a good example of distressed typography, but couldn't find a clear image.  Instead of moving on, I was sidetracked and ended up on their parent company site.  And there I found a really cool logotype.

Some points about this:

• Notice the  "U".  It's lowered, giving the "dunking" appearance.  And it's brown, which reminds me of a doughnut. Dunking doughnut.  I'm assuming that was the design intention, and I find it simply brilliant. 
• The logo colors tie right into what made Dunkin Donuts famous. Coffee and doughnuts.  Great idea. 
• The lowered "U" draws the eye to the "eatdrinkthink" portion, but not too much.  You still noticed the main part first. 

Overall, I think this logo works perfectly for the parent company and what their industry is. I think whoever had been designing the logos for this company is doing a great job.  It's creative, but not complicated. 

Asian Typography

I came across this example of Asian Typography in a book called, "Typography for the People - Hand Painted Signs From Around the World". Written by Daniel Bellon and Klaus Bellon, it includes this image of a menu sign in Hong Kong. 

I found this interesting because the overall feel of the Asian character form is maintained although these are English words.

The dish titles are written in an way that resembles Asian calligraphy.  Each letter shows unique qualities - varying stroke widths, slants, spacing and size.  Although the English words are nowhere near as perfect as the symbols at the top of the menu, it seems the artist took care to match the style as much as possible. Considering that red paint on a white surface doesn't leave much room for error, the artist did well. The only gripe I have is the worn out appearance of the sign.  I think it's time for a new one.