Sunshine Nouveau
Hand lettering done in a playfully distinct Art Nouveau style comprised the title on the cover of the 1916 sheet music for the song “Your Mother is Your Best Friend After All”. This served...
font_foundry: Jeff Levine
Railway Station
The hand lettered title on the 1911 sheet music for “That Railroad Rag” was designed in a block style letter with spurred serifs. This simple typographic layout evokes the imagery of early rail transportation...
Advertising Stencil JNL
An ad spotted in a 1964 issue of Billboard magazine with the words “STAND BACK…” introduced the first record album from then-new stand-up comedian Bill Cosby. The lettering of those two words was in...
Theater Nouveau
Sheet music from the 1911 stage production of the comic opera “The Enchantress” featured the hand lettered names of both the star and composer in a monoline Art Nouveau style. This sans serif type...
Template Shadow
A series of lettering guides called “Mimeostyle” for the A. B. Dick Company of Chicago (produced for use in making mimeograph machine printing stencils) were custom manufactured by the Wright-Regan Instrument Company (Wrico). One...
Jazz Guitar JNL
Latin music was all the rage in the United States from the 1930s through the 1950s and songs with a “South of the Border” or “Old Mexico” theme were plentiful. The 1940 sheet music...
Deco Design JNL
Hand lettering isn’t a perfect art form, and this is why it often has an appeal over formal typesetting. Individual interpretation can lead to variations in style, character shape and overall design concept. Case...
Cartoon Nouveau JNL
Most of the lettering on a piece of sheet music for a song from the 1921 George M. Cohan musical comedy entitled “The O’Brien Girl” was hand lettered in a playful, casual Art Nouveau...
Heller Sans JNL
Heller Sans JNL is based on the main letterforms of an experimental alphabet designed by Steven Heller; noted author of over 170 books on design and visual culture. Some modifications were made in turning...
Victorian Typewriter JNL
The titles in various sections of an 1890 catalog for stencil manufacturing supplies were set in metal type that closely resembled the lettering found on a typewriter. These examples became the basis for Victorian...