Today’s 1ne post is an awesome typographic partnership. My friend Rob tagged me in a post he came across on his instagram feed that he thought I’d like. It was a manhole cover taken in Detroit, Michigan by Alexander Cooper. I saw the picture and thought ‘hey cool, another lover of manhole covers!’ If this guy takes pictures of manhole covers, I wonder what else he has pictures of. Yeah, you should definitely check out his instagram feed, there are some really great typographic finds. When I came across this picture of the CARE building taken in Detroit, I just fell in love with it. I thought it was a great way to end #graffitiweek. Thanks Rob for thinking of me and thanks Alexander for sharing!
Another #graffitiweek bites the dust. Back at it on Monday!
What’s not to love about these two pictures? Thanks to Erin Kinsella for sharing her picture taken in NYC. There’s a lot of happiness in that picture! Meanwhile over in Greer, there is an angel’s heart (hello halo!) being zapped by a lightning bolt (aww).
Nothing but (graffiti)love ♥
I’m such a sucker for graffiti on trains and subways. Big thanks to Shauna Panczyszyn for sharing her pictures taken in Rome. I love the colors and how the graffiti takes over the subway car. The doors…the windows…it is all at the mercy of the graffiti. Here are a couple more of her shots:
I’m amazed at the talent that it takes to create art like this. Here are some more shots of the train that was passing me by in Streetsboro:
This R is just beautiful:
I have so much respect for this type of graffiti.
Moving on with #graffitiweek, today’s post are two examples where the graffiti has taken over a building.
Here are some detail shots from Orlando:
This guy looks like he needs a gyro. Now.
Here are some detail shots from Columbus:
This just looks like somebody’s dream exploded on a wall. I love all the different scenes and the colors:
If you spot any street art in your city, snap a pic and tweet it my way (@nikki_vz) to be featured in an upcoming #graffitiweek post!
I have been feeling the urge to have another #graffitiweek lately but I kept putting it off, mainly because I have seen such amazing typography in the cities I have traveled to for my speaking engagements. It has been so interesting to highlight how culture influences typographic choices, especially after experiencing these cities first hand. However, over the weekend I saw a tweet from Hoefler & Frere-Jones (if you don’t know who they are, please go slap yourself in the face follow them) with a picture taken at a construction site in New York City. I did a silent ‘ohmygodthatisfreakingawesome’ and then asked for permission to use their picture. When I got the green light from them (thank you @H_FJ !), I knew that #graffitweek was on. So, here we go!
No one likes being told what to do or seeing signs put forth by ‘management’ bossing people around. But when the typography is as beautiful as this, the bossiness isn’t so hard to take. See for yourself:
New York City
Hoefler & Frere-Jones
Here’s one that I took in NYC while there a couple of years ago:
While in Fredericksburg, Virginia last month, I came across this gem:
I had to stand there for a minute so my mind could process everything that is going on here. First, that crazy neon sign in the top right window. That y needs to calm down. He’s a little *too* excited. Even the apostrophe and s are like ‘woah, easy there buddy’:
No Trespassing. The decorative elements and the triple underline (ok, we get it!) is so much more fun to look at than just a generic sign mounted to the wall:
Someone had fun painting this…maybe a little too much fun:
What a save, right? That S is killer.
See any awesome street art or typography that is specific to your city? Take a picture and tweet it to me @nikki_vz to be featured in an upcoming post.
Yeah.
Whatever you’re thinking when you see this picture. That.
*swoon*
Thanks Stephen Kenny for sharing this with me. It’s one of my most favorite pics. I found some other pictures here and the other side of the debate here.
After doing some investigating, I have found out that this vandalism is also his work. Awesome.
The artist goes by the name Ben Eine (real name Ben Flynn) and this is his website with a TON of pictures of his amazing work. Bookmark that sucker!
Back at it on Monday!
I’m a firm believer that awesome typography is all around us. Sometimes it’s hiding in the most random places and you have to consciously look for it (manhole covers), sometimes it’s right in front of your face telling you where to go (wayfinding signs). I have found when it comes to graffiti, there are two obvious places it is bound to be: under bridges and on trains. Here are two pictures of graffiti spotted on the sides of trains. Big thanks to Kathryn Van Aernum and Will Kesling for sharing their pictures with me. I find that I look at typographic graffiti (like the 2 examples above) the same way I look at words written in other languages. I focus more on the shapes that are created and the colors that are used instead of what it says. I truly appreciate it for what it is. It’s art.
I can’t read them. I don’t care. They’re beautiful.
How freaking awesome are these two images?! Big thanks to Nick Reed and David Meade for sharing these pictures with me. I love how the texture of the wall makes Nick’s picture look like the boy was photocopied directly on the wall. It’s such a great image. Not to be outdone, the rocking lady in David’s picture. Hands down the best use of ‘the drip’ that I have ever seen.
Both of these illustrations blow my mind. Special thanks to my buddies Stephen Kenny and Craig Hazan for sharing their pictures with me. The colors in Stephen’s picture are so vibrant and beautiful. I’m thinking that 3 eyed kitty is holding some kind of a magical ice cream cone. She’s running like the wind to deliver it to her friends who literally CAN.NOT.WAIT. I think if I was walking down the street and I saw this graffiti just hanging out on the side of a building, I’m pretty sure I’d pass out.
It’s #graffitiweek again! A whole week’s worth of posts devoted to graffiti. Big thanks to Margot Swift for sharing her picture taken in Granada, Spain. It’s the monopoly man! Running! With arrows pointing at him! Here’s a closer shot:
As much as I love the monopoly man (omg look at his little suit and bow tie) in the stenciled graffiti, it’s those crazy arrows that caught my eye. I thought they’d look neat paired next to the crazy hand painted arrows leading you to parking outside a restaurant in Columbia, SC. Here are a couple of close ups:
See any graffiti in your city? Snap a pic and tweet it to me @nikki_vz to be included in #graffitiweek.
