Letters & Landmarks

The project unfolded in three phases.

Scope & Sourcing: I began by exploring several Denver neighborhoods before narrowing my focus to a few city blocks. I wanted to source the letterforms on foot and experience them within their environments.

I categorized the collected letters into uppercase and lowercase sets, photographing each one in situ to document its origin, even though I didn’t initially plan to include the photography in the final design because I intended the final product to look a little something like this:

An early attempt at visualizing the project as a cohesive display.

Along the way, the map concept became a bit more figurative, as you’ll see further down the page.

Some letters were abundant, while others were scarce or missing entirely. I filled the gaps by designing new forms, adapting existing ones, or extrapolating from the visual language of the letters I found.

I vectorized and refined each letter into a working typeface, eventually named Crackle Antiqua after the passage of time visible in the signs. I also kerned each letterform to create a functional, cohesive font.

Application: Once the typeface was built, I explored how to best communicate its persona. I ultimately paired it with photographs of the original buildings and signage that inspired each letterform, giving viewers a direct connection to their Denver origins.

The posters layered cryptic sentences in Crackle Antiqua over their source imagery. I also developed a consistent visual system to highlight details within the photographs and tie the installation together. The visual language of these posters changed quite a bit from the initial style and typeface I employed.

Initial visual poster style.

The original photograph alongside the edited version used in the final poster style.

Mapping & Installation: I knew I still wanted to utilize my original map idea, so I developed the posters into a grid system showing the approximate locations where each letterform originated. Using SketchUp to plan the poster series, I experimented with a digital render to make sure the concept translated beyond the screen.

For the street labels, I created vinyl lettering from my own handwriting. This added a personal layer to a project I made primarily to reflect Denver back to its people. I enjoyed the contrast between the found letterforms and something distinctly my own.

The final system became the foundation for a 15-poster installation, bringing together unique, overlooked pieces of Denver and turning them into something unexpected, playful, and entirely new.

From a digital render to a public installation.