Black circle with white letters 'PL' inside. The Practical Lettering monogram.

Our Process

The Practical Lettering way. How we design and develop our typefaces.

We are inspired by hand-lettering from the golden age of commercial art.
Every typeface we design begins as hand-lettering - sketched and inked before being digitized.

  • Collage of vintage-style circular posters with text and graphics.

    Ephemera Collectors

    We love hand-lettering!

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    Every typeface we design is inspired by hand-lettering from our collection of rare books, prints, matchbooks and vintage ephemera.

  • Hand using a pencil to write on a white surface with text.

    For Designers

    We design for the grocery store sign artist, the tattooer, the chainstitcher, the sign painter, the letterhead and the graphic designer.

    Our typefaces look like they are hand-drawn, because they are!

  • Two people posing together in a room with vintage decor and logos on the wall.

    By Designers

    Our experience is in hand-painted signs, chain stitch embroidery, grocery store lettering and package design.

    Every purchase supports two working designers in the never-ending pursuit of preserving vintage design.

  • Circular sticker with robot design and text 'Key Wound Motor' on a dark background

    No AI Graphics

    All of our typefaces, vector alphabets and designs are made by hand.

    We believe that human imperfection is what makes everything we love about vintage design so special.