Filed under: typography
I can’t decide if I think this is cool or not. Alphabet Photography lets you enter a word and it generates the word using photography of things that look like letters… but some of the letters seem a little off. Maybe the idea has merit but the execution (the photography) could be improved. You can change the individual letters (selecting from a few, say, “e” options) and then pay for your word. It looks like OLLY (above) would cost about $21. I’ll be honest - I don’t know exactly what that gets you, whether digital images or prints or what.
Just a few more places you can find photographs of things that look like letters, although I’m sure there are many, many more:
If you’re looking for photographs of words, I highly recommend visiting the Visual Dictionary:
Their database includes thousands of images of words from anywhere - signs, graffiti, ads - and anyone (you can submit your own photography if you care to share). It’s indexed, so if you want to check out whether they have an interesting photograph of the word “garden,” you can look it up.
Otherwise, if you’re a flickr fan, I recommend a visit to the Words group for some excellent word photography.
I don’t know where Decocentric found him (can’t read it!) but Ryan Frank makes some very cool furniture. The textures are funky fabulous and he uses eco-friendly materials. Everything seems incredibly thoughtful, from use of experimental techniques and re-used materials and calling on his background and experience in South Africa, Holland and London. Above is his Inkuku (Zulu for “chicken”) chair using recycled plastic bags. Take a peek here.
Above is Ryan’s Ishongololo (Zulu for “millipede”) stool. It uses grey wool (yes!) and steel. Adding it to my mental “favorites” list right now.
Yesterday I applied for a job at our local Design Within Reach. Cross fingers! Not only do I think it would be inspiring to work in and around such great design, but I think it could be a blast to plan and manage events at the store. It also wouldn’t hurt if I got a teeny, tiny employee discount off this chair that I’ve been dreaming about:
I just came across Sweet Bella’s beautiful white ceramic letters (via openhouse-richmond) and like them a lot! I’m not sure where to find them or exactly how to buy (yet) but will have to find out.
And wouldn’t you know - it must be letter day! I’ve been drooling over a lot of the great letters featured on design*sponge today (especially the chocolate type - YUM)… For sure, visit the entire post! In the meantime, here are a few of my faves:
I’ve been ogling the type junkie on etsy for some time. I love her crisp photography and interesting arrangements; if I can’t get my hands on the type itself, her photographs are definitely the next best thing. (And, let’s face it, her photos will be much lighter! They would be a great substitution for doing a collection or collage/display of type on the wall.)
d*s also mentioned these bold number designs from sugarcube on etsy - I’d never seen them before, but love how bold they are. I’m also a sucker for that brown or kraft paper. extra bonus: sugarcube also has pieces with polka dots!
Vintage BIG letters are awesome. The ones above (mentioned on d*s) are from Salvage One. Time to make a road trip to Chicago to check this place out - it looks incredible! I’ve never won any of my eBay bids for big letters, but still love to look at them and think about how I’d use a collection of big and little letters. Above, I think that “f” is great!
My friend Ross hit the jackpot when he found vintage neon sign letters spelling “EAT UP” at the Ann Arbor antiques market a few years ago. Ross is a great chef (so, really, eat up!) and the letters really complement the industrial/vintage look he’s cultivated in his bungalow. I love the dark red on his textured green walls.
