“Photo-Lettering: Fanatically Fabricated Alphabets for the Future” exhibit to open at DCAD

You may never have heard of the term photo-lettering, but believe me, you have seen it almost everywhere – including the original New York Times masthead, movie titles and albums.

Photo-Lettering was one of the earliest and most successful type houses to utilize photo technology in the production of commercial typography and lettering. Photo-Lettering enjoyed a significant advantage over its competitors with its purpose-built exposure units, expert staff and a sophisticated workflow.

House Industries, located in Yorklyn, was founded by Delaware natives Andy Cruz and Rich Roat in 1993. Roat and Cruz, who are self-described "type geeks", will bring their traveling exhibit "Photo-Lettering: Fanatically Fabricated Alphabets for the Future" to the Delaware College of Art and Design on Friday, Nov. 2.

The exhibit demonstrates the relevance of traditional photographic lettering reproduction in a present-day context. By skillfully juxtaposing traditional materials and processes with modern applications, Roat believes DCAD students can learn a lot from the photo-lettering process.

"It teaches a lesson about a craft," Roat said. "The process behind it is not obsolete."

Founded in 1936, photo-lettering eventually yielded to the digital publishing boom with most of their timeless alphabet styles and propriety composition techniques lying unused for decades. House Industries purchased the collection in 2003 and has since been working on a modern photo-lettering service while maintaining its legendary quality, sophistication and sense of style.

The exhibit will display twelve 40-inch square hand-printed panels forming a 14 x 10-foot schematic of the original photo-lettering workflow. Floor to ceiling panels, custom lithographic wallpaper and free-standing hand-cut wood letter specimens will round out the exhibit.

Want to learn more about photo-lettering? Visit House Industries' website at www.houseind.com/.