Found Type – Philadelphia
I was in Philadelphia this past weekend, visiting friends and meeting with potential clients. One of the things I miss most about living in a city is the history that you see just walking down the street. Every building has its own story and its own past. Where I live (i.e., the burbs) everything is new, sterile, and agonizingly spotless. So while I was in Philly I tried to capture a little of what I miss through images of found type.
The huge C.A. Rowell type is elegant in its own right, but what really drew me to this building was the faintly visible signage behind it. The history of the building’s ownership and function is written right there on its side.
In the middle of the 20th Century, a lot of the industry that Philadelphia was thriving on dried up and went elsewhere. Wandering through the neighborhoods outside Center City, the impact of that economic shift can be blatantly apparent.
This feels more like a concert flyer for a grunge band than a church, but grunge type that doesn’t feel like a cliche is so rare that I had to include it.
Right above the Dunkin’ Donuts I used to hit on my daily commute, this is the only sample from Center City. It’s art deco at its most flamboyant, though it does feel out of place sandwiched between the plain bricks above and the tacky retail below. The air vents (i think that’s what they are) on the left and right feel a little bit goatse though…