iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

iiinova is part of the Atmosphere — an open, public network where you own your identity.

Sam at BLAG

@blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy

102 followers 7 following 911 posts

BLAG: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community, and Culture. The world's only print and online publication dedicated to sign painting. Inside you'll find […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ typo.social/@blag, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

Posts Replies Media

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 10h

Snapped this house number on my street to make a birthday card for one of the kids — she's obsessed with her birth day, number 22. #22 #Catch22 #Ceramics #SantPereDeRibes

Square ceramic tile mounted to a brick wall. A border is composed of two parallel painted green lines with a simple repeating leaf and stalk design set between them. Inside that frame is the hand-painted number 22.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 13h

Looks like the reissue of our ghost signs book is now ready for pre-order, at least in the UK: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/london-s-gh… The book that I co-authored with @royreed.bsky.social was first published by Isola Press in 2021 and this version from […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/10/2026

New at bl.ag online (aka @sam), ‘Chatting with Morgane Côme, Author of La Peinture en Lettres’, a fabulous new book celebrating French sign painting, past and present. bl.ag/chatting-with-morgane-come-au… Pictured is […] [Original post on typo.social]

Older man bending over to look at a spread from a book that a seated woman has open as she gestures while speaking with a smile on her face.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026

“We respond to it because it was so obviously done by a human being, with human weaknesses. The street feels a human place because of it. Lettering, which is smoothly anonymous, without wit, imagination, personality or sensitivity, gives the impression of having been designed as well as made by […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

Generative AI, especially when used in briefings from clients, is causing quite a stir within the sign painting community. Here’s an example of how it goes in a recent SignCraft article: “A basic shape and size for the sign was agreed upon and we drew up several comps. The client, however […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

Does anyone know if this ghost sign at West 147th Street & Frederick Douglas, Harlem, NY, is now gone? www.fadingad.com/fadingadblog/2007/… The photo in Frank Jump's book is from 1997 and there are a fair few new builds there, so I suspect it is no longer there, but just […]

Original post on typo.social

Reposted by Sam at BLAG

Roy Reed @royreed.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

I've added all of the photos that will appear in the book to an album of 1970s and '80s graffiti on Flickr. Some of the photographs in this album contain offensive racist and sexist writing. Please don't look if you are likely to be upset by this. www.flickr.com/photos/royre...

1970s & '80s Graffiti

Some of the photographs of graffiti in this album contain offensive racist and sexist writing. Please don't look if you are likely to be upset by this. Many of these photographs appear in a book 'T...

Reposted by Sam at BLAG

Roy Reed @royreed.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Back in June I was approached by an American exhibition design and publishing company to ask if they could use a few of my photos of graffiti from the 1970s in a book to accompany an exhibition on graffiti and street art. Click to read more... reeddesign.co.uk/wordpress/20...

reeddesign.co.uk

The Word on the Street

Back in June I was approached by an American exhibition design and publishing company to ask if they could use a few of my photos of graffiti from the 1970s in a book to accompany an exhibition on gra...

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

The new series of Letter Exchange lectures is now out, kicking off next week with @richardardagh on Type Archived, and then running more or less monthly until the summer. The lectures can be attended in-person in London, or online via Zoom. letterexchange.org/events #Lettering #Type […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026

New at bl.ag online (aka @sam), ‘Chicago Sign Writing in The Origin of the Serif’, with a reproduction of the final chapter of Edward Catich’s seminal work with the kind permission of St. Ambrose University […] [Original post on typo.social]

The Cooper Black I in black on white with the left side showing how, with small horizontal movements, the full serifed letter can be constructed in two strokes.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 07/10/2026

In Markdown, are there any other ways of implementing footnotes besides the [^1] format outlined on this page? www.markdownguide.org/extended-synt… I'm trying to add some to a piece in Ghost and it is not automatically rendering as it does with other Markdown elements […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 07/10/2026

New typeface and identity for Fulham Football Club inspired by the stadium's hand-painted lettering: music.agency/work/fulham-fc The Music agency brought in @f37foundry to develop the typeface. cc @sportsfonts #FFC #Fulham #Fonts #Type

Fulham FC | Music

Written into the Cottage

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026

A good sign maker considers the wider context in which their work will appear. This can include the nature of neighbouring signage, the position of the sun at different times of the day/year, and the various angles from which the sign will be viewed by the […] [Original post on typo.social]

Photo at night of a small eatery called Pick Me Up. Its sign in cursive yellow lettering is partially obscured the protruding canopy/lintel below such that what's visible reads as "Dick Me Up".

Reposted by Sam at BLAG

Micah Blachman @micahblachman.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026

@blag Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but this photographer documents brick ads. marlenkemmet.com/ghost-signs

marlenkemmet.com

Ghost Signs/Brick Ads – Marlen Kemmet

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026

Nice little video with the stories behind some of the ghost signs in Bozeman, Montana. nbcmontana.com/news/montana-moment/… I'd be interested to know if there are any historical records referring to Brick Ads, as this was the name of […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026

Am I hallucinating or was there once a Twitter hashtag like #UnintentionalAmpersand or #AmpersandInTheWild? Either way, here's one spotted in the kitchen today. cc @daveybot #Ampersand

Photo of a small piece of chain with a clasp on the end that is sitting on a black speckled marble surface such that the way it curls over itself gives the appearance of an ampersand.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026

RE: typo.social/@jackusine/117367453024… Clearly Bordeaux is the place to be next week...

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/10/2026

Does anyone know how to get an RSS feed from the @eyemagazine blog? www.eyemagazine.com/blog PS. The latest has a nice write-up of the @letterformarchive book: Lettres Décoratives. www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/books… #RSS #EyeMagazine

eyemagazine.com

Eye Magazine | Eye Magazine

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026

RE: mastodon.social/@simplebits/1173565… This is a good newsletter that I recently subscribed to, but make sure you have some time to click and indulge links when you open each one.

mastodon.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026

I think a few of the graphic design, photography, and typography folk on here would get a kick out of Tom Koch's series of six zines about his time in Japan: Tokyo Bento. They're all presented here for digital browsing: www.tomkoch.net The pictured […] [Original post on typo.social]

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/09/2026

I'm working on a little 'support your local bookshop' mailshot to counter a big promotional push I'm seeing from a major online retailer. I'll obviously include a plug for the BLAG shop (bl.ag/shop) but Is there anything else I should add to the following three suggestions? 1 […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026

New at bl.ag online (aka @sam), ‘Unpredictable Precision: Bringing Gluechipping Back to Japan’, with Sayumi Mizukoshi sharing her sign painting story and her work reviving this technique in Japan […] [Original post on typo.social]

Photo of a woman in front of a small easel with a piece of glass propped up on it. She is concentrating as she holds a piece of gold leaf on a brush, about to apply it to the glass in the process of gilding a gluechipped letter that is on the glass. To her side, a person is standing, only their body visible, while holding a notebook. Around the easel on the table are materials and pieces of equipment including a bottle with liquid inside, paper cups and more gold leaves.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026

Reminded me of this collection of archival Hungarian sign painting/painter photos: bl.ag/a-fascinating-collection-of-h… #SignPainting #SignPainters #Signwriting #Hungary

A Facinating Collection of Hungarian Sign Painting Photos, 1906–1976

Women feature prominently in these archival images of signs and sign painters at work in Hungary.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026

RE: zpravobot.news/@eastblocvisuals/117… Little bit of sign painting going on there!

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/09/2026

An interesting consultancy role is being advertised at the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft: www.ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk/… #FediHire #Art #Craft #Ditchling #Sussex

ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk

Consultant Brief - Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft is seeking a consultant or small consultancy to design a three-year action-research and business- plan

Reposted by Sam at BLAG

Deano @deano-510.sfba.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/09/2026

Forwarding this one mostly for @blag , but I’m sure you’ve already seen it by now. Sign painting is alive and well in SF! #signs #signage #painting #art #design […]

Original post on sfba.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/09/2026

While in London I found two copies each of BLAG 04 and BLAG 05 which were previously sold out. I have put these together with Issues 03, 06, 07, and 08 to create a six-issue bundle with shipping included from Spain. shop.bl.ag/products/blag-issues-03-… #BLAG #SignPainting #Magazines

BLAG Issues 03–08

Six issues of BLAG, as below, with tracked UPS shipping included

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/09/2026

Here's another Better Bankside productions with a stop from my Bankside Ghostsigns Walk: ghostsigns.co.uk/tours. This time its a visit to the 'faux' Andre Perot ghost sign on Park Street, which we* deduced was painted for a piece of set design, perhaps […] [Original post on typo.social]

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/09/2026

What's a neat way of storing and accessing smaller publications, e.g. A5 / half letter size? A shelf doesn't work for me as most of these (zines, booklets, etc) don't have text on their spines, and it's more or less the same issue with the plastic box that I currently have them in. I want to […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/09/2026

RE: typo.social/@sol/117297378858376210 Quote posting this again for International Day of Sign Languages and to ask if anyone in Santa Rosa, CA, knows anything about this and perhaps its creator(s)? #SantaRosa #SignLanguage

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/09/2026

New at bl.ag online (aka @sam), ‘My First Letterheads: Sea Level, Amsterdam, 2026’, with Maggie Jaris sharing her “transformative” experience at last month’s gathering of sign painters in the city. bl.ag/my-first-letterheads-sea-leve… […] [Original post on typo.social]

View over the shoulder of a sign painter working with a fine lining brush to apply a thin outline to lettering that says "Sea Level" in the corner of a panel that has more lettering on it which isn't visible.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026

There are bargains (and freebies) to be had for anyone that can get to Welwyn Garden City on Friday, 9 October. www.handover.co.uk/blog/2026/09/22/… The early bird catches the brushes, paints, and sundries... #Signwriting […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026

What's the correct term for words that are spelled the same but mean different things depending on how they're pronounced? For example 'tear', meaning to rip when it rhymes with 'hair' versus a droplet of water falling from the eye when it rhymes with 'ear'. And does this phenomenon occur in […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/09/2026

Just got my latest royalty statement for 'Advertising and Public Memory: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives on Ghost Signs' that I co-edited ten years ago. The academic book, published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis, retails at $63 in paperback, $50 for the eBook (!!!), and $187 for […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/09/2026

Despite living there for over two years and being aware of Vann Nath’s artworks, I only learned today that he used to earn his living as a sign painter. “Vann Nath was born in 1946 in Battambang province, into a poor family that sold rice noodles. He grew up at Wat Sopee pagoda, where he […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

Just picked up delivery of my patches from @spellingmistakescostlives and this was among the little extras inside. Maybe the time has come for version 2.0 based on the logotypes of some of the big tech/AI companies out there?

Card that reads "Don't believe everything billionaires tell you" with each word set in the masthead/logotype of a different major right wing British newspaper.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

Enjoyed this piece on neon signs, and it was nice to see God's Own Junkyard in London feature alongside the US locations. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eZ3WCthsag #Neon #NeonSigns #Signs

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

RE: typo.social/@sol/117297378858376210 Hashtag meta, in the original meaning of the word.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026

@rogerchicken.bsky.social Hi Roger, just seeing if this comes through to you on Bluesky and if you are able to reply to me here on Mastodon... PS. I saw your post of the repainted Melox Marvels ghost sign in Birmingham ( […] [Original post on typo.social]

Photo of the upper two floors of a building with the wall split into roughly two thirds on the left and one third on the right, separated by loading doors. The wall on the left also has a window set into it. Then, on the walls themselves, are traces of fading lettering, which is visible as layers from newer towards the front to older behind. Words and phrases can be read, especially on the most recent layer which says "Clarke's Melox Marvels, the Ideal Biscuits for Dogs" on the left and "Clarke's Pulbis Dog Food, a Melox Product" on the right.

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

@eriksandblom On the other side of the Atlantic, we had "For your throat's sake, smoke Craven "A"". The slogan is now almost gone from this wall, but endured well past the ban on tobacco advertising in the form of this ghost sign […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

As it has come up in a couple of conversations/activities recently, here’s a reminder of the inspiring and courage-inducing message in Charles Bukowski’s ‘Roll the Dice’: hellopoetry.com/poem/68266/roll-the… #Poetry #Poem #RollTheDice #Bukowski

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

Today's rabbit hold: Interesting Ideas: "Interestingideas.com is my project. It began as a photo-copied newsletter in 1989 and reached the world via the Web in 1994, a sobering example of the Internet’s transparency to marginal notions. It was a personal test bed for online publishing as well […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

Earlier this month I did some filming with Better Bankside for their social media team. This is the first despatch of what will likely be four or five similar segments from locations on my Bankside Ghostsigns Walk: ghostsigns.co.uk/tours. This […] [Original post on typo.social]

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

Pretty geographically specific, but there are £2500 grants available from Heritage Crafts for anyone doing reverse glass signs in Suffolk, Essex, East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove. However, those outside of these areas may also apply as sometimes not all the grants are awarded […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

Len, who has been practising sign lettering and gilding for a couple of years now, adds: "in the pics the ‘Rebel’ gild, brown manicule, 'Their Lair' (first oil gild with real gold ⚜️, 'Fuck AI' box and 'Peckham Rye' (pounce made from a vintage bus blind to replicate close as possible) are bits […]

Original post on typo.social

Sam at BLAG @blag.typo.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/09/2026

Jason Carne is currently offering every display font he's ever made for just $50, although you can pay more to support him and his work. That's 10 typefaces and 3 fonts across 63 OTF files in total. letteringlibrary.gumroad.com/l/NeNoy #Typography #Fonts #JasonCarne

letteringlibrary.gumroad.com

Jason Carne Font Bundle

Every font I've ever made, all for $50 (normally a $725 value sold separately). 63 OTF files total.Alchemist (1 OTF Display Font)Botanist (1 OTF Display Font)Capstone (7 OTF Display Typeface)Capstone Sans (7 OTF Display Typeface)Deathspell (9 OTF Display Typeface)Heist (3 OTF Layered Typeface)Ironbound Condensed (9 OTF Display Typeface)Mosler (4 OTF Display Typeface)Motor City (2 OTF Display Typeface)Railroad Co. (1 OTF Display Font)Reverb (5 OTF Display Typeface)Skyward (12 OTF Display Typeface)Tobacconist (2 OTF Display Typeface)