A mid-1950s hand lettered ad for Stenso Lettering Guides provided the inspiration for Stencil Company JNL, now available in both regular and oblique versions. The Stenso Lettering Company of Baltimore, Maryland pioneered easy-to-use and inexpensive lettering devices with guide holes for accurate spacing. Originally designed by a school teacher (Ruth Libauer Hormats) around 1940, the company was family run until it was sold in 1962 to Ottenheimer Publishers. They in turn sold the line to the Dennison Manufacturing Company, and it was discontinued in the 1980s after Dennison merged with Avery.

The design of this display face is based on the hot metal typeface Acropolis, issued by the German type foundry Ludwig Wagner in Leipzig in 1940. To further increase its usefulness a Cyrillic was added to it: URW Akropolis, redrawn and digitally remastered by Coen Hofmann for the URW Font Forum, is a true display design that should not be set below 48 point if you want to preserve it's fine details like the open triangular sections, e.g. in L, G, S, T etc. and gain the full typographic splendidness of this beautiful typeface.

Although the Art Deco movement is generally attributed to the 1930s and 1940s, a number of design influences were showing up during the late 1920s in what is referred to as the Art Nouveau period. The Dutch illustrator Anton Kurvers’ hand lettering on the front cover of the (1927) magazine “Het Vlaamsche Volstooneel” clearly shows the clean lines and Avant Garde geometrics that foreshadow Art Deco. This attractive pre-Deco lettering has been recreated digitally as Dutch Deco JNL, and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Metalet Modern JNL was based on the letters found within the Metalet Movie Titling Set manufactured by the Modern Display Advertising Company of Hollywood, California circa the 1940s. Each stamped metal letter would be affixed to the background surface via the use of miniature magnets. Once in place, titles for home movies or slides could be photographed, the letters then returned to their storage area in their box. The character shapes show unusual stroke movement, which means the original models used for these letters were most likely hand-drawn.

The calligraphy font Banner was designed by Martin Wait in 1986 and mixes the character of the 1940s with that of the 1980s in its forms. The round and somewhat reserved lower case letters make a balanced basis for the generous capitals. Black outer contours surround a white inner area and are heavier on the right side of the figures, making the characters look as though they have shadows. Banner should be used in point sizes of 18 and larger and is meant for lighthearted short texts or headlines.

Koala was originally designed in 1999 by Eric de Berranger with an individual, independent character. A distinguishing characteristic of this sans serif font is its marked stroke contrast, typical of Modern Face fonts. The open, airy forms are reminiscent of ancient Roman capitals. The lower case letters display traits similar to those often seen on posters and in advertisements of the 1930s and 1940s. The lively Koala is particularly good for shorter texts and headlines in larger point sizes and combines well with fonts with little stroke contrast.

Portsmouth Second Fleet is the rag tag, wild bunch companion to Portsmouth. It is a strong, sturdy typeface with historical character. Its inspiration comes from the height and strength of the wooden tall ships that sailed into port in their day. With caps and small caps, this typeface is great for headlines or subheads for design projects that need a historical or retro feel, such as from the 1940s and earlier. Two different styles that can be layered allow for different colored drop shadows, outlines and fill for even more customization.

The evocative and original Retrofit is based on typefaces of the 1940s and 50s, which extolled the virtues of American products in glossy magazines for the new suburban consumer. Oversized terminal bulbs and occasional slab serifs lend a rhythm and a bouncing baseline provides just the "zing" to spice up that bland typographic treatise. Retrofit's easy familiarity can be seen on children's books, games, food packaging, and other places where a kid friendly note is needed. Retrofit has been adapted by Quickutz for their punched letter cutting tool, and re-named "Maggie".

The French publication “La Lettre Dans le Decor et La Publicite Modernes” (“The Letter in the Modern Décor and Advertising”) was a 24-page booklet showcasing the then-current trends of the time (circa late 1930s-early 1940s). On one page was found a squared, extra bold sans serif alphabet set with strong Art Nouveau influences, yet it was ahead of its time by taking on the look and feel of 1980s techno typography. They say “everything old is new again”, and Nouveau Techno JNL is now available digitally in both regular and oblique versions.

An interesting hand lettered example of Art Deco lettering (minus the letter ‘L’) was spotted on Pinterest and served as the inspiration for Deco Sketch JNL. Because there was no attribution as to the age or source of the alphabet, it can only be surmised that it was a scan from a 1930s or 1940s source. The original showed many of the irregularities of pen lettering, and had rounded terminals. The digital version has been redrawn more uniformly with flat terminals. Deco Sketch JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Cellien Font Duo is a combination of script and sans-serif fonts, offering a perfect blend of elegance and modernity. With over 140 ligatures, the script font features natural and flowing letterforms, while the sans-serif font adds a clean and polished aesthetic. These fonts are designed to harmoniously pair together and are suitable for various design projects such as logos, branding, posters, labels, product packaging, invitation designs, and more.

Amigos is a classic handwritten script font for luxury / signature / branding / logotype / wedding invites / greeting cards / promotional graphics. Amigos is completely handmade with more than 140 hours of artistic craftsmanship bringing perfection and aesthetics at its level best. The font includes extended language support including Western European & Central European sets. Advanced Kerning & Essential Ligatures: We have performed advanced, in-depth kerning to make sure the font looks amazing on all possible letter combinations.

The basic letterforms of this typeface were found in a lettering book, Rotalución Decorativa, published in Barcelona in the 1940s. Add a lowercase and a few flourishes suggested by a hand-painted sign seen at a neighborhood tavern on Staten Island, and you have a seriously fun face. To add even more spice, the font also contains alternate characters in the Logical Not, ASCII circumflex and tilde positions. It also contains a few alternate characters in the ASCII circumflex and tilde positions to perk things up. Both versions of the font contain characters to support all major European languages.

A 1930s advertising poster for the Inman Brothers Flying Circus offered up an interesting hand lettered Art Deco design that’s a cross between both squared and rounded character shapes. Because of it's 'futuristic look', the resulting type style can also lend itself to 1970s and 1980s retro projects as well as those from the 1930s and 1940s. Now a digital font, Air Circus JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions. A “Flying Circus” is a troupe of ‘barnstormers’ (stunt pilots) who performed aerial tricks either individually or as a team along with selling airplane rides to the general public.

Latin music was all the rage in the United States from the 1930s through the 1950s and songs with a “South of the Border” or “Old Mexico” theme were plentiful. The 1940 sheet music for “Make Love with a Guitar” evoked the idea of serenading one’s lovely lady on horseback while strumming the guitar. ..at least if you went by the by the illustration under the song’s name. As the hand lettered title was rendered in an Art Deco design, it became the basis for Jazz Guitar JNL [which seemed a more befitting name], and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Rapier, designed by Martin Wait for ITC in 1989, is an impulsive, energetic script font with strong ties to the brush and advertisement typefaces of hte 1940s. The zestful capitals contrast with small, narrow lower case letters, lending the font its dynamism and liveliness. Desinger Wait reached the energetic, almost aggressive feel of Rapier with snappy base forms and especially with ascending strokes. For an optimal look it is advisable to set Rapier's forms near to one another, so that the ends of the strokes of one figure touch the beginning of the next. Rapier is best used for headlines and short texts.

Eckhardt Informal JNL was found in a Dan Solo alphabets book under the name "Circus Wagon". This hand-lettered design with a playful inline is reminiscent of the show cards of the 1940s and 1950s. The Eckhardt series of typefaces is named in honor of the late Al Eckhardt, Jr. - a good friend of type designer Jeff Levine whose talents in hand-crafting attractive lettering was appreciated by many. His work, like the others before him is fast become a lost art in today's technology-driven world. Eckhardt Informal JNL is available in it's regular (inline) version and also as a solid version.

Romantic, decorative Adios Script is one of Alejandro Paul’s most elaborate and technically refined faces to date. Inspired by designs in “how-to” commercial lettering guides of the 1940s, it has been refined and brought into the 21st century through a huge variety of ornate swash letterforms. The lowercase “h” alone offers 43 variants. Hundreds of ornamental ascenders and descenders allow a beautiful interplay of strokes and combinations, while avoiding overlaps or conflicts. Adios Script features a mind-boggling 1,470 characters in total, in OpenType format. Adios Script received a Certificate of Excellence from the Type Directors Club.

Number Five is pure Americana, suitable for titling, display, logo, signage, and editorial work. Its bold and casual down-to-earth lettering evokes the spirit of the 1940s and 1950s in America. Number Five has 433 alternates, including a set of unconnected letters (the default set is all a connected script), and 10 ornaments. See what’s included! Rough • Smooth *NOTE* Basic versions DO NOT include swashes, alternates or ornaments These fonts have been specially coded for access of all the swashes, alternates and ornaments without the need for professional design software! Info and instructions here: http://lauraworthingtontype.com/faqs/

Timernis is humanist multilingual contrast sans serif available in eight weights from thin to black. All caps have this super elegant, classic proportions old school look and is based on 1940 stone engraving commemorative plaque. The engraving itself boasted sophisticated clean look and was a joy to look at. All caps: Would suit display usage such as: signage, titles, headers, engravings, high end packaging. Do try putting space between the letters in your selected word for suave and chic feel. Expanded round shapes are prevalent in lowercase, which is legible in small sizes and pleasant to the eye.

The lettering for Stencil Box JNL was found on the packaging of a children's toy stencil set circa the 1940s. Popular for years, Pencil Stencils were a series of "connect the line" stencils where a series of dashed lines were traced from the cutouts and the lines connected to complete pictures of animals or other subjects. Although the packaging itself was often updated to reflect the current times during the life of the product, it was this hand-lettered example of stencil-meets-Art Deco from the 40s that proved worthy of saving as a digital typeface.

Ritz Slab Serif JNL is a bold display face which shares a lot of similar design traits to Stymie and other similar metal type of the 1930s and 1940s, but in actuality was modeled from only four letters. On the sheet music for the 1937 song "Sweet Varsity Sue" [from the 20th Century Fox Film "Life Begins in College"], there is a picture of the Ritz Brothers - a popular comedy team from 1925 through the late 1960s. The hand lettered name "Ritz" became the basis for Ritz Slab Serif JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Mocombo JNL is a slightly modified version of one of the numerous alphabets created by the late Alf R. Becker for Signs of the Times Magazine during the period of the 1930s through the 1950s. Tod Swormstedt of ST Media—who is also the curator of the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio—supplied Jeff Levine a wealth of source material from which this font is derived. The angular style of this typeface was originally referred to as “German Poster Lettering” by Becker, but it can represent many styles from 1940s night clubs to African safaris and just about anything in-between.

The hand lettered word ‘puzzles’ from the box cover of a 1940s set of metal “connected” puzzle pieces manufactured by the A.C. Gilbert Company was the initial typographic model, but some additions and changes were made. Instead of the right side of the ‘P’ being a semi-circle, it was changed to a more conservative ‘’squared’ look. After drawing out all of the necessary glyphs, the overall height of the characters was extended to make the letters and numbers appear taller and narrower. The end result is Narrow Deco JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Pacaembu is a sans serif typeface that finds its roots in Brazilian football. This seven weight family began as a study of the stone lettering found in the Paulo Machado de Carvalho Municipal Stadium, affectionately known as the Estádio Pacaembu, a real gem of the Art-Deco style inaugurated in 1940. These art-deco letters, like football itself, were brought to Brazil by Europeans and out there in the tropics found a totally unique personality. Pacaembu is a celebration of Brazilian Football, it’s unique flavours, moves, sights and colors which have been delighting fans for generations.

According to Wikipedia, a "clip joint" is an establishment, usually a strip club or night club (often claiming to offer adult entertainment or bottle service) in which customers are tricked into paying excessive amounts of money, for surprisingly low-grade goods or services - or sometimes, nothing - in return. These establishments were rampant during the prohibition years. However, the inspiration for Clip Joint JNL comes from a more positive source - a WPA (Works Progress Administration) poster advertising "The Lure of the National Parks". A bold, classic Art Deco design, it typifies the modern and streamlined approach to lettering in the 1930s and 1940s.

Hello Aluyeaholics! Introducing Salks, the Typeface That Brings Joy to Your Designs! Salks is a playful and joyful display typeface that will add a touch of happiness to your creative projects. With Salks' 140+ playful ligatures, four weight options, quick access features, and careful attention to detail, you'll have the perfect tool to instantly uplift any project and unlock unlimited creative possibilities. Experience the happiness that Salks brings to your creative world with this delightful display typeface that guarantees smiles all around.

A set of transfer patterns for sewing decorative monogram initials on clothing was manufactured by Women's Day magazine circa the 1940s. Designed by renowned Copenhagen-born industrial artist and letterer Gustav Boerge Jensen [April 8, 1898 - June 27, 1954], these initials have been redrawn into a digital font entitled Danish Script Initials JNL. Large initials are on the uppercase A-Z keys, while smaller initials are on the lower case a-z keys and are centered to the larger cap height. An ornament is provided on the asterisk key, and can be placed between the small initials and the larger initial for decorative effect.

This font takes its name and the overall shape from modern bentwood furniture, namely Scandinavian designs since the 1940s. The curved corners of the letterforms are practically hyperbolic, to convey the tension and strength of the bent plywood. These curves are meant to appear more dynamic than circular or elliptical segments of traditional sans serif fonts. The letterforms are simplified, without extra corners, stems, connections or hooks, yet remain legible at any size. Now at version 2, Bentwood contains Central/Eastern European, Baltic and Turkish character sets and more ligatures with Open Type functionality. Some minor corrections were made to letter shapes and positions, as well as to kerning and spacing.

For many decades, the fashion magazine “Vogue” featured superbly illustrated covers before photography became more commonplace. During the 1930s and 1940s those illustrations were accompanied by many creative styles of hand lettering for its monthly issues. The January, 1930 cover had the magazine’s name lettered in an Art Deco geometric monoline, which became the inspiration for Vagary JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions. A vagary [in a simple sense] is when something or someone changes in an erratic or unexpected way (as the wind’s direction or in a person’s mood or whim)… and thus seemed the fitting name for this type style.

Adams is a revival and major expansion of Dolf Overbeek's Studio typeface and Flambard, its bold counterpart, originally published by the Amsterdam Type Foundry in 1946 and 1954. This digital version adds small caps and a new light weight. Adams is a simple upright, flat brush script, with stroke angles carefully designed to give the same color in all sizes. It is reminiscent of the sign lettering commonly found in the 1930s and 1940s. The Adams fonts are available in all popular font formats, and the character sets cover a wide range of codepages, including Central and Eastern European languages, Esperanto, Turkish, Baltic, Celtic/Welsh.

An ad for the annual Variety Club Convention appeared in the March 18, 1940 issue of "The Film Daily. The main headline was hand lettered in a classic Art Deco "solid" style of sans serif - ultra bold and with no counters - but had one additional feature: 'engraved' lines to the left of each character. This has now been expanded into the digital typeface Trade Convention JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions. Variety Clubs (now know as Variety - The Children's Charity) was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928 by entertainers specifically to aid children. Their history can be found at https://variety.org/who-we-are/history

Although the early 1900s through the 1920s seemed to be the "Golden Age" of ridiculously long novelty song titles, it appears that even the decade of the 1940s had its fair share as well. Song Merchant JNL was modeled from the hand lettered [but exhausting] title of the sheet music for "Princess Poo-Poo-Ly Has Plenty Pa-Pa-Ya (and she Loves to Give it Away)". Despite the obvious double-entendre inferences of the title, the square block letters with rounded corners make for a useful headline font (even if the source material it was drawn from is quite forgettable). Available in regular and oblique versions.

Alf Becker was a master sign painter and lettering stylist who created well over 100 alphabets for a monthly feature in the trade magazine "Sign of the Times" during the 1930s and 1940s. Thanks to Tod Swormstedt of ST pubications for supplying the source material. One of these designs features a modernized version of Old English or "text" lettering making it more legible for sign and show card work. Doing away with extra curves and swashes, this type style is more calligraphic in nature than classic. Modern English JNL was modeled from Becker's original design, and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Jim Spiece has a taste and a talent for reviving type styles from earlier in this century. ITC Deli Supreme is a “futuristic retro” face that would be at home as a logo on a car or a roadside diner from the 1940s or '50s; the lowercase nearly joins, in script style, thanks to the long extenders stretching out from the bottom-right corner of most letters, while the caps have beginning strokes leading in from the top left. ITC Deli Supreme, like ITC Deli Deluxe, features slightly rounded corners on all the letters, for a soft, streamlined look despite the squareness of the letterforms.

Pitcher is a bold brush with roots in 1940s and 1950s Americana. Pitcher is great for sports team or bar logos, beer labels or anything where you need a strong sturdy script with lots of character. Pitcher is equipped with several OpenType features - keep on Standard Ligatures and Contextual Alternates for smooth connections between letters. Try Swash or Titling Alternates when you need more customised headlines or when designing a logo and look for Glyph Palette for even more alternates. Pitcher Printed is the same font with a worn-out texture and a bit softer corners. Combine Pitcher Ornaments with the script to complete your designs!

Hello Aluyeaholics! Glamour Bouquet, a magnificent wadding handwritten font. It's was inspired by a royal wedding that just took place in our town. Uniting the two empires of the two major cities of our country. Coming with 140+ stunning and super easy to use alternates and ligatures. Super Easy to Use alternates - You can easily call alternates using special combination like a.2 k.3 b.4 t.h c.c etc. To get results like the preview just type g.7l.8amour.3 b.6ouquet.2

A sheet music edition of an early 1900s song entitled "You Taught Me How to Love You, Now Teach Me to Forget" was hand lettered in a free-form Art Nouveau style that combined varying line widths and character shapes. This unrestricted style of lettering was popularly embraced and revived by the hippie counterculture of the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s through their rock concert posters, record album covers and tee shirt graphics. It is now available digitally as Nouveau Artiste JNL. As a side note, a 1940s reprint of the sheet music was done in a popular metal typeface, which was also redrawn digitally and available as Elite Resort JNL [in both regular and oblique versions].

The grandeur of what was Miami Beach had its golden years peak in the 1940s. One of the grande dame hotels that stood at Collins Avenue and 23rd Street was the Roney Plaza; built in the 1920s and demolished around 1969. An online auction offered a pair of gummed labels provided by the hotel to be used by their guests for shipping souvenir packages back home, thus also giving the hotel a promotional plug. Jeff Levine not only created two typefaces from this hand-lettered label - Old Miami Beach JNL and Old Miami Beach Nights JNL (a solid black version), but painstakingly recreated the look of the label for the promotional flag and banner for the fonts.