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Engravo
ROLE
Typographer
SKILLS
Type Design
AUDIENCE
Designers
TIMELINE
4 Weeks
TOOLS
Illustrator
Glyphs
Overview
After discovering a fading typeface that has not been designed into an official one—students were given the opportunity to "resurrect" the dying typeface by crafting a full set of characters, numbers, and select punctuation based off of what letters or characters were present or displayed on the original typeface found.
Deliverables
Typeface | Exhibition
BRIEF + OPPORTUNITY
This project presented an opportunity to rediscover and preserve vanishing letterforms—those found in hand-painted signage, architectural details, and other fading typographic remnants. These letterforms were never intended to exist as complete typefaces, yet they embody an extraordinary level of craftsmanship, individuality, and historical significance. Many of these designs, once meticulously rendered by hand, are now disappearing. This was our chance to uncover, document, and breathe new life into them through digital resurrection.
DISCOVERY
The first phase of this project was dedicated to exploration. We set out to seek and document these overlooked letterforms—unique typographic artifacts that have yet to be fully realized as typefaces. Whether discovered in local neighborhoods, distant travel destinations, or even in foreign scripts, each student gathered source material that reflected the beauty of typography lost to time.
DEVELOPMENT
The letterforms I selected originated from a hand-painted storefront sign for a now-defunct business in my area, Awards Unlimited. Specializing in engraving trophies and plaques for local competitions and school events, the store has long since closed its doors. Today, its only remaining presence is the fading signage that once identified it.
To begin the digitization process, I captured and refined the letterforms using Photoshop, carefully isolating and reconstructing their shapes. However, as I analyzed the forms, I uncovered significant inconsistencies in stroke weight, style, and serif application. Rather than replicating these irregularities, I took an adaptive approach—drawing inspiration from the existing forms while crafting a cohesive and fully realized typeface.
The foundation of this typeface was built from a single letter: E. Among the original letterforms, it exhibited the most structural stability, offering distinct stems and serifs that could serve as the basis for the rest of the design. By deconstructing and refining its elements, I systematically developed an expanded character set, including uppercase letters, numerals, and select punctuation—culminating in the creation of Engravo, a typeface that both honors and reimagines the craftsmanship of the past.
THE SPECIMEN
Engravo Inline Majuscules
Engravo Inline Numbers & Punctuation
Engravo Majuscules
Engravo Numbers & Punctuation
Engravo Outline Majuscules
Engravo Outline Numbers & Punctuation
Engravo Stencil Majuscules
Engravo Stencil Numbers & Punctuation
The Archive Exhibit
"The Archive: Letters Lost and Type Found," showcases student work from the Digital Resurrections In Typography course. This exhibition invites a broader audience to engage with living history through digital as typefaces. Volume 4's theme, "The Archive," highlights not only the current edition of typefaces but also the narratives from the previous three volumes. So far, students have "rescued" over 75 unique historic lettering sources in this course, with some original sources now destroyed or removed, leaving only the digital typefaces as their legacy.
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