Growing up in Alphabet City: the Unexpected Letterform Art of Michael Doret

328 pages
Edited by Letterform Archive
Foreword by Nick Sherman
26 x 26 cm 
Language: English
Hardback
Publisher: Letterform Archive
2024

A visual autobiography from the lettering legend behind iconic artwork for Kiss, Disney, the Knicks, and many more

In this vivid and humorous monograph-meets-memoir, Los Angeles–based lettering supremo Michael Doret shares his top-secret tricks for making mere words into iconic words-as-images for clients such as Time, Pixar, the USPS, and more. With more than 600 images, Growing Up in Alphabet City traces Doret’s influences from 1950s Brooklyn to 2000s LA, showcasing his clever logo, signage, and poster projects along the way. It also presents and preserves the pre-digital process of custom lettering―from initial pencil sketches to printer mechanicals to final art (plus some spurned client proposals for good measure).

With original photo tutorials that teach all the classic lettering tricks, a foreword by type aficionado Nick Sherman, and a freshly commissioned cover by Doret himself, Growing Up in Alphabet City offers a dose of welcome nostalgia―and endless inspiration―for letterform lovers of any generation.