I traveled 90.67 miles visiting nine cities around Gainesville, Florida. My interest in vernacular type is inspired by the nostalgic sentiment of Mexican street sign culture. I’m curious about the woodblock type trade that made some forms look so familiar -in spite of the language-.  

 As a graphic designer, I’m curious about the technology involved in producing these letters. I’m curious about the stories behind those signs. I walk, I read some plates about the oral histories but still, I’m just a spectator. As a typography teacher, I employ this practice with my students. They’re tasked with identifying vernacular letterforms in their community. I reflect on ways in which everyone is a designer and creates meaning, sometimes in ways that might fall outside the canon or what is understood as good or functional. I recognize the trade and historical aspect of the production of street signs from my cultural perspective. This has allowed my students to explore their identity and relationship with their community.

I aim to respond to this also by attending the 8th International Bibliology Summit hosted by the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico’s most important educational institution. The programing included round tables that I used as inspiration for illustrations. The result is a handmade loose-leaf book that consists of photographs and illustrations that aim to map the Floridian letterform ecosystem and the reflections about the technological, historical, and canonic aspects of letterpress and typography in Latinamerica