Coney Island with Dan Rhatigan
Because what do we love to do during a heat wave? Midday walking type tours!
All heat aside, this tour was SICK. Met Dan down at Coney Island for an amazing morning of vernacular and handpainted lettering. The main focus of this tour was to pick up on the clash between the classic lettering of the Coney Island landscape and new typographic signs that try to emulate that visual language. We discussed with Dan where these attempts to evoke the boardwalk's past succeed and where they fall short.
The restaurant Paul's Daughter is one of the only waterfront businesses that both preserves the vintage signs used in the building since its opening and commissions current-day painters to make new signage. The typography used on the facade of the building is also perfectly alligned with the classic Coney aesthetic they aim for.
These giant letters decorate the newly-built structure that encases an old carousel, spelling out "CAROUSEL." Perfect examples of newly-produced type fitting into the design vernacular while maintaining a contemporary appeal.