Zavier Woodward

Lettering Lesson JNL is a bold serif alphabet found within the pages of the 1922 instructional booklet from the St. Louis Show Card School, and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

In the opening scenes of the 1938 Three Stooges comedy “Tassels in the Air” the Stooges are working as maintenance men inside an office building.  Their immediate job requirement is to paint the tenants’ business names on the corresponding office doors with pre-cut stencils.  Of course, they get it all wrong.

Nonetheless, the stencils appear to be a hand cut sans serif design in a squared or ‘block’ style with rounded corners, and some of the applied lettering made for an interesting challenge to recreate as a typeface.

The end result is Maintenance Stencil JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

The front page headline of the April 6, 1917 edition of the Bemidji Pioneer [from Bemidji, Minnesota] says in extrabold letters: “State of War is Declared”.  The subtext underneath reads: “President Signs Resolution 1:13 P.M., Passed by House 3 O’Clock this Morning”.  Thus, the United States formally entered into World War I.

However… that subtext was set in a sans serif type face which was a perfect addition to the numerous newspaper-inspired type revivals offered by Jeff Levine Fonts.

Morning Edition JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions.

A 1926 trade ad for the silent comedy “The Nut-Cracker” starring Edward Everett Horton has the film’s title hand lettered in a decorative bold sans serif design complete with highlight lines and accent dots.

This festive type face is now available digitally as Movie Matinee JNL in both regular and oblique versions.

A 1920s magazine featuring behind-the-scenes stories about the motion picture industry had its name [“Shadowland”] lettered in an Art Nouveau sans serif style.

This has been recreated digitally as Movie Nouveau JNL, and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

The hand lettered title on the poster for the 1929 film comedy “Why Leave Home?” inspired Movie Set JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

A classic “thick-and-thin” design with early Art Deco influences, this condensed typeface is perfect for any period projects.

A 1911 movie poster for a film called “How Bella Was Won” from the Edison studios had the name “Edison” hand lettered in a bold, spurred sans serif design.

These few letters became the basis for Movie Show JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

One example in the 1919 instructional book “One Hundred Alphabets for the Show Card Writer” was for an elegant sans serif with a subtle Art Nouveau style to the letter forms.

This is now available digitally as Show Card Elite JNL in both regular and oblique versions.

The 1920 edition of “How to Paint Signs and Sho’ Cards” by E. C. Matthews offered a number of examples of then-modern lettering styles for sign painters and show card writers.

A bold display alphabet made with a round lettering nib is now available as Show Card Pen JNL, in both regular and oblique versions.

Art Nouveau serif capitals and numerals in the 1917 instructional book “A Roman Alphabet and How to Use It” were the inspiration for Show Card Roman JNL; available in both regular and oblique versions.

An elegant, yet informal Roman alphabet with Art Nouveau influences was found amidst the pages of the 1922 edition of “The Expert Sign Painter”.

It is now available digitally as Sign Expert JNL in both regular and oblique versions.

The movie poster for the 1934 comedy/crime drama “Jimmy the Gent” (starring James Cagney) featured the title hand lettered in an ultra-bold Art Deco sans serif style.

This type design has been turned into Social Club JNL, and is available in both regular and oblique versions.