Pirates in Saint Augustine

I stumbled upon this pirate-themed hostel (Pirate Haus Inn & Hostel) a few weeks ago during a weekend trip to Saint Augustine, Florida. I don't know much about their business, but we did meet a young guy who was staying there for the week. He said group rooms were about twenty bucks a night. Unlike traditional western hotels, hostels generally have room for more people who share a group room. What struck me was both: a. I've never seen a real hostel in the US, and b. this particular one had some really fun hand-illustrated typography on the stairs leading up to the rooms. I really enjoy the simple touches (even on a budget) of the rope lighting and calligraphy that add so much to this place's character. Aargh... it looks like a great place to rest your bones!

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Hand-illustrated typography design in Mexico

I had the privilege of accompanying Oasnet on a recent mission trip this past June. Our group traveled to Tampico, Mexico to meet with local pastors, and help pour concrete floors the old-fashioned way. Among the many amazing thing I was able to experience in Mexico, I was intrigued by the hand-illustrated Typography that was present in some of the smaller towns. In a time when "contemporary" designers are interested in bringing a human element back into our digital work, these local artisans are still doing things 100% by hand. Here's a few of my favorites from a small town, Just West of Tampico, Mexico.

Long before the Photoshop drop shadow, painters were adding depth by hand.

I'm assuming this was a Doctor's office - next to the taco stand.

This illustrator didn't go out of his way to hide the recent price hike on these tacos.

This is a different type of "hand-illustrated type" - I'm guessing this was carved from a mold, and then poured into shape. But you can definitely see the hand-made qualities of these letterforms. Very cool indeed.

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