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.