The Alphabet Man


Dan Rhatigan on Typographic Tattooing from SVA Summer Residency Programs on Vimeo.

Just for the sake of reference, here’s a list of my tattoos:

  1. R from unknown wood type
  2. & from Poetica by Robert Slimbach
  3. ü from Meta Bold by Erik Spiekermann
  4. s from Fette Fraktur
  5. K from the old Krispy Kreme logo
  6. g from Baskerville, based on types of John Baskerville
  7. § from Champion Gothic Middleweight by Jonathan Hoefler
  8. 7 from Century Oldstyle Bold by Morris Fuller Benton
  9. y from Cooper Black Italic by Oswald Cooper
  10. W from Whitney Bold by Tobias Frere-Jones
  11. z from Stilla by François Boltana
  12. r from Maple Medium by Eric Olson
  13. 2 from Ingeborg Block by Michael Hochleitner
  14. w from Actium Black Italic by Gerben Dollen
  15. a from Dolly Italic by Underware
  16. e from Sodachrome (Left and Right) by Ian Moore and Dan Rhatigan
  17. Y from Banco by Roger Excoffon
  18. Å from Leyton by Ian Moore
  19. C from De Little 30-Line 196
  20. H from Calypso by Roger Excoffon
  21. é from Gill Sans Ultrabold (Gill Kayo) by Eric Gill
  22. B from Festival Titling by Phillip Boydell
  23. ø from Bell Centennial Bold Listing by Matthew Carter
  24. N from Balega by Jürgen Weltin (based on Nebiolo Resolut by H Brünnel)
  25. Q from Electra Bold by William Addison Dwiggins
  26. s from Franklin Gothic No. 2 by Morris Fuller Benton
  27. R from unknown wood type (seen in Aldo Noverese’s Alfa-Beta)
  28. 9 from Frankfurter Highlight by Alan Meeks
  29. N from Wood Font Four by Intellecta Design (after Rustic No. 2, and various 19th century sources)
  30. J from Blesk by Samarskaya & Partners
  31. . from Helvetica by Max Miedinger, et al.
  32. from Times New Roman by Stanley Morison, Victor Lardent, et al.
  33. T from ITC Fat Face by Tom Carnese and Herb Lubalin
  34. L from Profil (Decorated 035) by Eugen and Max Lenz
  35. ġ from Hobeaux by James Edmondson
  36. q from Ryman Eco by Dan Rhatigan
  37. » from Ohm by Tal Leming
  38. from Quire Sans by Jim Ford
  39. a from Network by Dan Rhatigan
  40. U from Egyptienne Bold Condensed by Walter H. McKay
  41. m from Lo-Res (Base 9) by Zuzana Licko
  42. d from PMN Caecilia Italic by Peter Matthias Noordzij
  43. S by Louis John Pouchée
  44. M from Shatter by Vic Carless
  45. X from Flash by Enric Crous Vidal
  46. c from Bely by Roxanne Gataud
  47. G from Monotype Modern Display by Dan Rhatigan
  48. 1 from Microgramma by Alessandro Butti and Aldo Novarese
  49. O from Gotham by Tobias Frere-Jones
  50. D from Chromatic Mexican by Wm. H. Page & Co.
  51. A from PLINC Slapstick by S. E. Norton, by way of Erik van Blokland
  52. E from Babyteeth by Milton Glaser
  53. ? from Ringold Sans/Slab by Dan Rhatigan
  54. Y from Stop by Aldo Novarese
  55. B lettering illustration from How to Write Signs, Tickets, and Posters
    With Numerous Engravings and Diagrams
  56. V from Benguiat Caslon by Ed Benguiat and Christian Schwartz
  57. u from Swift by Gerard Unger
  58. ő from Capucine by Alice Savoie
  59. W from Brylski by Nick Sherman
  60. from Buckram by Dan Rhatigan
  61. . from Buckram by Dan Rhatigan
  62. from Buckram by Dan Rhatigan
  63. * from Buckram by Dan Rhatigan
  64. , from Buckram by Dan Rhatigan
  65. Д from Lidia by Iraida Chepil (with annotation)
  66. H from Schelter & Giesecke’s Schriftenatlas, 1898
  67. X from Kaemmerer’s Letter Book, 1911
  68. § from Coign by Colophon
  69. F from Caslon Four-line pica Black no. 1
  70. У from a 19th-century decorated Russian alphabet found in Декоративные Шрифты для Художественно-Оформительских Работ (Decorative Fonts For Artistic And Design Works), 1987