Typographics 2020: To All the Fonts I’ve Loved Before with Eric Hu

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

• Purpose of the talk

  • Eric Hu explains how typography in Los Angeles street culture—especially “vernacular” letterforms—has had an outsized impact on broader visual culture.
  • He frames LA typography as shaped by the city’s history of cars, immigration, and racial conflict.

• LA’s two forces that shaped typography

  • The automobile
    • Cars made typography “loud,” large, and readable from far away (e.g., signs visible across the street at speed).
    • As LA became more car-centric, businesses increased sign size and visibility.
  • Race/immigration dynamics
    • LA typography gained “character” through multicultural collisions and tensions tied to settler colonialism, immigration, colorism, and violence.
    • He notes that discussing these realities is unavoidable when discussing LA’s graphic vernacular.

• Historical background: typography emerging from social conflict

  • Mexican-American presence
    • LA’s identity as an English-speaking city is relatively recent (<200 years).
    • Before that, the land includes Tongva and Chumash territories.
  • Chinese immigration and anti-Chinese violence (late 1800s)
    • Gold Rush-era migration brought Chinese workers.
    • He cites the 1871 Chinese massacre in LA and the Chinese Exclusion Act (10 years later), which curtailed immigration and contributed to labor shifts.
  • Mexican labor migration and anti-Mexican violence (early-to-mid 1900s)
    • Due to labor shortages after Chinese exclusion, migration from Mexico increased.
    • Workers faced low pay, mistreatment, and racism.
    • He describes Zoot Suit era violence in the 1940s (including sailors attacking Mexican neighborhoods), which led to neighborhood protection groups.
  • Protection groups and early graffiti-like wall language
    • Neighborhood groups used wall paint and brush lettering.
    • Eric presents this as an early predecessor to what became more widely recognized U.S. graffiti traditions.

• Letterform lineage: from “blackletter/Old English” to LA graffiti

  • He discusses how traditional blackletter/gothic forms were part of Mexican cultural signage (especially in sign paintings).
  • He argues that LA’s street lettering later evolved into a distinct style:
    • The Speedball textbook is mentioned as a reference point for Gothic/blackletter practice:
      • Speedball: The Art of Lettering and Poster Design (Ross F. George), 1941 edition, includes “Old English.”
    • He explains that what LA kids called “Old English” in everyday life wasn’t commonly labeled “blackletter” until later education.

• Technological change drives form evolution

  • Spray paint introduced (around 1949)
    • Spray paint altered what was feasible visually:
      • Lettering had to be painted fast, often requiring single-stroke execution.
    • This tool constraint helped transform blackletter shapes into a new cholo/LA graffiti aesthetic.
  • Scale and visibility
    • As transportation and business signage changed (freeways, neon/sign culture), typography adapted to street legibility and spectacle.

• Institutional recognition and mainstream spread

  • Chicano movement and gallery/art-world crossover (late 1940s–1970s)
    • Stronger Mexican-American identity during the Chicano movement.
    • Chas (educated at CalArts) helped bring Chicano graffiti lettering into established art spaces.
    • An example work (“title plaques”) is said to be in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection.
  • Cross-cultural adoption into other LA subcultures
    • Surf culture
      • Rick Griffin, a surfer/artist, incorporated chicano lettering into iconic psychedelic posters and a 1977 album cover for The Rank Strangers.
    • Skateboarding
      • Dogtown/Z-Boys borrowed from the same aesthetic lineage.
    • Motorcycle culture and punk scene in Venice
      • Clayton (associated with Suicidal Tendencies) designed flyers using similar lettering.

• Asian/Chinese signage, vinyl lettering, and policy backlash (Monterey Park)

  • He links broader typography change to new waves of legal Chinese immigration (legal again in the 1960s).
  • A real estate developer, Frederick Shea, allegedly promoted Monterey Park as the “next Chinese Beverly Hills.”
  • Typography shift:
    • More Chinese businesses used Chinese characters.
    • Vinyl lettering replaced many hand-painted signs because it was cheaper, putting sign painters out of business.
  • Anti-Chinese signage law attempt (1983)
    • A policy requiring English-only signs, banning Chinese characters (framed as “safety”/“accessibility” but described as racist).
    • The policy is said to have been shut down.
  • Personal significance
    • Eric says he was born and grew up in Monterey Park and experienced a transition of visual cultures first-hand.

• Graffiti becoming world-famous and tied to LA identity

  • He describes seeing major graffiti with the limited time/perspective of childhood—LA’s billboards and freeways made street text unavoidable.
  • He cites a monumental piece by Sabrina La:
    • Described as once the largest graffiti piece in the world, taking about a year.
    • He notes the scale and that the lettering still traces back to chicano blackletter roots.
  • He claims chicano blackletter/graffiti lettering has:
    • Influenced newer writers and refined styles (“writers and artists… evolved their lettering style”).
    • Expanded beyond LA (e.g., referenced in Japan and Taiwan).
    • Become a cultural symbol of LA (including mainstream references like team jerseys).

• Feedback loop: street art → fashion → graphic design

  • As graffiti aesthetics became popular, scholarship and media increased (including Netflix documentaries).
  • Streetwear/fashion adoption is highlighted:
    • Example: merchandise on Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo” tour is described as drawing from Chicago graffiti, and Eric positions this as a full-circle influence into graphic design.
  • He states that by now, this look is common in art-school critiques (“crit wall” aesthetics).

• Closing lesson / takeaway

  • Eric concludes with a reflection:
    • LA typography is more than style—it encodes immigration, migration, race, and violence.
    • Creators should try to trace lineages and understand the history behind influences.

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Methodology / instructions presented (bullet list)

No explicit step-by-step “how-to” methodology is given. However, Eric’s closing guidance functions like an approach for creators:

• When drawing creative influence,
  • Trace the history behind the visual style you’re inspired by.
  • Identify the lineage of the letterforms/aesthetic (where it came from, who used it, what constraints shaped it).
  • Connect form to context:
    • Understand how typography relates to immigration, racial dynamics, and social conflict.
  • Look closer over time:
    • Start with what seems beautiful or aesthetic,
    • then study what it “means” as stories of place and people.

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Speakers / sources featured (as named in the subtitles)

Speaker

• Eric Hu (the talk’s presenter)

Named people / artists

• Ellie (referenced as “Ellie” organizing the event; likely an organizer)
• Francois Chestnut (author referenced regarding cholo graffiti)
• Ross F. George (author of the Speedball lettering/poster design textbook)
• Chas (Chicano graffiti artist mentioned)
• Rick Griffin (artist associated with posters and surf culture)
• Clayton (artist/member linked with Suicidal Tendencies flyers)
• Frederick Shea (real estate developer; mentioned in relation to Monterey Park promotion)
• Sabrina La (graffiti artist mentioned)
• Jonathan Gold (quoted/paraphrased; writer/commentator)

Works / institutions / references

• Speedball textbook for lettering and poster design (by Ross F. George), specifically:
  • 1941 edition and its “Old English” page/section
• Chas’s work described as being in the Smithsonian permanent collection
• Netflix documentaries (mentioned as discussing this aesthetic)
• Kanye West – “Life of Pablo” tour merchandise (mentioned as an example of street aesthetic influence)