Claudia Lebedeva

Here’s yet another interpretation of the classic “thick and thin” sans serif lettering most popular during the Art Deco era.

This particular design comes to you through the courtesy of a hand lettered 1930s travel poster from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Some capitals are much wider than others, while the lower case ‘i’ is somewhat truncated.

Rail Travel JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions.

A 1930s advertising poster for the Inman Brothers Flying Circus offered up an interesting hand lettered Art Deco design that’s a cross between both squared and rounded character shapes. 

Because of it's 'futuristic look', the resulting type style can also lend itself to 1970s and 1980s retro projects as well as those from the 1930s and 1940s.

Now a digital font, Air Circus JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions.

A “Flying Circus” is a troupe of ‘barnstormers’ (stunt pilots) who performed aerial tricks either individually or as a team along with selling airplane rides to the general public. 

The hand lettered, condensed stencil title on a movie poster for the 1950 film “Customs Agent” inspired both the digital typeface and the font’s name.  

Customs Agent JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions.

A 1940s travel poster for the Florida East Coast Railway (which then carried passengers but is now a freight line) had the railroad’s name hand lettered in a bold Art Deco sans.

This inspired Passenger Train JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

One of the lettering examples in the 1913 book “Instructions on Modern Show Writing” is a delightful calligraphic alphabet that’s perfect for everything from show cards to invitational notes to names on certificates.

It has been digitally redrawn as Personal Invitation JNL, and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Intertitle cards from a 1942 newsreel inspired the like-named Newsreel Text JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

The hand lettered title for the 1954 film “Power of the Press” was done in a condensed sans serif type style that is now available digitally in both regular and oblique versions as Local News JNL.

Easy Stencil JNL is a simple sans serif stencil design [based on a hand lettered example] from the 1922 publication “Modern Show Card Writing” and is available 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.

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.

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.

The hand lettered cast and production credits for the 1942 music comedy “Holiday Inn” (starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire) inspired Vacation Resort JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

The hand lettered titles and credits from the 1958 war film “The Young Lions” command your attention with a bold block slab serif type style.

This design has been digitally recreated as No Entry JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

The hand lettered film credits for 1937’s “Make Way for Tomorrow” were done in a sans serif design with an ever-so-slight flare and a slightly semi-calligraphic look.

Unusual in both style and varying character thicknesses, the lettering has been digitally redrawn as Retirement JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Road Repair JNL is a bold (hand lettered) sans serif stencil font based on the opening credits from the 1954 film “Drive a Crooked Road” – and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

The hand lettered Art Deco sans serif lettering used for the opening titles of the 1941 melodrama “Penny Serenade” (starring Cary Grant) inspired a digital revival.

Romance Song JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions.

It’s Art Deco “thick and thin”… It’s wide… It’s quirky… It’s a hand lettered sign over the lanes of the Bryant-Lake Bowl – a landmark bowling alley in Minneapolis, Minnesota… and it was spotted in an amazing YouTube video from a “drone tour” of the facility!

The sign inspired the font Pin Spotter JNL which is available in both regular and oblique versions.