What's Inside Issue 06 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine?

The sixth installment of our adventures in sign painting craft, community, and culture is out now. Inside, you'll find work and contributions from 18 countries spanning five continents, so read on for an appetiser...

The magazine's 80 pages are once again completely free of advertising, thanks to members around the world 😃. Then, sandwiched in the alphabetic centre spread, is our latest limited edition poster insert: a how-to for Veronika Jørgensen's 'Pillow Gild' effect.

The poster came about after Veronika shared the results of a project on social media, and then kind of snowballed when I suggested it could make for a nice poster/instructional piece. So thank you Veronika for rolling with it, and to Brian Kure who took on the photography side of things.

BLAG in print ships exclusively to members worldwide twice each year. Join today to get your first copy sent straight away.

BLAG Meet: Inside Issue 06

The BLAG Meet event for Issue 06 is happening on Saturday, 26 April. Register here for this free online event, and catch up on the recordings from previous events.

On the Cover

The cover photo comes from the 'Pillow Gild' how-to that sits on the reverse of the poster insert. Gilding features a few times across the issue, which inspired the designers at UTILE to suggest a special foil finish for the masthead.

Contents

The absence of advertising inside the magazine means that all 80 pages are packed with what we're all here for: the sign painting. From the longer features, to the tidbits in the 'Sundries' section, this content is intended to inform and inspire in equal measure, with a few pleasant surprises along the way.

Before getting deeper into it, I'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors, whose support is a big part of making BLAG what it is:

• A.S. Handover
• Mike Meyer Sign Painter
• Ronan Paints

And to give a big shout out to BLAG's patrons: Blackout Signs & Metalworks; Chicago Sign Systems; Colossal Media; Dragging the Line; John Moran; Right Way Signs; Romana Schrift; Sepp Leaf Products; Skiltmaler Gundersen; Through the Wood Signs; and W&B Gold Leaf.

American Signs

One of the three main features looks at the American Sign Museum's recent expansion, and the sign painting and gilding produced for the new 'buildings' on its flagship flagship Main Street exhibit.

Also at the museum are drawings from Chicago's Beverly Sign Co., whose influence on sign design is explored in another feature from the authors of The Golden Era of Sign Design. (The book will soon be available in the BLAG Shop.)

Books, Books, Books

In addition to the Beverly Sign Co. book, this issue's 'Book Club' profiles publications from no less than five countries: Argentina, Belgium, Costa Rica, India, and The Netherlands.

There's also a bookish theme for 'Inside Letterform Archive', where Stephen Coles introduces The Complete Commercial Artist from Japan, and the archive's new publication about this 1920s/30s periodical.

The Regulars

In some of the other regular columns and sections, you'll find: San Francisco's secret palimpsests in 'Ghost Sign Corner'; thoughts and advice on pricing in 'Doing it the Right Way'; negative space in 'Interowriting'; painting dragons in 'The Sercrets of Fileteado Porteño'; and Rob Cooper's 'Inscribe' alphabet.

Profiles

Every sign painter, and every firm connected with the trade, has their own story to tell, and the pages of BLAG once again feature a host of these. In addition to celebrating significant birthdays for A.S. Handover and Colossal Media, we get to meet Italy's Nicolò Granata in 'Ye Olde Sign Shoppe' and the Lee family behind Portland's Studio Sign Co. in the 'Shop Talk' column.

Fernanda Martins introduces us to the unique output of Brazil's Nelson Stefanelli for our latest 'Lettering Location', while Vanessa Power builds on her research into the history of Irish mosaics by sharing her experience of trying out the medium.

We once again 'Meet the Letterheads' at some recent events, while also remembering and honouring those that have left us: Hanif Kureshi, Brian Heppell, and Chris Mackenzie-Gray.

Projects

'On the Brush' features ten projects from around the world, while the third main feature is a deep dive into sign painting for film and television, including a number of productions with work from the five profiled painters. (There's even more sign painting for film in the feature on Wes Anderson's French Despatch in BLAG 01.)

End Matter

As always, the back of the issue is given over to 'Sundries', with some 'not safe for work' lettering and sign painting, more miniature goodness from Danielle McGurran (also see BLAG 03), an award-winning business card, and some fan art.

'Tools of the Trade' takes a look at the nifty proportion wheel, and there's also a full page cartoon with the humble mahl stick as its subject. It's creator, Hana Sunny Whaler, has also turned it into a tea towel, so go buy one and dry your dishes in style!

Thanks

More than 65 contributors from around the world made BLAG 06 possible, and it was once again a pleasure to collaborate with so many brilliant people. Thank you all.

Nothing happens without the members, patrons, and sponsors that fund all the work that goes into the magazine. Thank you! If you're not one already, then join today and receive everything above, and more, delivered directly to your mail/post box.

Thanks also to the wonderful team that brings the final print magazine to fruition: Jenna Homen on sub-editing; UTILE on design; SYL, The Art of Books on print; and Ra & Olly on distribution.

Fonts in Use are Aktiv Grotesk by Dalton Maag and Utile by Sibylle Hagmann from Kontour.

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