Philadelphia Graffiti Handstyles: An Exploration in the Early 2020s
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29,90€
About
In this new book, François Chastanet explores the unique and less-known culture of street writing (‘handstyle’) in Philadelphia in the early 2020s.
The city is home to an independent ‘tagging’ scene that embodies a remarkable local form of calligraphic tradition, flourishing within a major metropolitan area. Whilst the style remains little known within the American graffiti scene, it has caught the attention of François Chastenet, already known for his books on the ‘writing’ style.
In the spring of 2023, French graphic designer François Chastanet undertook an in-depth exploration through the streets of Philadelphia. Armed with his camera, he set out to demonstrate how public name-writing in the city, rooted in a rich legacy, continues to flourish through unique styles.
Through photographs and diagrams, Chastanet traces the ongoing evolution of handstyles, especially highlighting the condensed and monumental “Tall Hands”, and the remarkable “Wickeds”, elaborate wild-style signatures that require exceptional skill and are found nowhere else. As the land of extreme cursivity, Philadelphia has much to offer to anyone interested in letterforms.
160 pages, hardcover
16 x 24cm
Texts: English
Author: François Chastenet
Published in 2026
ISBN: 9789189944169
About the author
François Chastanet (b. 1975 in France) is an architect, graphic and type designer interested in written signs in public space, from wayfinding typography to ephemeral handwritings. As a documentary author, he writes on urban epigraphy and the evolution of the Latin letter in the 20th and 21st centuries.
