Designed to be warm, reliable, and nostalgic, Dawson 38 resurrects the hand-painted lettering of Anderson, South Carolina. This typeface was derived from only six painted characters of the word “Dawson” on the side of a vacant auto shop in Anderson.

The creation of Dawson 38 was an opportunity to intersect the distinguishing evidence of the hand at work with a consistency needed for contemporary use. The slab serifs ground the letterforms in a feeling of stability and reflect the brick that they were originally painted on.

With five styles best used at a display scale, Dawson 38 can excel in a variety of uses that exemplify and uphold its warm, small-town origins.

In addition to the typeface design, the Digital Resurrections in Typography Vol. 2 exhibition and specimen publication were created in collaboration with members of the AU Type Foundry. Responsibilities included layout design for Dawson 38’s section of the publication, ideation and design execution of the exhibition space, poster design, and creation of some promotional materials.