Heated Words: Searching for a Mysterious Typeface is a unique collection of archival images and ephemera that looks at the visual branding of the “outsider” and the resurgence of analogue typography through a layout and design that reflect the chaotic history of the letters themselves.
The iron-on lettering subject of Heated Words: Searching for a Mysterious Typeface remains without attribution. Created anonymously and passed down over decades and across subcultures, the typeface is unique within the histories of typography and street fashion.
With roots dating back to the first calligraphic forms, the enigmatic letters evolved from embellished military flight jackets and sports uniforms in the early twentieth century. Seemingly omnipresent from the 1970s onward in youth culture in New York City, this particular blackletter typeface—bold and imposing—would go on to decorate the fabric of the most influential music and fashion subcultures of the last half-century.
Heated Words provides a unique thread through the subcultural landscape of the last fifty years. With insights from voices in music, fashion and typography, the unique volume features previously unpublished archival images, including hundreds of illustrations and ephemera. Exploring the visual branding of the “outsider” and the resurgence of analog typography, Heated Words is presented through a layout and design that echo the frenetic history of the letters.