INSPIRATION No. 1 >> THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles’ distinctive “shotgun” style street signs were last produced over sixty years ago, but these durable porcelain and steel signs are still in use all over the city, by both humans and birds, who like to build their nests between the panels.
Since these metal panels were only manufactured in one size, the street names were drawn at wildly different widths to fit.
Beachwood offers the complete range of widths & weights on these vintage signs, with a new matching lowercase.
INSPIRATION No. 2 >> SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYS
Many of the U.S.’ early roads were unmarked until local auto clubs began installing wooden signs to help drivers find their way. Auto club workers traveled the roads with paint and brushes to touch up dents and scratches.
When the U.S. Department of Public Works standardized signage on U.S. highways in the late 1940s, the delightfully idiosyncratic local signs were all replaced.
INSPIRATION No. 3 >> LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL UNIFORMS
When the NFL’s Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1946, they became the first professional sports team west of the Mississippi.
Public pressure led the Rams to sign UCLA stars Kenny Washington & Woody Strode, becoming the first pro sports team in the United States to re-integrate.
A year later, thanks to the creativity of halfback Fred Gehrke, the Rams became the first football team to sport a helmet logo.
Each weight of Beachwood includes:
- Standard numbers based on street signs
- Four alternate number sets based on the jersey numbers of Los Angeles’ pro football teams from the 1940s through the 1990s
- Ordinals, Fractions & Arrows
And INSPIRATION No. 4 >>
Beachwood is named for
BEACHWOOD DRIVE
in Los Angeles, the street which leads up to the famous
HOLLYWOOD SIGN
>> Choose Opentype Stylistic Set 5 to activate HOLLYWOOD mode !
Get Beachwood at one of these fine type distributors:
PDF Spec Sheet
Design Process
