About Lettering Guy

Designer of expressive hand lettering and custom typography

After earning a degree in art history from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, I returned to my hometown of Warren, Ohio. I designed and lettered signs for my parents’ ice cream shop. I based my hand lettering on typefaces from a Letraset catalog.

In 1991 I moved to California where I trained and worked in commercial sign shops. I learned to cut, prepare, and install vinyl letters. Later, I managed a sign shop in San Francisco, where I made signs, banners, and cut vinyl graphics for windows.

In 1997 my partner and I moved to Ohio. I know, why? We could buy a house and live like kings. Anyway, I earned another degree — in graphic design from the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. I was hired as a full-time production designer at American Greetings, a greeting card company in Cleveland. A mentor helped him develop my lettering skills. I transitioned to the lettering design team. I created a signature lettering style that was developed into a typeface.

In 2007 we returned to California because my partner accepted a job promo (I love seeing the U.S. by car). I freelanced as a lettering artist for American Greetings and other greeting card companies. In 2012, I started a blog called LetteringGuy where I developed my lettering style and posted interviews of lettering artists.

Today, as Lettering Guy, I continue to practice lettering in my unique way.

Read this article about Lettering Guy’s journey through hand lettering.

Lettering Guy FAQs

How did you become a lettering artist?

My interest in lettering comes from seeing and observing the work of sign painters. For a few years I ran a sign shop in the San Francisco Mart which became the HQ of Twitter then X. I cut and installed vinyl letters and window graphics. I joined a lettering team at a greeting card company where I learned to hand letter with brushes and pens. Later I was a freelance lettering artist for a variety of greeting card companies. My advice for you is to practice. Research work of prominent lettering artists. Be persistent in your practice but be kind to yourself.

What would be your dream project or job?

To create lettering and illustrations for a book of motivational quotes.

What are my favorite letters to draw?

I like drawing capital B, D, and S. Their proportions can be exaggerated and decorated with flourishes.

What are my favorite tools for hand lettering?

My favorite tools are use pointed pens and ink, monoline pens and Apple Pencil.

What is my favorite quote?

One of my favorite quotes is “Freedom lies in being bold” attributed to Robert Frost.

Tell us something about you that might surprise or delight us.

I draw and post portraits of inventors, influencers and anyone who impacted my life and the lives of so many people. You can see them on my other website, alexsavakis.com.