Growing Up in Alphabet City: The Unexpected Letterform Art of Michael Doret

In this vivid and humorous monograph-meets-memoir, Los Angeles–based lettering supremo Michael Doret shares his top-secret tricks for making mere words into iconic words-as-images for clients such as Time, Pixar, the USPS, and more. With more than 600 images, Growing Up in Alphabet City traces Doret’s influences from 1950s Brooklyn to 2000s LA, showcasing his clever logo, signage, and poster projects along the way. It also presents and preserves the pre-digital process of custom lettering―from initial pencil sketches to printer mechanicals to final art (plus some spurned client proposals for good measure).

A visual autobiography from the lettering legend behind iconic artwork for Kiss, Disney, the Knicks, and many more

With original photo tutorials that teach all the classic lettering tricks, a foreword by type aficionado Nick Sherman, and a freshly commissioned cover by Doret himself, Growing Up in Alphabet City offers a dose of welcome nostalgia―and endless inspiration―for letterform lovers of any generation.

Foreword Nick Sherman

1-Brooklyn Baby / Coney Island and other influential environments
2-Getting Schooled / High School and Cooper Union
3-9 to 5 / Four years of working for the man
4-Op, Pop, Charlie, and the Massage Parlor / Zonkers and the Typositor
5-Hanging Out My Shingle / Independence, pals, and Kiss
6- Time Is on My Side / Time magazine, movie titles, and the union
7- Batter Up / Scorecards and stars
8- Nothing but Net / The Mecca, the NBA, and a bit of anthrax
9- Hooray for Hollywood / Stamps, manholes, and Jewish food
10- Showtime / Theater titles
11- Ready-to-Wear / Making fonts, the mobile deli, and trucks
12- Sign Me Up / Working in 3D
13- Mouse Tales / Film titling and working for Walt

Afterword
Thanks, Typefaces
Colophon
Image credits
Index
My old kneaded eraser