Yorgo Tloupas on the Lost Art of Sign Typography and 'Typographic Tourism'
Yorgo Tloupas, a creative director with French-Greek roots and founder of Yorgo&Co, is on a mission he calls 'typographic tourism,' driven by his passion for local signage. In a chat with Wallpaper, he shares his worries about the decline of hand-painted shop signs, a craft he links back to ancient Pompeii. He attributes this loss to the rise of personal computers and vector graphics in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which allowed anyone to make signs, sidelining skilled artisans. While generic signs have taken over streets from Reykjavik to Nairobi, he appreciates the unique designs still found in places like Turin, Genoa, Mérida, and Campeche. He captures these disappearing visuals under the hashtag #typographictourism, viewing it as both enjoyable and essential. His noteworthy career includes creative direction for esteemed publications and teaching logo design at various schools, plus he’s a design director and shareholder at Black Crows skis.
Key facts
- Yorgo Tloupas is a French-Greek creative director and founder of Yorgo&Co.
- He has authored several typefaces through his studio.
- He coined the term 'typographic tourism' and uses the hashtag #typographictourism.
- He attributes the decline of sign typography to vector graphics software in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
- He cites the example of 'Grateful Dreads' hair salon in Ann Arbor, MI, as a sign made with MacDraw.
- He notes that high streets from Reykjavik to Nairobi are inundated with cheap signage.
- Turin and Genoa still have beautiful neon logos in geometric script typefaces.
- Mérida and Campeche in Mexico still have hand-painted signs called rótulos, but authorities are pushing a law to eradicate them.
- He has worked as creative director for GQ France, Intersection, BeauxArts, Liberation, Les Inrockuptibles, and Vanity Fair France.
- He teaches logo design at Penninghen, IFM, and SciencesPo Paris.
- He is a shareholder and design director for Black Crows skis.
Entities
Artists
- Yorgo Tloupas
Institutions
- Yorgo&Co
- GQ France
- Intersection
- BeauxArts
- Liberation
- Les Inrockuptibles
- Vanity Fair France
- Penninghen
- IFM
- SciencesPo Paris
- Black Crows
Locations
- Turin
- Italy
- Genoa
- Mérida
- Mexico
- Campeche
- Reykjavik
- Iceland
- Nairobi
- Kenya
- Ann Arbor
- Michigan
- United States
- Mexico City
- Pompeii
- Yucatán Peninsula