The project began with the discovery of ghost signs and remnants of hand-painted lettering on historic buildings across the city. This led to an in-depth exploration of archival imagery, revealing a rich visual language that has nearly vanished. Little Queen Street emerged as a focal point, where sign-painted typography from businesses like Sanford, Wingate, and George Dodge Brothers offered a glimpse into the craftsmanship and character of the era. These letterforms, shaped by skilled sign painters, reflected not just commercial identities but also the aesthetic and social fabric of the time.
With much of this visual legacy deteriorating or lost, the project set out to recover and revive it through design. The aim was to bridge past and present by creating functional, historically informed typefaces that breathe new life into these overlooked forms.

The process combined archival research, visual documentation, and hands-on typographic craft. Historical references guided the reconstruction of letterforms, starting with hand-drawn sketches and progressing to digital refinements. Throughout, the design remained faithful to the quirks and contextual adaptations that gave the originals their charm.