The past five days have been an exhilarating ride — last week Blaft Publications launched the Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund India Street Lettering: A Journey through Typographic Craft and Culture — my new book bringing together much of what I have documented and learned through this project. And to our absolute surprise and delight, we blew past our target in less than 24 hours! I am so grateful to every single person who contributed or boosted the campaign. It was a little reminder that the internet can still be a kind and warm place.

India Street Lettering will be a 200-page hardcover full-colour book showcasing striking public lettering from the country: in paint, in relief, in mosaic, in neon, in wood, you name it. It is no mere coffee table book, though. I’m writing new essays to foreground the signs in their locales as well as the broad sweep of culture and design history. Plus — and this has been an education me — the book will present the stories of a handful of sign painters and craftspeople, all of whom I’ve interviewed especially for this volume. You can read more about some of the featured sign makers on Kickstarter.

Expect to read more campaign news on the blog in the coming months, as well as some updates as I immerse myself in the book making process, something I am looking forward to and dreading in equal measure. Till then, please check out the Kickstarter campaign, and pre-order your copy!