Like tools and substrates of the past, contemporary reproduction techniques shape how language looks. Public signage, rendered via a range of materials and methods, is an insightful window into understanding the many ways in which letterforms may be constructed. From the abstraction and rasterisation required to make mosaics to the play of light and shadow in metal ribbon lettering; and from the distinctive overlaps of glass tubes in neon signs to the three-dimensionality of letters crafted in wood and plaster, each example is a study in how text can be material and occupy space. Material—Culture, a typography exhibition curated to complement a lecture at Script Talk, highlighted this physicality of letterforms.