'LetterScapes' By Anna Saccani Puts Typography In The Spotlight (PHOTOS)

"A public lettering is made unique by the relationships it sets up with what is around it: not a blank page, but the sky, the streets, the sunlight with the shadows it creates, the rain making the colours brighter, combined with the slow erosion from the passage of time," Anna Saccani writes in the introduction to her new book, "LetterScapes" (Thames & Hudson, May 2013).

What began as Saccani's doctoral thesis turned into an ode to the art of large-scale public typography projects. Besides Robert Indiana's iconic LOVE statue in Philadelphia, the book includes Lawerence Weiner's NYC manhole covers stating, "iN DiRECT LiNE WiTH ANOTHER & THE NEXT," as well as Maya Lin's Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Looking at both the sculptures themselves and how they function in a public context, Saccani shows us that "LOVE" can mean something different in New York City or in Tokyo, depending on the context.

Scroll down to see some of Saccani's LetterScapes in the slideshow, and tell us what your favorite examples of public lettering are in the comments.

'LetterScapes'

'LetterScapes'

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NYC MANHOLE COVERS, LAWRENCE WEINER

Nineteen manhole covers were installed in New York City by the Public Art Fund in collaboration with the Consolidated Edison Company and the Roman Stone. Photo Credit: Kirsten Vibeke Thueson WeinerFrom LetterScapes by Anna Saccani (Thames & Hudson, May 2013)

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Kirsten Vibeke Thueson Weiner