A Journey Through Typographic Craft & Culture

By Pooja Saxena

India’s cityscapes are a typography lover’s paradise. Take a short walk in any urban neighbourhood and you’ll find signboards in a riot of languages, styles, materials, and colours, spanning decades of design history.

So far, this enviable living typographic archive has survived on the fringes. And as digital printing technologies become more popular, we risk losing its handmade, creative essence. That’s where this book comes in.   

Indian Street Lettering is a 200-page hardcover full-color book that showcases striking public lettering from across the country—in paint, in relief, in mosaic, in neon, in wood, you name it. Spanning over a dozen cities and scripts, this book is a visual treat!

Photographs of signs are complemented by essays and interviews that locate them within the broad sweep of language, culture, and typography. Author and type designer Pooja Saxena breaks down peculiarities of local scripts, analyzes sign painting styles, and shines a light on visual idiosyncrasies that define street lettering in different Indian cities. She has also created guide maps for the book, which will inspire you to go type-spotting during your next visit to one of the featured neighborhoods.

Cover and book design by Pooja Saxena

Published by Blaft Publications, 2025

Hardcover, 208 pages, full color, 8 × 8 inches

ISBN: 978-9-38-063697-9