Paul Shaw, Design historian, Writer…
Interview February 25, 2017. Walk in the Bronx, New York City.
We first met Paul during Type Thursday at the Type Directors Club NYC but we barely had time to speak with him that evening. We all truly discovered Paul Shaw, the calligrapher, designer and historian of design during the Urban Lettering Walk we had with him in the Bronx.
The meeting point was set at the 174–175 St. subway station where Kara Gordon (type designer), Adrien Ménard and Victoire Coyon (both graphic designers) joined us for the lettering safari. Paul led us all for 3 hours under a great blue sky through the streets of the Bronx, helping us discover the history of the Tremont neighborhood through signage, type, lettering and ghost signs.
We joyfully walked through the streets, sometimes even singing along, from stone engraved roman semi-serif letters to wooden carved numbers, listening carefully to Paul Shaw’s fascinating tales about letters and history.
Near the end of the walk, we made our way into Belmont toward the Bronx Little Italy. I read somewhere that the true New York’s Little Italy is not located in Manhattan but in the Bronx, and that’s what we felt walking along Arthur Ave. Paul Shaw took us to an indoor retail market to have lunch, then we stopped in front of the G.Addeo & Sons Bakery to ask Paul a few questions on camera.
Paul Shaw Letter design
Twitter @PaulShawLetters
Margaux Saulou & Gaëlle Pérot
February 25, 2017. Walk in the Bronx, New York City.
