As part of our 10th annual Pop-up Type Museum, I created an exhibit inspired by different hand-lettered typography from my hometown: Manila, Philippines. This exhibit’s primary feature displays a hand-made cutout of a Jeepney Truck with hand-lettered typography alongside posters of type samples.

Ranging from food carts to Jeepney signs, the diversity of hand-drawn signage in the streets of the Philippines showcases the artistry, craftsmanship and subculture of Filipinx artists. Adorned with eye-catching, colorful fonts and quirky phrases, these artefacts capture the unique liveliness and busyness of everyday settings in the Philippines. The title, Sakay Na! (meaning 'Hop on!' in Tagalog), refers to the saying people use to attract customers to hop on for a Jeepney ride.

I used large, dense pieces of cardboard to create the free-standing structure as well as other found materials to create the adornments, such as lightbulbs, tart pans and paper towel rolls. Everything was hand-painted using acrylics and paint markers.