Philadelphia Graffiti Handstyles: An Exploration in the Early 2020s

Philadelphia has developed a distinctive form of street penmanship that remains largely overlooked in American graffiti. The city is home to an independent street tagging scene that represents a striking local form of calligraphic tradition thriving within the limits of a major metropolitan area.

In the spring of 2023, French graphic designer François Chastanet undertook an in-depth exploration through the streets of Philadelphia. Armed with his camera, he set out to demonstrate how public name-writing in the city, rooted in a rich legacy, continues to flourish through unique styles.

Through photographs and diagrams, Chastanet traces the ongoing evolution of handstyles, especially highlighting the condensed and monumental “Tall Hands”, and the remarkable “Wickeds”, elaborate wild-style signatures that require exceptional skill and are found nowhere else. As the land of extreme cursivity, Philadelphia has much to offer to anyone interested in letterforms.

About the author:

François Chastanet, born 1975 in Bordeaux, France, is an architect, graphic and type designer interested in written signs in public space, from wayfinding typography to ephemeral handwritings. As a documentary author, he writes on urban epigraphy and the evolution of the Latin letter in the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Chastanets' previously published books on Dokument Press include Cholo Writing: Latino Gang Graffiti in Los Angeles, and Dishu: Ground Calligraphy in China.

Author: Francois Chastenet
Language: English
Pages: 160
Format: Hardback
Size: 16 x 24 cm
Publication Date: 15-09-2026