Typography & Neon: Tenderloin Historical Ephemera Project

Join the Tenderloin Museum for an exploration of the typography used on the matchbooks featured in their recent publication The Match Book: Vintage Matchbooks from San Francisco’s Tenderloin. Randall Homan and Al Barna from San Francisco Neon and Stephen Coles from Letterform Archive will present and discuss the unique letter forms and design of Tenderloin matchbooks associated with legacy businesses and neon signs. Just like matchbooks, historic neon signs are a fascinating synecdoche of the small businesses they represent, and a window to the past explored through material culture.

Doors open at 6pm for happy hour, the museum will serve beer and wine and a neon-themed cocktail at a no-host bar.

Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan are the authors/photographers of San Francisco Neon and Saving Neon. They are the co-founders of the Tenderloin Neon A-Z project and give walking tours of vintage neon sign design and city history in five distinct neighborhoods of San Francisco.

San Francisco Design Week Policies:

• Refund Policy: We do not offer refunds. If the event is sold out, we might be able to give your spot to someone on the waitlist.
• By purchasing a ticket you are agreeing to the terms of the SFDW Weapons-Free Policy
• By purchasing this ticket you agree to photo and video taken on site at the event and release SFDW or its partners to use the photos/video for promotional purposes