Contribute to the Collection
Why Submit?
Do you travel with a camera at the ready, always on the lookout for intriguing letterforms—whether abroad or in your own neighborhood? Then you’re probably ready to become a contributor to The Vernacular Type Project.
By becoming a contributor, you’re helping to expand and enrich the typographic canon for students, educators, and design professionals.
You will also be listed on the contributors page, with a link to your website and other projects. Become a part of the project today!
What we’re looking for:
We’re looking for high quality images of vernacular typography from unique global cultures, specifically focusing on public signage. This could include:
- Hand-crafted signs (i.e. made out of wood, paper, cement, neon, or other materials; not computer generated)
- Lettering done by either amateurs or artisans (both are accepted)
- Folk or craft-based typography
- Letterforms that reflect local culture, history, or craft traditions
Please do not submit signs that use standardized typefaces, are mass-produced, or are AI-generated.
Please review the contributor guidelines, and then fill out the submission form below. Thank you for contributing!
Contributor Guidelines
- Please make sure that your images are clearly in focus and that the vernacular type takes up most of the image and is unobstructed (no shadows, reflections, or cropped letters).
- Submissions from under-documented regions of the world are especially appreciated, as they help broaden the global scope of the collection.
- Contributors must own the rights to the images they submit. Contributors maintain full copyright to their images. See full copyright terms.
- Contributors should understand that even if they submit images, the images may not be used (either due to quality issues, suitability, time constraints, or how their submitted images fit within the context of the collection.)
- By submitting, contributors grant The Vernacular Type Project permission to display the images on the site, on project social media accounts, in print and digital promotions, and in educational presentations (non-exclusive, with credit).
Technical Requirements
- Both portrait or landscape photographs are accepted.
- Images should be at least 800px wide; ideally they are larger. Maximum file size is 2mb.
- Images can be submitted in JPG, TIFF, or PNG format.
- Avoid heavy filters or color manipulation; please submit images as captured, with minor edits.
- Contributors should be able to provide geographic coordinates for each image, and include as much additional metadata information as possible (see the submission form for detail).
*The submission form is limited to 10 entries. If you have more than 10 submissions, please reach out to elisabeth@vernaculartypeproject.com. Thanks!