• ✔ Type is everywhere. It's not only on printed materials but also made of plastic, metal, wood, glass, stone, and other materials. Some of the earliest examples of typography come from those carved into ancient stone monuments that have endured through the ages.
• ✔ And today you can find type on the bottom of your running shoes, on sewer covers, on your car, on architecture. It's carved into gravestones, molded into plastic signage, punched into leather.
• ✔ The focus of this task is to find examples of type in unusual places like those mentioned above and use a "rubbing" technique to gather the samples. We are looking for type that is extruded from or indented into materials—something that is not on a printed page. Look in the kitchen, go outdoors, walk to the city park, explore widely.
• ✔ Gather 5 examples from a variety of sources. Look for different styles of letters.
• ✔ A dark-colored wax crayon works best to make your rubbings. You might also try pastels or soft-leaded pencils. Standard copier paper should work fine, but thinner paper may help you capture more small details.
• ✔ The results will be grainy and gritty. Enjoy the imperfections and illegibility. This will help you to recognize letters as image and part of your environment rather than as something to be read and forgotten.

Reporting Your Findings

• ✔ To accompany your 5 rubbings, please write up a 150-200 word report on your findings. Include some of the following:
  • ✔ What products or objects did your rubbings come from?
  • ✔ What materials? Where did you find them?
  • Were there any special circumstances or difficulties?
  • ✔ Describe visual character of the letters themselves. Are they beautiful or ugly? Why? Do they reflect a time period or fit the nature of the place, material, or product?
• ✔ Indicate clearly in your anthropological report which is your favorite rubbing of the five. Investigate and dig a little deeper into the history of the chosen rubbing. For example: Who designed/created it (if known)? What time period is this piece from, and what is its purpose? What are some specific anatomical characteristics of the typeface? If possible, please also photograph the piece from which your favorite rubbing came and include a JPEG with your posting.