Hang © 2024 by Nahid Yahyaee is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Usage implies acceptance of these terms.

Hang, Nahid Yahyaee

Hang was inspired by the historical and contemporary visual landscape of Albany Park from signage, menus, pamphlets, newspapers, invitations, and the many languages that color the streets. Today, Albany Park is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, with many residents from India, Pakistan, Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and Eastern Europe. Walking through this neighborhood you confront shops, restaurants and markets from diCerent cultures and countries with so many diverse languages and styles of writing.

My exploration in Albany Park began with visits to archives to see historical and contemporary signage and publications, as well as long walks in the neighborhood photographing contemporary letterforms. By comparing these visual collections, typography in Albany Park can be categorized into three major visual trends despite the diverse uses and applications. First, the most prominent pattern in my historical and contemporary findings, the use of two or more visually diCerent styles of letters within one single word of a sign or publication. Second, oversized and stretched letters were regularly used to underline the preceding text. Finally, I found many types with diagonal lines in surprising places in the letterforms.

The main inspiration behind the letterforms of Hang is a single letter “M” in one of the Albany Park’s advertisement books from 1886. The “M” was confusing and funny in the way that it didn’t fit with the rest of the word, nor did it obey conventional or typical type design of the era. It felt like and immigrant in a new community, heralding change, fun, and new ways of seeing.

Hang is a typeface that is relaxed, playful and unpredictable. In creating this typeface, I incorporated the three major patterns from my findings to elegantly build letters that are based in community trends, yet entirely new and innovative. These features are visible in the falling serifs, drooping terminals, diagonal crossbars, stubby legs, and tall, condensed, bold character. Hang is simultaneously relaxed and playful, unified and diverse.

Albany Park

Albany Park was a rural farming community and underwent rapid transformation into a bustling urban neighborhood within a single generation. Founded by entrepreneur Richard Rusk in 1868, Albany Park thrived with a profitable brickyard and a popular racetrack along the Chicago River, attracting crowds for horse racing and leisure. With Chicago's population surge in the late 19th century, Albany Park became part of Chicago in 1889.

In 1893, a group of investors, purchased land for real estate development, the homes and businesses they built led to an influx of residents and new transportation routes connecting the neighborhood to the rest of the city. Electric streetcars and the Ravenswood Elevated train made it easy to visit Albany Park.

As the neighborhood grew German and Swedish immigrants settled in the area around the train stations. Soon Russian Jews also moved in and quickly shaped the cultural landscape of the area: synagogues, churches, schools, and parks flourished. By the 1920s, Albany Park was booming with a population surpassing 55,000, by 1940 the population swelled to its peak at 56,692. However, post-World War II suburbanization led to a decline.

By the 1970s, Albany Park faced economic and social challenges, with high vacancy rates and crime. Collaborative eCorts between city government and community organizations brought about positive change in the late 20th century. Streetscape beautification, financial incentives, and redevelopment eCorts led to a decrease in vacant businesses and homes.

A new wave of immigrants came into the neighborhood, inspired by the local changes, already diverse landscape, and potentially increasing property values promised by the city’s initiatives. Immigration waves in the 1970s and 1990s amplified the already diverse Albany Park, with new Asian and Latin American communities settling in the area. The Korean immigrants, in particular, played a significant role in the neighborhood's rejuvenation by renewing the liveliness of the neighborhood through new shops, restaurants, and activities.

Albany Park's journey reflects a story of rapid urbanization, cultural evolution, decline, and resurgence, driven by waves of immigration and collaborative community eCorts to revitalize the neighborhood. It remains a gateway for middle-class ethnic groups seeking upward mobility and a welcoming environment for everyone.

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Letters Beyond Form is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. This project is funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.