This event is part of Typographics festival.

Take a break from the streets of Manhattan and head down to Brooklyn’s Coney Island! Visit the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel and the Boardwalk! Since the mid-19th century, Coney Island has the home been the home of New York’s many seaside amusement parks that have come and gone over the years — Luna Park, Dreamland, Steeplechase Park, Astroland — and a vibrant visual landscape has built up in and around them all. The amusements and food stalls of Coney Island’s theme parks and boardwalk amusements have been a rich source of signage and lettering, whose styles have shifted with the times.

The local shops and the seasonal businesses shout (sometimes literally) to passersby with an eclectic array of bold signage, bright colors, and inventive lettering, an we will look at the old and new signs that vie for attention at the height of the Summer season. The walking tour will meet at the large mural by Brazilian brothers Os Gemeos, outside the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station (the last stop on the D, N, F, or Q trains). We will head east along Surf Avenue, Coney Island’s main strip, and then south and onto the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk will lead us west past the theme parks past and present and over to MCU Park stadium, the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. From there, we will take Surf Avenue back east, stop at Nathan’s Famous (or one of its neighbors, if you prefer) for some lunch, and then finally into Luna Park. After the tour, be sure to stick around and enjoy seaside and the rides and amusements at the park — especially the Wonder Wheel and the famous Cyclone roller coaster!

Dan Rhatigan worked as a designer and typographer for 15 years in Boston and New York before moving to England in 2006 for graduate school at the University of Reading. After receiving his MA in Typeface Design, he spent 7 seven years working with Monotype as researcher, type designer, and eventually Type Director. He now lives in New York City again, where he works as an independent type designer and consultant.