A man of letters

Sign painter is keeping the traditional craft in the public eye, Yu Ran reports.

When Zhao Duo walks on a street, the words he sees on signboards or shop windows are not simply a combination of letters but a glimpse into the fonts used. He only needs one glance to infer how the 26 letters of the English alphabet should look like based on a particular style.

Born in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, Zhao is one of the few professional sign painters in Shanghai. He says his interest stemmed from childhood when he would admire the beautiful letters on his father's vinyl records. He also saw his mother use a Chinese typesetter for documents and he could recognize some characters backward.

"I prefer to be described as a sign painter without a certain style. My role is more like a messenger who helps deliver a client's message by painting letters," says Zhao, founder of Huaihai Signs, which is named after the road where he once lived.

The 35-year-old's journey to this niche industry began in 2011, one year after he graduated with a degree in design from Macao Polytechnic University, when his friend Tuba Mok requested that he paint signs on the window of a new clothing shop. To Zhao's surprise, it took him almost one week to paint 10 letters, "Mr. Stockman", on the main window.