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Growing Up in Alphabet City: Michael Doret’s Incredible Visual Autobiography

Published Sep 20, 2024
Includes affiliate content

A comprehensive resource and visual showcase documenting the achievements of one of America’s most celebrated designers.

Growing Up in Alphabet City: The Unexpected Letterform Art of Michael Doret” is a new book published by the Letterform Archive which offers a captivating journey through the illustrious career of Michael Doret, a legend in the world of custom lettering and graphic design.

This fantastic visual autobiography covers an extensive selection of Doret’s work, including magazine covers, sports team logos, film title graphics and more, spanning over five decades.

The book includes a selection of visual references that influenced Michael Doret’s work over the years.

Michael Doret’s influence on popular culture is undeniable. From designing the iconic “Rock and Roll Over” album cover for Kiss to creating the New York Knicks logo and even crafting the title treatment for Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph,” his creations have left a mark on the visual landscape of the 20th and 21st centuries.

His distinctive approach to design, combining elements of lettering, illustration and graphic design, is vividly chronicled in this stunning volume.

Michael Doret’s iconic “Rock and Roll Over” album cover for Kiss.

The book delves deep into Doret’s pre-digital creative process, including fold-out pages that offer readers a rare glimpse into his techniques and the world of analog custom lettering.

Michael Doret’s sketches and concepts for the New York Knicks logo, with the final design on the right, 1991.
The book includes fold-out pages that offer a glimpse into Doret’s process and techniques.

More than 600 images are included in this comprehensive volume, from initial pencil sketches and rejected client concepts to printer mechanicals and final artworks.

But this publication is much more than just a beautiful and nostalgic compilation. For artists and designers, it serves as an inspirational guide that bridges the gap between the analog past and the digital present.

Michael Doret’s title treatment concepts for Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph.”
Title treatments for Pixar’s “Coco.”

Whether you’re an artist, designer or simply someone who appreciates the visual arts, “Growing Up in Alphabet City” is a highly recommended addition to your collection. It celebrates the impressive legacy of Michael Doret’s work with engaging narratives, beautifully produced content and invaluable educational insights.

If you’re interested in picking up a copy, the book is now available on Letterform Archive’s website and Amazon.


This post contains affiliate links to partner brands. We earn a small commission if you click the link and make a purchase. There is no extra cost to you, so it’s just a nice way to help support the site. The book included in this article was provided by the publisher for review purposes, however, this is not a sponsored post and the opinions expressed are entirely our own.

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