Chop suey fonts are a subcategory of so-called "ethnic" display fonts, and are a unique American invention with roots in the 170 year history of Chinese migrants in United States.
00:00 | This lettering will look familiar... unless you're from China.
01:06 | What is a Chop Suey font?
01:35 | Typographic Stereotypes from repeat usage
02:02 | Typographic Stereotypes with design intent
03:04 | How Chinese writing works, compared with Chop Suey fonts
04:44 | Where it started, how it began
05:22 | Some historical context
06:41 | Chinatown's theatrical reinvention
07:21 | How exclusion propelled Chinese restaurant expansion
09:16 | Repetition trumps authenticity
10:05 | Why Chinese restaurants perpetuated this trope
10:57 | Can a font be racist?
11:17 | The type equivalent of a fake foreign accent
12:16 | Or... don't be a hack?
13:14 | Where are things headed?
13:50 | Chinese food is more than takeout food
15:11 | Corporate high-end dining
15:42 | Embassy restaurants
16:06 | New-school Chinese American restaurants
16:45 | An expression of Chinese identities
17:54 | TienMin Liao's multi-script typography
19:02 | How to support Chinatown's survival