Borges Lettering

Charles Borges de Oliveira

Lettering Artist · Type Designer · Graphic Designer

I'm Charles Borges de Oliveira — a lettering artist, type designer, and graphic designer based in the Pacific Northwest. I've been working in lettering and type design for more than 27 years, and this studio is where that work lives: original typeface families, digital design tools, and lettering for commercial clients.

My mother was a commercial lettering artist who gave up her career to be a homemaker, my father painted signs while working as an electrical engineer at Boeing, and my uncle owned Burien Sign Company and was a journeyman sign painter and showcard writer. Growing up around that craft shaped how I see letterforms to this day.

I entered the trade at 22, spending five formative years under sign painter Clay Allen at Allen Signs, where I studied beginning sign painting, layout, vinyl, production, and installation. After Clay closed the shop I went on to work for Tactile Signs in Kirkland, WA, for two amazing bosses — Kent and his son Kevin. In my time there I laid out over 8,000 sign designs, sharpening my layout skills in ways nothing else could. Tactile specialized in architectural signage, custom ADA signage, and the home building market — producing and installing complete signage packages for new home communities. That experience, and the years at various other studios in the area, built out what would become 14 years total as a professional sign maker and sign designer.

In 2003, while still working full-time in signs, I completed my first original typeface — Sarah Script, named after my wife. I founded Borges Lettering that same year, building the type design and lettering work alongside my day job until I could make the full transition. In 2007, I was finally able to make the switch to full-time lettering artist and type designer. In 2026 the studio was rebranded as BorgesType.

Today the studio produces and licenses a growing catalog of original typeface families and digital design tools for Adobe Illustrator.