On the incredibly powerful blog, The Urban Type Experiment, an anonymous graphic designer noticed an "abundance of less-fortunate people asking for help on the streets" of Chicago. 

And so, he got an idea: "Each week I head out and meet someone new. I then spend the week hand lettering a new sign for them. Once I give them the sign I wait another week and then ask them if they noticed any difference in awareness."

Thus, the Urban Type Experiment was born.

Here's Fred, one of the first homeless people who took advantage of the new sign offer, and he saw benefits almost immediately. In fact, Fred reported that he'd "been receiving at least one compliment a day and sometime he'll even get three or four in a single day. He also noted that every compliment resulted in a donation."

Next up we have Mike, who, as his homemade sign says, lost his leg while in the military. Our donor felt that Mike could use a little bit of an upgrade to really make his message pop.

Of course, our veterans deserve more than just a new cardboard sign, which is why the anonymous graphic designer gave Mike a cash donation, as well.

So how did things go?

"Mike told me that people really like the sign and that they keep saying how awesome it is. He said the sign is catching their eyes and more people are stopping by now that it's starting to warm up."

This is Ulysses, another homeless veteran. When asked later what effects the sign had, Ulysses confirmed that it was definitely helping. A woman even approached him and asked where he got it, and Ulysses "told her that he had made the sign and that she could hire him to make some."

...I like his moxie.

Here now is Shely, a woman from Arizona who just wants to earn enough money to get herself a bus ticket back home. Maybe a new sign will help?

So, our graphic designer made this beauty for Shely by meticulously hand-sculpting a cursive typeset. Looks pretty good.

Though she seemed happy enough when she got the new artwork, unfortunately not everything ends up like in the movies. When our designer returned a couple weeks later, Shely admitted "she wasn't using the sign." But, on the plus side, she was a third of the way toward her goal for the bus ticket.

Next we have Scottie. His sign's simple message is made much more powerful by the dramatic font choice. When asked how it had been working out, Scottie confirmed that it was indeed helping. And when asked where he got it, "Scottie said he told them a friend made it for him."

Aww.

As Mandrel's sign indicates, it's tough on the streets of Chicago. Each day, she hopes to earn $30 in order to afford a room for the night. Our anonymous artist hoped that his contribution might help her get closer to that goal.

Sadly, though, after completing the piece, he was never able to find Mandrel to actually deliver it to her. We can only hope it's because she found a steady job and place to live.

Roger here is prone to health problems, and thus needs funds to help pay for his medical treatments. He seemed like the perfect candidate for a nice new sign.

This one worked, but maybe a bit too well. As our blogger reported, "he told me he saves it for special occasions because he doesn't want to dingy it up."

As you can see in the above photo, though, when Roger does take out the sign, people notice.

Ultimately, our anonymous blogger's experiment was cut short when he abruptly announced that he was moving from Chicago. However, the final update came with good news, too, as Fred (the first person featured in this list) informed the designer that he was about to start a new job!

Was Fred's employment a direct result of that nice new sign? Probably not. But, we can only imagine that, for someone who was down on his luck, it was nice to get some actual help and attention, even with something as small as a cardboard sign. And we're sure Fred's going to pay that kindness forward as he starts his new life off of the streets.