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Artist Matthew Tabor is the one-man show behind Letterset, which does the creative branding behind many of Houston’s top restaurants.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Each of Houston’s favorite restaurants and bars has distinct branding that sets it apart. There’s the bubble lettering of\u00a0Burger Bodega<\/a>, script font at\u00a0Maximo<\/a> and the scribbles behind Squable<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n One Houston artist is responsible for those and many other recognizable restaurant logos across the city.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Houston Restaurant Weeks is here. These are the spots our Chronicle food team recommends trying.<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Matthew Tabor has been the quiet creative behind the artwork for around 300 businesses in Houston, with restaurants making up 90% of his work. His business\u00a0Letterset<\/a>, took off about 15 years ago, when Houston was just gaining traction as a dining destination<\/a>. He worked with popular spots that helped boost Houston’s creative\u00a0credibility, including the late Underbelly restaurant and cocktail bar\u00a0Anvil.<\/p>\n “It’s a little bit of a high,” Tabor said. “I feel like it’s a very unique field where you get to witness something that doesn’t exist enter a reality where an entire city can interact with it, and that’s very powerful. I am honored to be able to do that.”<\/p>\n Artist Matthew Tabor works in his studio in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026. Tabor is the one-man show behind Letterset, which goes creative branding behind many of Houston’s top restaurants.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle Artist Matthew Tabor works in his new studio in Houston. Tabor is the mostly one-man show behind Letterset, which does creative branding for many of Houston’s top restaurants.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle Artist Matthew Tabor is the mostly one-man show behind Letterset, which does creative branding for many of Houston’s top restaurants.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle Artist Matthew Tabor works on signage for a restaurant in his studio in the\u00a0Northside.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle Artist Matthew Tabor works in his new studio in the Northside.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle Cans of lettering enamel are seen in artist Matthew Tabor\u2019s studio in Houston.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle Artist Matthew Tabor is the mostly one-man show behind Letterset, which does creative branding for many of Houston’s top restaurants.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle Artist Matthew Tabor works on signage for a restaurant\u00a0in his studio in Houston.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n Tabor was a server at longtime restaurant Paulie’s<\/a>, which closed at the end of 2025, when he was asked to do his first restaurant art gig. He was hired to write the chalkboard menu at Paulie’s. At the time, many restaurants displayed their menus on chalkboards.<\/p>\n Paulie’s owner Paul Petronella said it was hard to find artists willing to do the labor-intensive work by hand. Tabor quickly became the person he turned to for all things logos, art and branding.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “He loves what he does, and it comes through,” Petronella said. “Even with AI the way it is, Matt’s creations are still unique, and you can tell that it was created by a creative human.”<\/p>\n From there, Tabor did freelance work while still working in hospitality and attending the Art Institute of Houston<\/a>. He graduated from the University of Houston in 2014 with a degree in fine art painting. Having grown up painting and dreaming of becoming an animator, he wouldn’t have guessed he’d end up on this side of the art world.<\/p>\n In 2015, he founded Letterset with the help of Leslie Slade. Over the years, he’s had people come and go as he’s grown his clientele. He’s had a hand in every one of Letterset’s projects. Camerata<\/a>, the wine bar connected to Paulie’s, was the first place for which he created the branding art from the very beginning.<\/p>\n Artist Matthew Tabor works in his studio in Houston.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n “I was super excited about it,” Tabor said. “I don’t think I understood what it would lead to at all.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n His big break came when he was hired by chef Chris Shepherd, who had only recently opened\u00a0Underbelly<\/a>. He was first asked to do an illustration for a wine menu. From there, it snowballed into Tabor working on logos and other projects for nearly every Underbelly Hospitality concept, including Georgia James<\/a>, Wild Oats<\/a> and UB Preserv. Shepherd introduced Tabor to Bobby\u00a0Heugel and Justin Yu, which led to work on Anvil, Refuge and Squable.<\/p>\n Tabor’s work goes beyond creating logos. He has painted murals, like the one outside Anvil; created the custom product wall inside Burger Bodega; and made a sculpture of the burger mascot at Underbelly. Restaurants also hire him for all sorts of hand-painted signage, like an “Order Here” sign.<\/p>\n A Louisiana native, Tabor’s work has primarily been in Houston, although he has worked with brands in New Jersey and Arkansas for restaurateurs who started in Houston.<\/p>\n Now, Letterset is entering a new chapter as Tabor trades an old warehouse workspace for a community-driven art shop in the Northside. The space, called the Stew, was created with the help of Nolan Pearson, Jonathan Mazalthan and Jehovana Martinez. It will be public-facing \u2014 a change for Tabor’s business, which will continue to run as usual. He will host sign-painting classes, along with other workshops and social events.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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