Gangly originated from the wall of a department store parking garage in San Diego, California in the early 1990s.

Developed into a full-grown typeface by the unconventional mind of Joe Polevy, the lanky letterforms were used in their infancy by David Carson in his layouts for Ray Gun and Surfer magazines.

Gangly has since found certain popularity as an unpretentious sans serif for projects with a counterculture flavor.