Surely hand drawn.

1. each letter is unique
2. Levi's has the money and experience to hire good designers
3. there are actual brush strokes in the artwork

That's what I was thinking. Thanks Eric.

I agree with the conclusions, but have you noticed how this style of lettering is currently popular? I'm also thinking of the promos for the movie "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE", as well as other advertising work. Stewf has probably built a list of random-looking casual printed fonts. (My list would include Randumhouse, Orion, Rats (w/alternate), Outhouse (w/alts), New Gothic Light, Mother Goose, Manosk First & Second, Tree Persimmon, Coffeedance, Avril, Arvigo, Swimsuit Boys, Cilantro, and Spaghetti Western)

- Mike Yanega

It's a little more on the friendly, polished side, but you might dig Duffy.
More sketched fonts.

Stanyan is nice.

I think the popularity of this style and the sign painter style is that young people, in particular, respond well to authentic, one-of-a-kind, hand-drawn writing and art. There is an authenticity to handmade stuff that's harder to get with an all-digital approach.

And the funny thing is that it's almost always easier to actually draw/write this style by hand than it is to search for a "handwritten" font. Out of the thousands of handwritten fonts, only a few do it well. And they are all so particular. Each handwritten font has its own distinct personality.

BTW, isn't Spaghetti Western a fat face Egyptian?

This style reminds me also of the Men in Black opening titles typeface:
http://www.dafont.com/font.php?file=men_in_black_credits

Titles which were probably inspired by Pablo Ferro's for Dr. Strangelove.

Eric, the Spaghetti Western I had in mind is the one at FontDiner in the TV Dinner (not Nick Curtis's Spaghetti Western WBW).

- Mike Yanega

Well this was timely: TypeTrust just released Romp.

Titles which were probably inspired by Pablo Ferro’s for Dr. Strangelove.

That's probably because they were made by the same person.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0274998/

Hah! Thanks, Riccardo. Didn't think to check.

Weiden emailed me to say the Levi's text is hand lettered by an in house art director.

Mara, that was nice of you to finish off this thread with a definitive answer. Thanks for going the extra mile.

- Mike Yanega

Thank you so much Mara, and everyone else as well. Case closed!

Theo Rosendorf

Julia did it.

http://juliablackburn.org/

Wow, her portfolio is stunning.