Summer Project: A-Z: Type in Context
Type of Portobello Market
A
Alice's is a vintage antique store which sells a huge variety of British antiques. The signage on the shop itself is hand painted whereas the draped sign infront has most likely been added to the shop along the years. Whether this sign is hand painted is questionable (most likely is) but the others certainly are and are a good example of traditional sign painting. This typography is clear and certainly quirky which suits the aesthetic of the shop. It effectively communicates this as the shop has decided to keep this, some would say - lost art of sign painting to reflect the nature of the shop and its antique goods.
B
These are British plaques found within Alice's antique store and perhaps originated from a pub. As printing techniques were advancing, these plaques at the time most likely were the most sustainable signage. They are cast out of iron and purpose are to last a lifetime. For this the type must be clear and legible which these achieve. The choice of serif and sans serif types relate to the context of the signs as I believe the serif type for 'Bullshit Corner' has a more relaxed approached which reflects the comic phrase. Whereas 'Beware of the Dog' is loud and distinct, emulating the cautious and alarming phrase.
C
This is a hand painted ceramic cocaine jar. Cocaine was historically useful as a topical aesthetic in eye and nasal surgery but whether this is a pharmaceutical antique is unknown. In medieval Europe, apothecaries and alchemists appealed to their ailing customers by displaying bottles in their windows. This is particularly interesting as the characters and kerning are spaced out which makes the word very clear and understandable, and also makes this work with the decorative patterns by the way the word flows.
D
This is another example of antique signage for a dentist. Sign painting is a learned craft with a long history. Historically artisans acquired the craft through apprenticeship, although many early sign painters were self-taught. The craft has almost disappeared now but perhaps the majority of people would much prefer this creative, unique sign to standard dentist signs we have today.
E
The type in this for 'Ballooning' is very effective as it reflects the beautiful nature of this sign. The type is expressive and when first looking at this without thinking of the actual word, you instantly feel invited in as the serif typeface is delicate and traditional which makes it friendly and goes with the whole picturesque aesthetic. In addition the capital letters and the way the words are grouped enforces importance which draws you in.
F
This is a ceramic seed jar which also uses the technique of using a friendly, relaxed serif type. It feels very homely and perhaps are from the 50s/60s. The hyphens used creates balance with the way the words are groups. It is interesting as this is an antique but the use of lines and hyphens are very much in, in contemporary graphic design.
G
This antique cigar shop sign uses the typical ornate type we would see from sign painting. This however feels old style but does only have hints of serifs rather than such obvious ones. The choice of gold really stands outs out, particularly with the dark shadows to highlight the gold. This creates a really nice colour scheme out of beiges and browns and the gold suggests glamour and luxury to buyers.
H
This was a contrast to the other markets/shops/stalls at Portobello Market as this was a high end clothes store selling Harris Tweed. This proves how diverse Portobello road market is and the range of goods it has. The sign for 'Highland' communicates well the nature of the shop as the serif type reflects back on the traditionalist values of the shop. Along with the long stems of the letterforms to emulate the the 'Highlands' and the fact that it is a high end store. This certainly conveys quite a high class and luxurious vibe to the store.
I
This is a vintage film which dates back to the 1940's. The type used for 'Film' is typical of film typography as it uses sans serif and modern elements to reflect the modernness of film. 'Hollywood' is also in the typical decorative typeface we associate with Hollywood as it looks very glamorous and dazzling.
J
This was a letterpress stall in Portobello Market where you can buy the individual letters for letterpress. Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing using a printing press, a process by which many copies are produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper.
K
This was found at a lovely book stall and the contents is a book of poems. The old style type is ornate and elegant and has this traditional style to communicate the contents of traditional, 19th century poetry. The serifs are quite decorative which is what suggests to us that it is an old style typography.
L
This is another example of sign painting. In England, lettering on signs did not become commonplace until the 18th century, as literacy rates increased. This coincided with England becoming a major centre of lettering excellence, with advances in typography from William Caslon and John Baskerville. Sign painting like this one often have personal touches, often decorative and colourful, with outlines and shading, ornamental flourishes, and deliberate flair - seen at their most effusive and unconstrained in fairgrounds.
M
This was found on a chalk board and is probably the closest thing we currently have to sign painting now. Chalk board typography - like sign painting is decorative and colourful. This is a good example of this as it uses floral details and flourishes to create a really unique, friendly typeface which is enjoyable to look at.
N
This is the Notting Hill canvas shopping bag found at a stall in Portobello Market. This typeface could be Helvetica but it is clear that this bold type has been used as a selling technique to really capture the audiences eye to the bag. The clear lettering makes the sentence all together a bold statement which is very distinct and in your face, again to really draw people into buying it.
O
This is a beautiful antique hand painted sign. The colours are complementary and the use of gold for the letters also emulate that they are antique, but suggests that they are upscale and lavish. The hints of serifs on the letterforms makes the words clear and legible but also emphasises the lavishness by linking to the decorative patterns between.
P
This book of Pride & Prejudice was found at another book stall. This decorative and elegant book design really creates a beautiful book cover and I think the colour scheme suggests innocence by the use of baby blue. In addition the flourishes which reminds us of hand rendered typography gives a very feminine touch to the cover, communicating with the main target audience - women. This all relates beautifully back to the contents of the book which makes it an effective book cover with a beautiful aesthetic.
Q
These are a collection of old, antique books. Similarly to the previous letter, the detailing is very traditional and decorative. The choice of red and gold connotes royal and grandness which heightens the antique feel overall. Decorative patterns with traditional style typography are elements of the Renaissance.
R
The Royal Mail box on Portobello Road also linked to the common theme of the letters as this had been hand rendered. This goes back to traditional post box's as this is an old style one which suits the whole aesthetic of Portobello Market. The type is very simplistic and spaced out so that it is easy to read from far away and is distinguishable.
S
This is another vintage jar found with hand painted type. The type is long and the kerning is quite close, probably due to the nature of the word 'Strawberries' being very long therefore it is easy to tighten the letters together but elongate them to make it readable.
T
This is also a vintage hand painted sign. Graphic design in England had blossomed in the second half of the 20th century, and modern display fonts became increasingly popular for shop signs (and popular with signwriters). Pubs were still thriving, often employing decorative styles, and professional signwriters regularly did gold leaf work.
U
This is an LP of The Velvet Underground at a record stall. This was produced in 1969 and has a very 60s feel about it. The type and colours of the photograph all have psychedelic elements, which is very relevant as 1969 was the height of psychedelic art. The type in particular which looks as if its melting is very common within 1960s psychedelic posters/album artworks.
V & W
This is yet another example of sign painting. Along with the Dentist sign I believe that this is far more interesting and unique than the standard signs we see now. In the 21st century signwriters, while not quite extinct, are effectively an endangered species. Their techniques are safely preserved, documented in the many excellent publications and tutorials, but active practitioners are no longer the common sight on the streets of London that they once were.
X, Y & Z
These were taken from a letterpress stall where you can buy all the letters individually, there were a huge range of different sizes and styles. Letterpress is the oldest form of printing. In this method, a surface with raised letters is inked and pressed to the surface of the printing substrate to reproduce an image in reverse. Typically, metal type has been used but other possibilities include carved wood or stone blocks. Its hand-crafted look and feel; giving character and charm to a variety of printed products.
