Type in Context: Kalkan, Turkey
Editorial & Photography Amelia Bramwell
5
Contents 10-11. Aubergine 12-13. BSG Bags 14-15. Cafe Del Mar 16-17. Deniz Bank 18-19. Efes 20-21. Foto’s Pizza 22-23. Genuine Fake 24-25. Harrods 26-27. iLyada 28-29. Just Silver 30-31. Kalkan 32-33. Rhapsody Leather 34-35. Majestik
36-37. Need 38-39. The Olive Garden 40-41. Paparazzi Terrace 42-43. Queen of Hearts 44-45. Rezerve 46-47. Sweeney Todd’s Barber Shop 48-49. Tailor Yusuf 50-51. Gourmet 52-53. Cafe VITA 54-55. Oscar’s Watch 56-57. Xanthos 58-59. Yali General Store 60-61. Zizzi
7
Research
Before going on holiday to Turkey, I considered taking my photos in multiple locations, such as London and China Town in Liverpool. I decided I would take my images in Turkey, however, as I didn’t want anybody else in the group to have any similar images at all. Before I left, I did a little bit of research into the Turkish alphabet. I found out that the Turkish alphabet doesn’t have the letterforms ‘Q’, ‘W’ or ‘X’.
9
A
The typeface is a postmodern typeface, which is very similar to the typeface Universal, which is a modern typeface. It communicates quite a digital look, which is ironic as the restaurant is actually quite traditional Turkish. The purpose is to inform of a restaurant (it is a fridge magnet). It’s quite easy to read, however I think it only works as it’s only two words in this typeface. It’s effective, however the background illustration (of the aubergine) is awful and doesn’t fit with the typeface.
11
B
This typeface is called Papyrus and is a postmodern typeface often used as a typeface for scrolls and scripts. It communicates an old look, which isn’t relevant for the brand ‘bsg leather’ as it sells brand new, fake handbags. The purpose of the type is to entice people into the shop. It’s quite easy to read as it’s a display font, however it doesn’t match the products that they sell. The idea of having the type in a circle is effective, however the old-style type doesn’t match with the modern logo design.
13
C
The typeface used for the name of the cafe is in a script typeface. It communicates an old look, which is relevant for the cafe as it’s very traditional Turkish, with incense constantly burning. The purpose of the business card is to inform people of the cafe. It’s a display typeface and is easy to read as it’s only a title. It’s an effective design for a business card, however the logo design is quite modern and gives a mixed message for the café’s aesthetic.
15
D
The typeface is a modern typeface, but looks like it is condensed. It communicates a modern look, which is relevant as it’s a bank and a very modern style inside. The purpose is to let people know that there is a bank there, as there are multiple signs leading to it as it’s not in the centre of the town. It’s a very easy typeface to read and is legible, however the neon lighting behind makes it less readable. It’s an effective typeface and relevant as it gives a sense of safety and security, which you’d expect from a bank.
17
E
This typeface is a serif typeface. It communicates a traditional beer, which is relevant as it’s the drink of Turkey and is sold in absolutely every restaurant and bar. It’s an easy typeface to read. It’s a traditional typeface for a traditional beer, so in that sense it is also relevant for the beer. The typeface is part of a logo design and I think the logo design is also relevant for the brand, however there doesn’t seem to be a reason for having the first letter of the logo slightly slanted.
19
F
The typeface used in this leaflet design is a slab serif typeface. It communicates a cheap, affordable cafe, which is relevant for this particular restaurant. The purpose is to inform of a restaurant as these leaflets are given out on the streets and also posted through the doors of villas. It’s quite easy to read, however it only works as the display font as it’d wouldn’t be legible as body copy.
21
G
This typeface is a display typeface. It communicates a traditional look, which is quite relevant in a sense as the shop has been around in Kalkan since 1989. The purpose of the sign is to inform that the products in the shop are ‘genuine fakes’. It’s easy to read, however it only works as a display font and wouldn’t be successful as body copy.
23
H
This typeface is display typeface. The leading on the type has been altered so that the name ‘Harrools’ looks like the brand ‘Harrods’. It communicates quite an affordable shop, however this is only due to the neon signage, as in actual fact Harrods is quite an expensive shop. The purpose of the sign is to use humour to entice people into the shop, and it seems to work as the shop has been there for the past six years.
25
I
The typeface used in this business card is a sans serif typeface that looks like Arial bold. It communicates a modern restaurant. The purpose is to inform people of the restaurant, as it’s on the end of the street so not many people walk that way. It’s an easy typeface to read as it’s very similar to Helvetica. It’s an effective design, however I think the little illustration in the corner is not relevant to the style of the type and logo design.
27
J
This typeface is a serif typeface. It communicates an old look, however the bright light in the background contradicts this. It’s relevant that it looks old as the shop sells traditional Turkish, silver jewellery. The purpose of the sign is to invite people into the shop. It’s a very easy typeface to read and is effective as it fits well with the logo design.
29
K
This typeface is a display typeface. It communicates quite an old look, which is relevant as Kalkan is a very old tourist town. The purpose is to brand Kalkan as a town. It’s quite an easy typeface to read as it’s a display text, however it wouldn’t work as body copy. It’s an effective design as it shows that Kalkan is traditional, however it’s aimed at tourists so it’s quite quirky.
31
L
This typeface is a sans serif typeface and communicates quite a traditional shop, which isn’t really true as the products in the shop are all new, however the shop has been there for years so in that sense it is traditional. It’s not the most attractive shop sign, however it suits its target audience, being tourists, so in that way it is successful.
33
M
This typeface is a serif typeface. It communicates a traditional product, so in that sense it is successful as it is quite an old bottle of wine. The purpose is to inform people of the type and brand of wine. It’s very easy to read as the leading is very spread out. It’s an effective design, however the illustrations and the typeface don’t go too well together and a sans serif typeface may look better.
35
N
This typeface is a sans serif typeface. It communicates a modern business, which is relevant for the brand as they sell fake designer handbags. It’s an easy typeface to read as it is only a display type and not body copy, however the letterform ‘E’ wouldn’t be legible if it was on its own. It’s an effective design for the shop, however it’s not too obvious what the shop is selling and you can only tell by going in and browsing - this could be a good thing or a bad thing.
37
O
This typeface is a display typeface called ‘Papyrus’. It has a very old look, which is relevant to the restaurant as it specialises in traditional Turkish dishes. The purpose of this sign is to inform people of the restaurants location, as it is on the second floor above a completely different cafe, so it’s quite difficult to notice it is there without the sign and menu. It’s not the nicest typeface, however it’s effective for the restaurant.
39
P
This typeface is a sans serif typeface. It communicates quite a new restaurant, which is relevant as it is a new restaurant in Kalkan. The purpose is to inform people of the new restaurant, as it’s on a balcony and therefore is quite hard to find. It’s an easy typeface to read as it is only display type and not body copy, however the letterforms are oddly arranged.
41
Q
This typeface is a display typeface. It communicates an old look, which is relevant as playing cards are a very old game. The purpose is to inform people which card you are playing the game with. It’s an easy typeface to read as it is only a single letterform and it matches with the style of the other letterforms.
43
R
This typeface is a sans serif typeface and looks very similar to the typeface ‘Apercu’. It communicates an informative message and is therefore relevant for its purpose; to let people know that the table is reserved. It’s a very legible typeface to read.
45
S
This typeface is a display typeface. It communicates quite an old shop, however this is contrasted with the harsh lighting behind it. The purpose is to invite people into the barbers shop, although calling it ‘Sweeney Todd’s Barber Shop’ wouldn’t really help with this. It’s an easy typeface to read, however it is very bold and harsh to look at and wouldn’t work as body copy.
47
T
This typeface is a sans serif typeface. It communicates an old look, which is quite relevant because the clothes sold on this stall are quite outdated. It is the same typeface used on the previous page. The purpose is to inform people of the clothes shop. It is readable, however it wouldn’t be if it was body copy.
49
U
This typeface is a serif typeface and is quite similar to the typeface ‘Bodoni Old Style’. It communicates an old look, which is relevant as the restaurant is very traditional with its interior. It is an easy typeface to read as it’s bold and the neon lighting behind each letterform makes it stand out.
51
V
This typeface is an oblique sans serif. It communicates quite a postmodern restaurant, as the logo is both script type and sans serif. The purpose of the leaflet is to inform people of the cafe. The sans serif typeface is easy to read, however the script isn’t too legible and wouldn’t work as body copy.
53
W
This typeface is a sans serif typeface. It attempts to communicate quality and tradition. It’s an easy typeface to read is there is a good amount of leading in between each letterform so that it can be lit with neon lighting. The name of the shop isn’t too relevant as it’s based on the Oscars and yet it has absolutely no relevant at all to the awards, as it is a watch shop.
55
X
This typeface is a sans serif typeface. It communicates quite an outdated look, which is relevant as it is advertising an old Turkish village. The purpose is to inform people of the tourist location, although it’s odd that the book is for tourists, yet all the type in the body copy is in Turkish. It’s an easy typeface to read.
57
Y
This typeface is a display typeface. It communicates an old look, which is relevant as the supermarket sells traditional Turkish meals and vegetables, however it does also sell newer items like any other supermarket. It’s quite an easy typeface to read as it is only a title and not body copy.
59
Z
The typeface used on this leaflet is a display typeface, that is very postmodern. It communicates that the restaurant is quite quirky and new. The purpose is to inform people of the cafe, as these leaflets were given out on the street and posted through doors of villas. It’s an easy typeface to read as it is only a title, however it wouldn’t be if the typeface was used as body copy.
61
Reflection
When I went to Turkey I realised that most of the bars, restaurants and shops actually use the English alphabet as Kalkan is a tourist village. This made it a lot easier to find most of the letterforms, the only letter I really struggled to find was the letter ‘Q’.
63