Gabrielle

Typefaces All around Me

Gabrielle Hubert

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Content 2. Discovering typography on Gallery Walk (p.6-12) Food and Beverages (p. 6-7) Gifts and Souvenirs (p 8-11) Food Specialities (p.8) Jewellery (p.10)

Clothes (p.9) Art (p.11)

Curiosities (p.12)

as a student in G

raphic Design (p

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oreillys-green-mountains-tour

www.remotetraveler.com

pinterest.com.au

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Gallery Walk on Long Road is the most touristic area of Tamborine Mountain (QLD, Australia).

Every day and more on week-ends, hundreds of tourists from all around the world park and tread hours and hours on Gallery Walk. Why? Because this area was especially created for helping the basic tourist to stick there, entertaining and spending the more money he could through a range of shops that offer food, art and plenty of bizarre objects.

Dicovering typography On a sunny morning day, I took many photos of signage on Gallery Walk. My goal was not to produce artistic photos, it was to present signage in their usual environment. I have organised these photos according to different topics and then, I have tried to think as an international tourist looking at this signage for the first time.

Food and Beverages Here, this is a sign on the footpath which stops the tourist.

The typographic is very readable, black on white background and sans serif typeface. The words are basic for being understood by the most basic international tourist.

If this tourist doesn’t speak English, the sculpture of the bottle informs about what he could taste and buy in this shop.

on Gallery Walk On the left, • Byron Bay is written on a funny display mode maybe to remind this little town is full of eccentric people.

• Fudge is also written on a display mode but bigger and black contrasts with the vertical coloured stripes.

• Important information about the products are written in a readable type.

On the right, • At the first sight, the tourist could be confused about what is sold at Chili Café but visual indicators show he can buy food here.

• Furthermore, removable handwriting on the black board informs the tourist that food should be fresh and homemade, I guess.

Gifts and Souvenirs Food Specialities Here, the first signage manipulates the walker and he changes direction. On the right, another signage with more detail catches his attention. What are the specificity of these signage?

No.1 on the footpath: - Complementary colours (red/ green on white background) - The typeface is different for each information, six lines of information, six different typefaces on the display mode.

- Furthermore, one of them is not written straight. This is for attract people’s attention maybe.

No.2 on the shop facade: - Red types on white background but no green (Why?) - Granny Macs is written in a different typeface than on the first signage.

- Display mode again with curves and capital letters which is still different than on the first signage.

Clothes Whispers and Windswept & Interesting are shops dedicated for clothes sales. Moreover, Windswept & Interesting is also a kind of art gallery presenting sculptures and paintings for sale.

• Whispers Signage is not enough visible and types on the signage is not legible due to the pink dominance. Obviously, the signage doesn’t play an important role.

Due to pink is well known as an international girly colour, then the tourist knows that this shop sells products only for women.

Furthermore, at the windows upstairs, people can see mannequins wearing shirt, dress and skirt. Here, signals talk more than the signage and even if the tourist does not speak English, he understand he can find women’s clothes here.

• Windswept & Interesting The typeface on the display mode looks very artistic with many curves, nevertheless, it is readable (black and red on white background) but the meaning sounds very enigmatic! This is maybe the reason why additional information are necessary for helping the reader.

Underneath, on display mode and white on black background, the reader is able to have a more accurate idea about what he could find in this shop.

However, the owner has forgotten to do the gardening and the trees prevent the reading!

Jewellery

• Vintage Crafts The overall signage looks very sophisticated. The typefaces on a display mode and italic fonts reinforce the idea of being unique and precious.

Nevertheless, the colour combination, golden letters on navy blue background is heavy and not particularly enjoyable.

However, the message is pretty much clear: tradition and ostentation!

• Belle Bijou Here, the typeface is unique on the signage and absolutely easy to read. That transmits a feeling of modernity through the word ‘Designer’. ‘Jewellery’ allows the tourist to understand what is sold in this shop. Belle Bijou would like to give a touch of selective elegance due to the meaning ‘Beautiful Jewel’ in French, I presume.

Art The Glass Studio gathers plenty decorative and artistic objects and costume jewellery made by blowing glass technique.

However, nothing is specified on the signage whom the typeface is quiet readable but I think white letters should get a better result.

Furthermore, the tourist has to come closer to understand what is sold inside.

Curiosities • Ducks village That is a very funny signage which looks like drawn by kids. What a mysterious shop!

Through the typeface, this place could be dedicated to the youngest generation and to anyone who wants to awake his inner child.

• Cuckoo clocks This signage would like to be attractive and funny.

Same typeface on the signage but the font is different.

Moreover, they have chosen capital letters for the name of the shop.

The message is traditional, repetitive and heavy. Yes, you are able to find watches and clocks.

The signage matches with the Bavarian shop style. However, good taste and sophistication? Definitely not!

This is just for fun.

My point of view ... as a student in Graphic Design At the first sight, signage and typography could seem like a big chaos on Gallery Walk. However, Gallery Walk massively attracts tourists and this fact cannot be a happy coincidence. In my point of view, the typography of signage was elaborated according to amazing combinations.

Then, how does typography operate through the signage? Being the most…

The most abstract and mysterious and also hidden by plants!

Colourful… Pink, super pink, ultra-pink… But what is the name of this shop? The typeface is sunk into the pink ocean. Okay, Whispers on Tamborine is a place you cannot miss!

The most eccentric and abstract … Readable but what does that mean?!

To conclude, this is my analysis of Gallery Walk typography signage as a Graphic Design student: 1. When the typography is readable, the meaning is not always clear.

2. Sometimes, the meaning is pretty much clear and the reader thinks he has understood however through the window shop, other indicators make the reader confused.

3. Sometimes, the typography disappears into the signage and other indicators inform about what is sold inside.

TThe most fun and decorative, and confusing because the tourist starts to have doubts… What do they sell here.

Even if the typography of the signage looks messy and makes the audience confused, all is very well organised for sensitising the eyes of potential customers and sharpen curiosity.

Typefaces All around Me Gabrielle Hubert

Typefaces all around Me is an overview of the signage on Gallery Walk, a touristic area in Queensland.

How the signage attracts the tourists from the footpath to the shops?