Week 3.5: Branding

THE FITH STEP

One aspect I wanted to get sorted relatively early in my process was the creation of a memorable and fitting brand for my shop, overall setting the “tone” for my project.

To begin this process I collected an array of reference images of shop signage fitting of the period and world with a mix of interesting typography and iconography.

Signage & Branding Reference Board:

"Since the object of sign boards was to attract the public, they were often of an elaborate character. Not only were the signs themselves large and sometimes of great artistic merit (especially in the 16th and 17th centuries, when they reached their greatest vogue) but the posts or metal supports protruding from the houses over the street, from which the signs were swung, were often elaborately worked, and many beautiful examples of wrought-iron supports survive both in England and continental Europe" [1]

"In a largely illiterate society the primary form of signage was the making and displaying of symbols for the product or services offered…..However during the 19th century it became customary to supplement and finally to displace this with lettering,

ln these days of puffery, when each advertising tradesman is endeavouring to secure a monopoly of attraction to his announcements, the ingenuity of the signwriters is taxed to the utmost extent."[2]

All of these signs communicate their purpose clearly with a combination of clear typography and iconography be it scissors for a hairdressers, seven for ship merchant. A good brand identity will display exactly what the business does from merely looking and with any hope be somewhat memorable to keep those ever important customers returning.

Recognising nearly all of these signs include a decorative serif font, in a white or gold sat on a darker background. I went to DaFont downloading a collection of fonts that somewhat resembled the examples whilst incorporating some more fantastical elements.

Typography Experimentation:

Using Illustrator, I arranged the various texts and decided on a final 3 to take forward. Using various text warp functions to create some designs that looked too similar to pubs or beer branding. I decided on one of the middle designs as the majority of the Signs typography were aligned along a central axis.

Final Logo Design:

Once I had the typography sorted I added some embellishments to drive the fantastical elements, including small diamond shapes that were originally stars but made the design feel overall too "tacky" and not slightly more refined as I wanted.

Finishing it off with a centaur holding a telescope Infront of an eclipsed moon. As I had already decided I wanted these magical creatures to be my main source of identity.

One vital aspect of sign and branding is that the text needs to be large and clear to be legible when walking down the street and looking at it on a hanging sign for example. To aid with this I highlighted the main 2 aspects of the shop, the Centaur being unanimous with the establishment and the actual wares it sells (Astronomy) colouring them in white. A potential issue I may run into is creating a hanging sign that can fit the actual design as it is a unique shape. However one way around this could be including exclusively the text or inversely just the Logo.

KEY INFORMATION from the week:

With a brand sorted I now have an idea of a, colour palette to include with my overall shop

as an overall aesthetic or feeling for the establishment.

[1] www.tsigns.co.uk. (n.d.). History of Signage | T Signs | Salisbury | UK. [online] Available at: https://www.tsigns.co.uk/blogs/history-of-signage. [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].

[2] www.theheritageportal.co.za. (n.d.). 19th Century lettering on buildings | The Heritage Portal. [online] Available at: https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/19th-century-lettering-buildings. [Accessed 8 Feb. 2024].