Type in Context - OUGD504

Andreas -

First up is Andreas Fish and Chips, a little out of the city centre is my local chippy and in my opinion the best. The typeface used in the sign isn’t so much fitting of traditional English Fish and Chips but it is a family run business, Andreas and his family are all of Greek origin. The type itself is very fitting to a traditional Grecian style, it stands out, catches the eye and because it is such a local landmark it doesn’t need anything else.

The Big Fish -

Another chippy takes the second spot. Definitely a different style used this time but instead of using heritage for the design decision the name is used instead. It is THE BIG FISH there isn’t a bigger one the bold font states this and for that reason you are drawn in you know exactly what is sold from the name. The type is clear and easy to read from a distance, the white on a navy background really stands out too. 

Chop Suey House -

Across from Andreas sits Chop Suey House a Chinese takeaway. The style of the Type changes across the title. The name hints at what might be sold inside but the style is very clean suiting a Chinese style with a very light font choice then moving to the word house becomes even more traditional. 

Deano’s -

If this sign didn’t feature a pizza half way through I don’t think I would have realised that it was primarily a pizza take away. The design is very bright and colourful suiting a fun look, this look continues into the type’s shape not quite conforming to traditional block lettering. I think the fun look is about as far as the sign goes to telling you what could be sold here without the pizza, “Eastern Flavours” is also stated on the sign but I can’t quite find what eastern style is meant to be coming across here. The sign itself is very bold and does stand out as you are driving along.

 New Element -

The name or type doesn’t give much away from this design but the Oriental wording underneath gives this away. The San Serif type fits a clean oriental design and suits the theme of the restaurant.

Fusion Food - 

The type itself isn’t really much of a piece of art but it does work well for the takeaway. The food isn’t 5 star michelin rated and sometimes we need the almost bad design to help us differentiate. The lettering style helps to show the food may be hot and spicy which, the chilli in the middle also helps to suggest this.

Spicy Grill -

As a rule it’s generally well known that curls aren’t really great for anything. That being said this typeface sort of all comes together with the colour of the sign it has a sort of Indian flare to the style. Food sold inside ranges from Italian, American and Indian so it is quite hard to fit to one particular style. The type is not overly curled and for the food served I think that it does work very well, it’s legible and bold meaning you can read it form a distance nothing is off balance so it doesn’t take longer to read. 

Longton House -

Another Chinese and a another style, although this doesn’t match the style from the previous Chinese takeaways it does still very much suit a traditional Chinese style. The serifs seem to reflect that of the architecture of China, the exaggerated bridges on the Ns and Hs really seam to bring this style out. The letters aren’t perfect but together they are to create a wonderful look about them too blocky they’d say something else and too perfectly aligned they’d do the same.

Little India -

Forgetting the name for a second and this seems to suit a similar style to the Spicy Grill. I think straight away you would be able to tell the takeaway from the lettering this just goes to show that design is considered in all aspects to help all different kinds of people.

Mr Joes -

I wouldn’t quite get the feeling of an Italian, American takeaway from this design, the typeface looks close to that of Origina’s. Saying that we are not entering the unhealthiest hight street in Britain, this means when you’re stumbling out of the night club directly across the street you don’t really care what the design looks like more does it look like a place I can buy food. The type itself is legible I don’t quite see the reasoning in changing the colour of the type half way through, online this seems to work as it adds an Italian colouring to it which helps decide what might be sold. 

KFC -

One of Preston’s claims to fame, the first ever KFC in the United Kingdom. KFCs logo typeface changed to the one we know today in 1991 and hasn’t changed much since. The bold white type stands out from the red backdrop and the serifs give it a feeling heritage behind the name, everyone knows what KFC is but keeping this design and the the colonel next to it keeps this feeling of a family behind the company not a mass conglomerate.

Lalbagh -

I feel this has more of a beauticians feel to the design rather than takeaway but the black on gold does give a feel of luxury or gourmet. The font I would consider as a san-serif but it does look to have very small flicks coming off some of the lettering like I have said before bold block lettering gives a feel of modern but this still feels traditional with a modern twist. Only a few shops down from Little India and the style between the two is strikingly different even though they are both selling the same sort of cuisine.

Milano’s -

Takeaways seem to feature a similar style but like Andreas the food sometimes doesn’t reflect the style of the sign but instead the owners. The design looks bright and fun to bring you in, the takeaway only opens at night which would suggest that they’re aiming at a certain audience, they’re placed next to a taxi rank and near the entrance/exit of the city centre. They’re wanting to get the nightlife in, bright and fun will do this.

Naafiah -

Once again a chippy that doesn’t seem to suit the style you think it should be but the style fits to the arabic owners. Without the sign on the front, again I do not think you would be able to tell what was sold inside from the name alone.

Scof -

The name is fun, the type is fun and so are the colours the entirety of the sign is enticing and makes you want to see what is inside. The sign looks a bit dirty and cluttered but the whole thing looks friendly so you wouldn’t be wary about whether or not to venture in. The bold block outlined font gives a modern look and from the sign alone I think you would know that it was a food establishment, that or a gaming shop. The design is definitely meant to attract a retro crowd but would welcome anyone in.

Papa’s Pizza -

Although I would not call this a piece of great typography in terms of aesthetics, in terms of design it does exactly what it is meant to. The name, the type and the colouring screams Italian Pizza Takeaway. It sounds and looks inviting and friendly like you would want to order from and eat there. If a passer buy saw this sign and they were hungry they wouldn’t hesitate to venture inside and try a slice. The same theme is continued about the shop front enforcing the message more and more and keeping this pleasant look about the whole place.

Al Quds -

Another Pizza Takeaway now, the hairline strokes make it look as if it is trying to be a bit classy or up market but the rest of the sign does not adhere to this. The strokes could also suggest that they are trying to suit a cultural background. The takeaway is definitely not upmarket but for the positioning of the shop it doesn’t need to be within the student area it only needs to be open 5/7 days a week.

Raja -

Original fast food is what is placed on this sign but after showing this to a friend they thought it was actually fake. The old signage for this takeaway was still not great but was better than this design. Your eyes are brought straight to the centre of the sign to but the plain block lettering for the sign works to suggest all different foods are sold here not just one particular type so having a typeface like this helps to just keep a neutral tone.

Subway -

Subway, a common sight in most towns and cities across the UK nowadays. The arrows seem to suggest that this is the Sub Way there isn’t any other. Another well known logo that has recently been changed to a more minimal design it doesn’t really need much behind it. I think one problem that sticks with this type is that before I researched into it I had no idea that subway started off as a business run by a man and his wife called Pete’s Super Submarines, you don’t get this heritage from the design until you look further into the brand.

Longton Tandoori -

Despite featuring a very confusing open and closed sign right next to each other the type on the sign does help to tell you straight to the point what is sold inside. There are a few issues with the sign though the type seems quite loud it reminds me of a compensation, injury lawyer type of sign to grab your attention. There also isn’t any heritage or sort of strong message of what is meant to be sold inside almost as if the owners don’t care about their image which wouldn’t make me want to buy from there but it may be that they don’t need to as word of mouth has already advertised their food to be the best in the local area.

Curry Pot -

The serifs on this type definitely help to show the cuisine sold inside and also the name helps with this. the type is dropped caps to help with legibility and speed reading. There is a lot of competition down the road it is placed on but I think the design of this shop helps it to stand out. The white jumps out of the burgundy background and the other colours highlight very well drawing your eye in.

Refreshment Village -

Now, I wouldn’t consider this the best or most hygienic looking of takeaways but I do quite like the bold yellow highlights with bright blue. A traditional looking takeaway is definitely not what it is, the wooden framing, type and neon lighting would suggest that the takeaway has been there for a good few years maybe even decades suggesting it is trustworthy. There’s just something warming and inviting about this takeaway and seeing as it is open all day as well as late into the night you would think that it isn’t aiming at the nightlife crowd but is instead accommodating all types of people.

Wok 2 Eat -

Becoming more and more of a well known brand around the country now as the odd one keeps popping up within city centres. The name would suggest a Chinese food style the O within the Wok features a noodle bowl also enforcing this. The clean lettering with a silver outline trim suites a modern style all lettering is in lower case as well as if to be more friendly and welcoming.

X-Kitchen -

It was surprisingly hard to find an X to fill my alphabet then when walking about the town centre I accidentally bumped into X-Kitchen. Almost quite a lazy design throwing a curl at one of the letters just to create some sort of difference between them. The block lettering is very bold and at least the green helps to bring the whole front together. The green also suggests a calming tone and somewhat healthy food.

Yum Yum -

As a whole the front of this takeaway does actually look quite inviting to me, there’s lots of bold colours jumping out from a white background but I quite like the design. Almost American/Italian style, the main type looks like a graffiti style and the name reflects the fun design that is popping from the sign. 

Roosterz -

I had a choice between two different takeaways for the Z spot, Zeus’ or Roosterz and I though I just had to include this. The name is big in your face and bright, it also claims “Funky Fresh Chicken” I have eaten here I guarantee the chicken is not fresh but it is funky. I love the hole design it looks fun it looks fresh and funky and just adding a Z onto the end instead of an S gives it this false feeling of being cool. The raised floating type really helps with he drop shadow and just gives it this extra feeling of being imersed or drawn into the takeaway.