A while back we looked at typography and alphabets as a fashion trend, but if you are a passionate expert of graphic arts or an amateur typography fan and you're looking for random inspirations, start from the first fonts and graphics you may find around you, such as the ones on store fronts.
Decorative elements, initial letters, borders and names on shop signs can indeed prove as incredibly intriguing as they may tell us more about the date when a store was founded or may hint at what's being sold inside.
Shop signage is key to business success since it's meant to attract the attention of pedestrians and the public, making a lasting impression by convincing a passer-by to get in and become a customer.
Historical cafes, bars, restaurants (check out "trattorie" and "osterie" in particular) grocery stores and interior design shops scattered all over Italy can offer great inspirations, as seen in these pictures taken in Venice and Ascoli Piceno. The size, colour and forms of the signs vary, offering a survey of different visual graphics.
Don't forget to look also at the shape of a sign and at the way it can can help conveying specific messages: the corsetry sign from Glasgow with its sensual shape and italic type almost hints at what the shop once located in that building used to sell.
Want to gaduate from shop signage to something else? Go window shopping for typographic inspirations, checking out the books in second hand stores and antiquarian shops.
The last picture in this post shows for example a book spotted in an antiquarian shop in Venice: The Romance of Perfume (1928) by Richard Le Gallienne was conceived as a history of the uses of perfume around the world and featured beautiful illustrations by George Barbier. The cover was set in a modern English adaptation of type designed in France in the 16th century by Robert Granjon.
The book was published by Richard Hudnut who had a perfume and cosmetic business located on Fifth Avenue, New York, and on Rue de la Paix, Paris. Amazing what you can learn from typography, isn't it?
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