NO CAMPING

This sign is posted repeatedly outside the church at King and Simcoe. I walk past it many times a week going to and from work and it always brings inquiries to my head. Do people often bring their tents downtown to camp? Has there been a big problemt with this in the past? Yes, it is quite a popular place for the bums the sleep, but why not a simple 'no loitering' sign. 'Camping' is so indirect and a little bit ridiculous. You might as well put up a sign that says 'no icefishing' beside it. Perhaps, with the word camping they are trying to be more polite because camping has postive connotations. But, it's almost tempting to pitch a tent and roast some marshmallows just so they can see how absurd the concept really is. If it is for the purpose of giving a more joyous tune to yet another rule we have to follow, then that idea abolishes itself with the giant 'NO' that can only be read with a strict and forceful tone. 'Camping' looks like its just trying to fit inside the margins. The font appears to be a standard sign font, sans serif, simple and to the point. So, just in case you were wondering, no - you cannot camp there! Give a try at the next block over though. :)

jamop

This sticker has been plastered all over the city. Front St. got it especially bad, where these stickers completely wallpapered multiple public garbage containers, phonebooths, hydro poles, you name it. Naturally, such a bold statement caught my attention. The only information the sticker gives to you is the word 'jamop' with a dove symbol in a target. At first, i thought it was to campaign a band, an anti-peace band actually. The way the dove, a globally recognized symbol of peace, is framed in what looks like a gun target and the fact that the stickers conveyed the idea of vandalism in the way they were posted, gave me a 'kill peace' message. But, i was still unsure of its meaning, so i did what any curious mind would do, i googled it. After viewing the website, www.jamop.com, i found that it is acutally quite an ingenious symbol to represent 'targeting peace' not destroying it as i had first assumed. jamop is an abbreviation for 'just a minute of peace' of 07/07/07 at 11:11pm. This is a worldwide effort to stand up for peace. These stickers are posted in various countries, each country using their flags colours - hence the red and white for canada. The word 'jamop' is created with a very friendly typeface, lowercase letters add to the non-threatening/welcoming message. It's placement is subtle and allows for the image to take hierarchy, while leading you to the word. Now, after many weeks plastered to all things downtown, the stickers have been torn and weathered and even though they were effective in creating awareness, now there is a big mess to be cleaned up that i'm sure will not bring peace to the person who is responsible for scraping them off one by one.

Socialista

This was one of many political propaganda signs around Cuba. This picture was taken from the tour bus on the way to Havana (out of the tourist area). I thought the black silhouette of arms and weapons was particularly shocking. Although it is very abstract, it only takes a second for your mind to assimilate the black shadows as pro-war. The message is bold and proud, but harsh. The use of red, black, and white contributes greatly to the strength of the message and the simplicity of the overall graphic is powerful. The capital red lettering appears hand-drawn, which is likely because of the economic state of the country. Although the revolution took place nearly 50 years ago, it continues to be a prominent topic in Cuba. I imagine the response this sign would get in America if it were on a billboard in Times Square with the word ‘Socialista’ replaced with ‘Long Live America’. It certainly would be controversial at the least. But, in Cuba where their educational system focuses so strongly on the revolution of 1959, this sign is a positive reminder of their feats.

Exit Sign

This is the standard exit sign used at the resort I stayed at in Cuba over reading week. I giggled a little when I first saw it because of how contradictory it is to our own. Our exit sign uses red lettering to insinuate caution and in the event of a fire we are taught from grade school to remain calm and walk in single file out of the building. This exit sign however, sends a visual message of "run like hell". Using the colour green, a colour with the obvious connotation 'GO' and the image of the figure running out the door doesn't exactly set a calm mood in the event of an emergency. I also giggled a little at the little shadow off the figure's foot. The image is abstracted to minimal detail, but then there's a shadow added in, perhaps so you don't think he's jumping out a window. Further, the "run like hell" idea is enforced by numerous postings of a shortened version of the sign, with just the person figure and no text. They could have gone the other way and used just text on these signs with an arrow, but clearly they really want people to follow the example of the running graphic figure.

handmade

This image was found on the storefront on LUSH on queen st. The store sells handmade soaps and cosmetics. This typeface implys handcraft because it is does not have a strict structure. I'm not sure what the name of the typeface is, but it is clear that it has been altered when you compare the 'A's' and the 'D's'. The designer has gone further than just using an organic type, and has made it look less like a digital typeface by differentiating repetitive letters; this is carried through their advertisements as well. Along with connoting handcraft, this typeface also gives the store a trendy personality in a very artistic and fashion conscious area. It's carefree, fun and laid back, like the customers they are targeting. It's a gimic to make a soap store chain seem more like an independant family business; the idea that they are someone you can trust in a world where we are very cynical to many store chains. LUSH has a strong environmental standing, natural products and natural looking type and just a few ways for them to build their persona.