VENUE VIBES a Public Typography examination by Colleen Ireland
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
6
THE BOTTLENECK
10
Marque Typography
16
Hand-Drawn Typography
20
Signage Typography
28
LIBERTY HALL
34
Marque Typography
44
Hand-Drawn Typography
50
Signage Typography
54
THE LIED CENTER
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Marque Typography
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Signage Typography
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CONCLUSION
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INTRODUCTION
I am extremely interested in music and because of this I am always trying to find concerts or live music of any kind that I can view. There are so many different types of music halls; from the coffee house with a one-man acoustic band to the monstrous concert halls that you
hand out the big bucks for to see today’s latest and greatest. It is a quality that might go unnoticed, but most of these venues are built or have been designed around the type of venues they display and the types of customers they attract. Usually the letterforms and ways of displaying
typographic
information
relate to the space itself and mirror the character of the environment. That may be in a way that mimics the architecture, correlates with the purpose or audience type that it is trying to serve, or relates to the type of personal experience gained at that given venue.
When I visited each place I really tried to capture these aspects of the typography used in a way that showed how certain typography and the way that it is displayed will alter the experience gained when you are there. While dealing with this combination of aspects, it is clear that there are many variables that come into the equation and they each effect us to different degrees, but they are all important to notice and analyze in a way so that we understand just how they alter our perception of certain places.
“What we find is that more than just providing a literal identification of location, the essential dynamic between utility and expression allows for lettering to say something more about the spaces and places around us�
-BAINES
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WHEN I VISITED THE BOTTLENECK I saw a lot of hand-drawn type along with and worn out band t-shirts. They’re there to a large range of alcohol placement, which listen to some good music, play pool, drink makes sense because it is a thriving bar. The as much as they can consume, and have a typical customer at The Bottleneck is a college crazy time. This rock-and-roll set of mind student dressed in skin-tight or ripped jeans is clearly visible in the scratched up floors, dark lighting, grafittied wooden benches surrounding the dance pit, and the endless neon bar signs hung on the walls.
T OP : Free State keg : Door next to stage : MIDDL E : Bar beer and liquor : BOT T OM : Cigarette dispenser : Pool/Sitting area :
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This is represented in the bold and direct type
needs when they’re looking for the bathroom
used as signage throughout the space. Many
is elegant and swirly font that is difficult
of the signs describing rules, rooms, and
to read. The graffiti that covers all of the
directional material are very clean-cut, often
benches, walls, and bathroom stalls has a very
simple black and white, which is necessary
personal aspect to it that tells a story about
because the last thing that a drunken person
the people that trickle in and out of the place on a nightly basis.
14
MARQUE TYPOGRAPHY
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The Bottleneck logo displayed outside is huge and hand painted. It has a lot of character and the color choice of red/white/grey gives it a very edgy and bold appeal, which is what the Bottleneck is all
about. The hand-painted aspect of it comes off as very human-generated feel and kind of grittyness to it, which makes the name more personal and interesting because its imperfections are what make this marque unique.
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HAND DRAWN TYPOGRAPHY
The hand-drawn type here is very grungy and illustrative. It is covering the walls and stalls of the bathroom along with being used in the bar and in the entryway to show what music is coming up.
It is very unique to the writer and gives character to the space; showing the mass amounts of people that have been there and their need to make their mark while in the space and often tells a story of what they were doing/ who they were with/ what they were thinking.
22
BATHROOM STALL GRAFFITI
Often, the writing you see in bathroom stalls is the most unrestrained thoughts of the people in a space. Yes, they may be vulgar and completely random at times, but as seen here, it can show an interaction between people that haven’t even seen each others face. These were clearly written by people in different states of mind and with different intentions, but that just shows the variance in visitors to this seemingly private space.
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DOWN TIME HANDIWORK This is the top of the podium in the main entryway of the Bottleneck, where the doorman checks ID’s. The grafitti covering the entire top is a visual display of what they are interested in when they aren’t actively having patrons walk through the door.
SIGNAGE TYPOGRAPHY
Most of the signage in the venue consists of alcohol product promotion and instructional signs. There are limitless beer brands covering the every surface available in the form of neon lights, signs, lamps, and refrigerators. The signage used for the bathrooms/entrance/exit/and other doors is all very simple but bold. It is meant to grab your attention and that’s what it does. It is simply there to serve its purpose, not to be artistic or enlightening. When the general customer that is wondering around the Bottleneck at night is a drunk college student or band, it is important that the signage is clear and to the point. No need for ambiguity here.
“While the aesthetic value of design is always important, the significance of type in influencing meaning should not be underestimated.�
-C. KNIGHT & J. GLASER
SIGNAGE Signage typography is mainly made up of simple but bold black and white output, with very little embelishment.
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INSTRUCTIONAL TYPE
This flourescent lettering was pasted on one of the doors by the stage. They are blunt and in your face, and the flourescent backing demands that they be seen, even in the dark environment of this bar. The verbal and visual language work in unison. This message isn’t meant to be kind, it is meant to grab your attention and relay the point quickly.
ALCOHOL ADVERTISEMENT
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LIBERTY HALL IS A COMPLETELY different atmosphere. everything is very clean, neat, and elegant. It is a very historical building, even displaying a plaque on the The inside of the building has very classic outside of the building showing that it is architecture; with marble stairs on either the site of L awrence’s f irst opera house. side of the main theatre entrance, crystal chandeliers, banisters, and other decorations that g demonstrate its historical significance. Most of the signage uses serif fonts that connect to the architectural aspects of the building and some of the other signs are made of metal or some other sturdy but elegant TOP : Liberty Hall Marque :
material, making the venue feel very ornate.
MIDDLE : Popcorn Machine logo : Food Sitting Area : BOTTOM : Main Entrance Doors : Entry-way Chandelier :
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This venue doubles as a concert hall and a theater that shows well known bands of different genres and mainly sticks to more indie-based films, so the audience is one that will appreciate the rich and elevated feel of the space, and that of the similar type used to navigate it.
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“Lettering of commercial premises will often respond to the function of a building, be it a theatre clad in exuberant letterforms or a dairy suggestive of a rural idyll.�
-BAINES
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MARQUE TYPOGRAPHY
The Liberty Hall name on the outside of the building is attention grabbing and beautiful. It draws attention back to the lettering used in older theaters and while the letter cuts themselves are of that style, the molds have an antiqued appearance to them which makes them look even more intriguing and weathered. The yellow color behind the LIBERTY HALL letters is bold and electric while the show titles have a white background, which gives the whole combination come off as vivid and elegant at the same time.
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LIBERTY HALL OVERHANG This lettering draws us back to a historical view of old theaters that used this type of block lettering to tell customers what was being shown. Yet another blast from the past. But it is done in such a way, with the bold yellow accents and weathered plaques, that it is bold and elegant at the same time.
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5
HAND DRAWN TYPOGRAPHY
The concession stand signs are hand drawn and there are hand-cut signs labeling various concession items. I think this is fitting since that is where you go to sit down and talk or take a break from the show so the hand-made touch relates to that and works with it nicely. Each of the handwritings are different, making it look like different people made each of them, which gives the space an eclectic feeling.
THE ONE AND ONLY The concession area is the only place that displays hand-drawn typeography. This is probably because the specials and other items offered changes frequently.
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SIGNAGE TYPOGRAPHY
PRICING SIGN
This is another way that this theater draws from its roots by utilyzing this old time way to display type. This is shown in the front windows of the box office, so it is a way to save time for customers, so they can determine whether they want to pay the ticket price before coming in and waiting in line.
All of the signage in the venue is a little mish-
with a very simple illustration or image if one
mashed. There is not one single typeface used
was used at all. A majority of the type used
overall for way finding purposes. It seemed
were serif fonts though. Their structure and
like every sign had a different type used on
architectural forms relate well to the very
it and they were all very simply done, usually
classic architecture of the venue.
utilizing black type on a white background
: Liberty Hall main lobby : : Sign for Concessions area to the left of arch : : Little Theatre sign at bottom of stairs : : Close-up of Little Theatre sign : : Little Theatre type in Concessions area :
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THE AT M O S P H E R E AT T H E L I E D center is much more modern and clean. all of the signage is cohesive and organized. There is no hand-drawn type at this venue the building, so that they can get the word because it is a relatively new building and all out about who/what is being shown there of their events are displayed on an electronic throughout the year. There are also banners banner at the closest main intersection to in the front of the building that display the most anticipated upcoming events, so there is no need for hand-drawn typography. The entire place is very well kept and the layout is bright and open.
TOP : Stairway : Sitting Area/Bar : MIDDLE : Concert Hall Seats : BOTTOM : Sitting Area Windows : Balcony Stairwell :
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There are many entrances to get into the concert hall, including stair wells to get to the balcony levels, all of which are labeled with identical signs. The Lied Center usually showcases more well-known acts, because it is such a large venue and needs to draw in crowds. It isn’t just limited to music though. It showcases all types of acts from music to comedy shows to plays.
“There is clearly a very strong relationship between the conception of the words as a message and their transmission in visible form.” -CAL SWAN, author of LANGUAGE AND TYPOGRAPHY
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MARQUE TYPOGRAPHY
There are two different marques at the Lied Center. There is one in the front, above the wide glass doorway, which is used as the main entrance. There is another on the side of the building, labeling the other wing of the building, the Bales Recital Hall. They are both very simple and straight-forward. The white sans-serif lettering comes off as very commercial, and it really pops since it is against the brick building. There is no embellishment, just simply the title of the venue which is crisp and says all that you really need to know.
66
SIGNAGE TYPOGRAPHY
The signage throughout the Lied Center is much more cohesive than the other two venues. There are signs demarkating the different levels and entrances to the concert hall, all of which are clear plastic with sansserif lettering displaying the entryway number and its location relative to the stage, along with subtle decorative additions. Other than these signs there are a few marking the bathrooms and staff entrances in various locations, as well as the seat numbering in the large concert hall.
INSTRUCTIONAL TYPE
The signs are all very simple and clear; using all sans serif typefaces and highly contrasted colors that grab your attention quickly and can successfully direct you where you’re going.
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The signage in the Bales Recital wing is different from that in the main building, but still very simple. It utilyzes more sans-serif font on a neutral tan background plate.
The clean and uncomplicated appearance of all the signage really emphasizes the commercial feeling of the space, and the fact that all of the type used is sans-serif is very contemporary and sleek.
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CONCLUSION
After visiting each of these venues, and
There are many ways of representing
viewing how each of them varies so
one’s self, but it is interesting to view
much depending on the purpose that
how the atmosphere of a building
they are trying to serve, I have a greater
correlates
appreciation for public spaces in general.
within the space.
to
the
typography
used
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SOURCES Glaser, Jessica, and Carolyn Knight. “When Typography Speaks Louder Than Words | Smashing Magazine.” When Typography Speaks Louder Than Words | Smashing Magazine. Smashing Magazine, 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/13/when-typography-speakslouder-than-words/>. “» FULL CALENDAR | The Bottleneck.” The Bottleneck Live. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://thebottlenecklive.com/full-calendar/>. Baines, Phil, and Catherine Dixon. Signs: Lettering in the Environment. London: Laurence King, 2003. Print. CAMERA: Canon Powershot S95 Designer as Author, Patrick Dooley, Fall 2012, The University of Kansas.
GRIDED LAYOUTS
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