Ubiquitous: Stories of Signs and Public Lettering in Montreal

Ubiquitous: Stories of Signs & Public Lettering in Montreal

Ubiquitous: Stories of Signs and Public Lettering in Montreal

Contributors

Edited and designed by

Lindsay Coll

Laura Lalonde

Evan Colpitts

Noah Adam Paperman

Lisa Diallo Chloé El-Sayegh

Produced by

Lauren Farkash

Matt Soar

Kayla Ferla Josephine Fomé Megan Freimann Christopher Guindon Nicole Legault Garrett Lockhart Daphnée Marcil Lamia Milonas Brenna O’Leary Marie-Pier Robillard Hugo Spitz Kheanna Walker

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CONTENTS APARTMENT BUILDINGS

6-13

SEWERS & DRAINS

14-23

WAYFINDING

24-29

GRAVESTONES

30-37

BUSINESS CARDS

38-43

WASHROOMS

44-51

MARQUEES

52-59

UTILITY POLES

60-69

PRODUCE BOXES

70-77

FOOTNOTES

78-79

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FOREWORD To the casual observer (i.e. most of us, most of the time), the urban environment seems fixed, immobile, unchanging. And yet it does of course mutate over time, as ‘then and now’ photo composites ably demonstrate. The projects in this book are the work of students in a senior undergraduate course on signs and public lettering: an element of our city spaces that is routinely overlooked, but no less fascinating than buildings or transit systems. They also hint at changes over time: of design and redesign; aging and decay; shifting cultural politics. Each section reflects the modest efforts of two students in the class to create a subjective ‘snapshot’ of a singular, unassuming element of Montréal’s ‘urban epigraphy’ [Armando Petrucci] in the spirit of Phil Baines and Catherine Dixon’s splendid book from 2003 Signs: Lettering in the Environment.

— MATT SOAR, Producer

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APARTMENT BUILDINGS LINDSAY COLL & MEGAN FRIEMANN

Naming apartment buildings became popular in the late 19th century. A few decades later, many business owners became interested in hand-painted window signs for greater advertising, often illustrated using gold.1 The cost of gold in the first half of the century was incredibly low, making it an ideal material for commercial signs.

And so, the process of using gold leaf was born.2

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Throughout the 20th century, sign painters thrived until they hit a rough patch in 1982. When the price of gold jumped, commercial business owners were presented with a cheaper alternative to gold leaf signage: vinyl signs.

The sign painting industry inevitably took a hit. Today, the method of gold leaf gilding is extremely costly, albeit popular, in the city.

9

Residential signs in Montreal vary between English and French.

Today, strictly English language apartment names are few and far between (e.g. The Empire). As long as the sign abides by the rules in the Quebec C-11 Charter of French Language, they are permitted (e.g. Le Mountview).

Residential signs in Montreal vary between English and French.

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GILDING Gilding involves a process in which a sheet of gold is pounded to 1/250,000th of an inch and applied to a glass surface, namely apartment building windows.3 To weatherproof their designs, lettering artists used water gilding on the inside—rather than the outside—of the glass.

SEWERS & DRAINS EVAN COLPITTS & HUGO SPITZ

Hidden beneath the sidewalks of Montreal are more than 5,000 km of underground pipes which serve to collect and redirect runoff wastewater. This massive and labyrinthine sewer system contains sections dating back to 1832, and is maintained by a team of 900 employees. Hundreds and hundreds of access points to these networks can be found throughout the city, and are indicated by heavy cast-iron lids inscribed with their designation. These omnipresent cast-iron access points signify an incredible hidden infrastructure that makes life possible in Montreal.

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There are many varieties of manhole covers, and their differences depend on their application and placement.

Manhole covers on pedestrian paths have tight rectangular and square bumps to increase traction.

Sewer access lids located on the roadway are cast with a diamond tread pattern so that they provide skid resistance while reducing the noise of tires rolling over them. Storm drains on the roadway must be designed for maximum drainage while ensuring compatibility with cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles passing over them.

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LAPERLE & MUELLER Although there are a wide variety of manhole cover types and styles in Montreal, most are manufactured by either Laperle or Mueller iron foundries. The Mueller iron foundry in St Jerome, QC closed in 2014 but many of their designs can still be found in the streets of Montreal.

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WAYFINDING LISA DIALLO & DAPHNÉE MARCIL

From points A to B, with occasional interconnections in between, wayfinding provides crucial assistance to the urban navigator. Should it be an arrow pointing to specific location, a map, or a selection of information written on an entrance pillar, wayfinding is integral to the design of cohesive environments.

David Gibson, author of The Wayfinding Handbook, describes this fluidity: “The necessary sequence of movement should feel as effortless and simplified as possible so that ten steps, for instance, seem to require only two or three.”

25

However, wayfinding difficulties sometimes “provoke a negative appreciation of the physical setting and can also affect the perception of the corporation itself as well as its services offered” (Passini, p.319). In many ways, wayfinding strategies are an important reflection of a brand’s values.

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Looking back at our research taught us that newer buildings utilize graphic design concepts such as color-coordination and font styles and sizes whereas older ones mostly use black on white and a unified graphical style.

GRAVESTONES KHEANNA WALKER & JOSEPHINE FOMÉ

Cemeteries are sacred outdoor museums that are often overlooked, granting the living an opportunity to travel through the lives of many, interpreting their stories through design.

Today, cemeteries display a sacred symbolism and commemorate the deceased, but they also record a valuable history of the population: as Meierding says: “inscriptions on cemetery stones can provide detailed information about demography such as age and sex ratios, fertility and mortality rates.”1

“Inscriptions on cemetery stones can provide detailed information about demography such as age and sex ratios, fertility and mortality rates.”

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Gravestones can also serve to demonstrate the ethnic and religious composition of a population and gather clues surrounding settlement and migration.

But when it comes to gravestone lettering, some typefaces are more popular than others. Roman Modified, New Roman Modified, New Roman Condensed, Classic Roman, Uncial Gothic, Optima, Zapf Chancery and Old English are the fonts you’re most likely to see engraved on headstones (Poirier 2014).2 37

BUSINESS CARDS LAMIA MILONAS & GARRETT LOCKHART

The business card is viewed by many as a small and simple piece of paper that is essential in the exchange of information.

Business cards have a history dating back to 17th century Europe where the first “trade cards� made their appearance. Their purpose was to declare the near arrival of successful, wealthy or aristocratic people to their local town or home.1 They mimicked the shape and size of playing cards, becoming a staple of the elite by the mid-century.2

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While the trade card transformed into a more stylized form of public lettering, the need for modern business card templates arose. Text-based cards with smaller writing that were printed on card stock also made their appearance during this period.3

For many years, business cards were kept simple with black ink on white stock cards. But with the development of new technology, business cards have become much more innovative in the name of standing out.

WASHROOMS KAYLA FERLA & NICOLE LEGAULT

On May 31, 2016, Stéphanie Vallée, Quebec Minister of Justice, implemented Bill 103 in an act to strengthen the fight against transphobia and improve the situation of transgender minors in particular (Assemblée Nationale, 2016). Among other rights, Bill 103 considers that everyone has a right to safe, private, and comfortable bathroom facilities, and recognizes that transgender and gender nonconforming individuals face discomfort and discrimination in gender-segregated bathrooms.

Our mission was to explore the progression of Montreal’s social acceptance towards gender by seeking out the many gender-neutral washrooms around the city.

45

The majority of gender-neutral washrooms in the city are located in the education sector: high schools, colleges, and universities.

While some are designated by signs that are inclusive to all genders, some are simply marked “Individual Washroom�, such as those around the Concordia University campus.

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While the consideration of including gender-neutral bathrooms on campus is a step in the right direction, some argue that the singleoccupancy factor isolates: “While some users prefer the privacy it offers, it can nevertheless exacerbate problems of social exclusions by segregating transgender people from shared public space and stigmatizing their presence in mixed groups of people�

(Sanders and Stryker, 2016).

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51

MARQUEES CHLOÉ EL-SAYEGH & MARIE-PIER ROBILLARD

Flashing lights and vibrant signs have always been an integral part of Montreal’s cityscape, serving as a staple of advertising for cinemas, theaters and cabarets— especially in the 1940s and 1950s. Since then, a shift in both time and resources explains the decline of the large marquee signs we once knew.

Operating as an essential first impression among movie-goers, the marquee sign relays important and simple information: the artist exhibiting, the movie showing, and the time and place of a given event.

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THÉATRE RIALTO

While many establishments have since taken down their big and bold neon lights—in part because of the decline of the cabarets in Montréal—some have chosen to modernize their marquees either by building upon their existing structure or installing digital ones.

55

In order to ensure proper visibility from the streets, marquee signs are backlit white plastic structures that house usually bold, usually black sans-serif uppercase lettering. Often, white and/or red flashing bulbs are placed around the marquee.

As Robert Benson1 explains, the economic effects of the first and the second World Wars made it harder to justify using materials and resources to illuminate marquee signs, which is the more frugal switch to plastic, as well as the decline of the neon signs and flashy lights on marquee signs.

While some neon signs remain today, but they are often placed above the marquee itself, bringing light to both the information and the marquee itself.

57

Although marquee signs were very popular throughout the 1940s and 1950s in Montréal, they have become much harder to locate in 2017. In a list of 45 venues that are currently active in Montréal, only 18 venues (including Métropolis, Théâtre Rialto, Cinéma Beaubien) still have marquee signs up, five of which are digital (Théâtre Berri, Théâtre Corona, Centre Bell).

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UTILITY POLE SIGNAGE CHRISTOPHER GUINDON & LAUREN FARKASH Most do-it-yourself utility pole signs can be categorized into three groups: the “lost cat” sign, the “pull-tab” service sign and the protest sign.

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“Lost cat� signs are still some of the most popular forms of public lettering that exist, appearing many times within a single block in Montreal, and most DIY signage follow a similar homemade template: simple colour printouts on standard office paper, held to posts by clear tape. The homogeneous nature of these signs created by non-designers demonstrates something interesting about our own internalizing of design cues: most of us are aware how signs work, even if we don’t think we do. (Abidin & Kamil, 2013). 1

PULL-TAB The second most prominent signs advertise services or products, featuring the iconic phone number pull-tabs.

These signs usually favor monochromatic designs, with a larger number of them having dimensions inferior to a standard letter page.

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PROTEST The final type of temporary sign is the protest sign, often promoting a political agenda, a specific gathering or call-toaction. These signs were the most varied in their designs; their shape and size from small, boldly-colored triangular stickers to full page monochrome design with large lettering.

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PRODUCE BOXES BRENNA O’LEARY

Consumers tend to pay little attention to the cardboard boxes that hold their fruits and vegetables. While produce box designs and typefaces vary in style, attractiveness, or informational capabilities, produce boxes have a unique and rich history that is often overlooked.

The history of produce box design began with the invention of the refrigerator rail cart. Because of it, produce could travel greater distances, forcing growers in rural areas to differentiate themselves from the competition (Souza, 2011) 1 . As competition intensified, individual branding became necessary and lithographic companies began the production of stock labels for growers. In San Francisco, the Schmidt Lithographic Company took over the label art printing business.

71

These label designers would travel to produce farms around California, pitching the sale of stock labels to various growers.

Known as “scissormen�, they would add cut-out drawings of imagery to the stock labels (Gordon, 1977).2

73

As label-making took off and overseas competition grew, new marketing techniques to sell the “American dream� and promote patriotism were key themes on the boxes themselves. However, deeply rooted patriarchal values and notions of masculinity within label art exploited individuals through racist, sexist and culturally appropriative ideology. 3 75

World War II slowed the creation and distribution of produce label art as materials, such as aluminum and wood, were rationed.

Growers’ warehouses became sites where unused and left behind stock labels remained untouched, until they were discovered later by dealers who now treasure or sell them as collectors’ items (Barry, 1985). 4

NOTES Gravestones

Apartment Buildings

Meierding, T. C. (1993). Marble tombstone weathering and air pollution in North America.

Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 83(4), 568-588.

1

1

Poirier, J. (2014). Commonly used fonts for monument engravings. [website] Mar. 31. http://nearsay.com/c/30389/19034/5-commonlyused-fonts-for-monument-cemetery-engravings.

2

Oatman-Stanford, H. (2014, Jan 13). Artisanal Advertising: Reviving the Tradition of Hand-Painted Signs. Collectors Weekly. Retrieved from: http:// www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/artisanaladvertising/ Statista. Retrieved from: https://www.statista. com/statistics/268027/change-in-gold-pricesince-1990/ 2

Wayfinding

The Gilding Process. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http:// bucksgoldleaf.co.uk/gildingprocess.html

Passini, Romedi. “Wayfinding Design: Logic, Application And Some Thoughts On Universality”.

Design Studies 17.3 (1996): 319-331. Print.

Washrooms

3

1

Business Cards Hall. M (2012, November 9). The noisy aesthetics of Cairo’s business-card district. Retrieved from: http://www.printmag.com/article/collage-town/ 1

2

Ibid.

Anonymous (2013). Business Cards of Past, Present & Future. Retrieved from: http://www. greatfxprinting.com/articles/history-of-businesscards.htm 3

Bill 103: An Act to strengthen the fight against transphobia and improve the situation of transgender minors in particular (2016). 1st Reading May 31, 2016 41th Legislature, 1st Session. Retrieved from the Assemblée Nationale website: http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/travauxparlementaires/projets-loi/projet-loi-103-41-1. html 1

Sanders, J., & Stryker, S. (2016). Stalled: GenderNeutral Public Bathrooms. The South Atlantic Quarterly, 115 (4), 779-788.

2

Marquee Signs Benson, R. (1995). The Show Starts on the Sidewalk: An Architectural History of the Movie Theatre, Starring S. Charles Lee by Maggie Valentine. Indiana Magazine of History, . Retrieved from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index. php/imh/article/view/11483 1

Barry, A. (1985, September 1). Antiques; Crates that have left an imprint. The New York TImes. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes. com/1985/09/01/arts/anitques-crate-labels-thathave-left-an-imprint.html?&pagewanted=all.

4

Utility Pole Signs Jameel, M., Kamil, M., & Abidin, S. Z. (2013).

Unconscious Human Behavior at Visceral Level of Emotional Design . Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. doi:10.1016/j. sbspro.2013.11.016 1

Produce Boxes Souza, C. (2011, September). The Lure of the Label. California Country Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.californiacountry.org/features/article. aspx?arID=916.

1

Gordon, L. & Salkin, J. (1977). Eat me and Grow Young! Orange Crate Art in the Golden State.

Historical Quarterly 56 (1), 52 - 71.

2

3

Ibid.

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