Signs and Signifiers: Shop Signage Lexicon

SIGNS AND SIGNIFIERS : SHOP SIGNAGE LEXICON

MIRRORS OF PUNJAB

Markers and declarations of Identity : City (Amritsar/Lahore) vs Transnational Regional (Punjab)

National demarcation, yet font smaller than Amritsar (and smaller than in previous version of the sign) suggest hierachies of identity

City in East Punjab (India), 50 km from Lahore. City in West Punjab (Pakistan), 50 km from Amritsar. Self-identification as Punjabi, versus nationalist labels of Pakistani. SHOP ORIGIN: INDIAN SHOP ORIGIN: PAKISTANI ‘INDIA’ ‘AMRITSAR’ ‘LAHORE’ ‘PUNJABI’

MIRRORS OF PUNJAB

Markers and declarations of Identity : City (Amritsar/Lahore) vs Transnational Regional (Punjab)

A M R I T S A R L A H O R E P A K I S T A N I N D I A

PALACE

Signifier to Elsewhereevoking palatial iconic imagery from home

Arabic (buh-ruh-kuh) n :

1. blessing

Seeb Palace, also known by its native name Beit al-Baraka, is a royal palace in Seeb, near Muscat, Oman

Faisalabad, formerly Lyallpur, is a city in the eastcentral Punjab province of Pakistan.

‘BARAKA’ ‘PALACE’ ‘PALACE’ ‘BARAKA PALACE’ ‘ROYAL LYALLPUR’ SHOP ORIGIN: SOMALI SHOP ORIGIN: PAKISTANI

PALACE

Signifier to Elsewhereevoking palatial iconic imagery from home

BARAKA

A concept of faith, sharing, blessing and energy

BARAKA

A concept of faith, sharing, blessing and energy

DAHABSHIIL

Core avenues of economic exchange and support, intertwined and interconnected to build on trust networks and mutual benefit

In 1989, Dahabshiil opened its first office in London where a number of Somalis had arrived

‘DAHABSHIIL’

Somali: Dahabshiil

Arabic:

A unique feature is that they charge significantly lower commission fees than their Western counterparts

Meaning “Gold smelter” in Somali

MASJID AL RAHMA

A space of faith evoking the elsewhere, both through name and the translation of architectural elements - the minaret. A mosque in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia