Image Courtesy of Herbe Marker
Image Courtesy of Herbe Marker
Though you might not have guessed from the photo above, this post leads to over 4,000 vintage Viennese storefront facades by Herbe Marker. If typeface and font in retail design and point-of-purchase advertising are your thing, you will enjoy this comprehensive compendium of Signage. And I am relieved to finally find someone more Obsessive Compulsive in their coverage of a topic than I am here at FixturesCloseUp. My path to this resource traveled through Fascination for Shop Windows and Swiss Miss leading ultimately to Herbe Marker.
For retail typeface, type size and color references SEE…
“Best Typefaces for Retail and Point-of-Purchase”
“Type Size for Sign Readability”
“Type Size and Color for Readability”
“Sign as Communication Vehicle“For unusual use of typography in retail display SEE…
“Monkey Tails at the Mall”For less serious retail signage SEE…
“Imaginative Jewelry Sign“
“Chinese Wieners on Sale“
“Store Tag Not Meant for You“
“Bipolar Restroom Sign“
“Sign Says Cheeky“
“No Soliciting Unless Thin Mints”
“Unattended Child Warning“
“Don’t Bag the Baby.”
“Warning: Not A Baby Wipe”
“No Grazing … You Big Heifer”
“Retail Rules of Engagement”
“Get Off The Cell Phone, Bai-tch”
“Warning Door Eats Children“
Reminds me of a tattoo shop that use very specific hard to read typos…
Yes the typography has a regional, societal and language “flavor” to it. So it can be hard to decipher. But seeing things from a bit of an alien point of view makes you focus more on the subtle differences in type use rather than language or occupation of store proprietor.
I admire the curator Herbe Marker. Compiling all these designs in a consistent format takes a great deal of patience. To many all of these designs are “too much of a good thing” … until you are forced into a situation that requires a creative or historic search of styles and typeface use. If Herbe had a “tip jar” on his site I would have left a gratuity to let him know his effort has value and is admired … even if only for his commitment to documentation and coherence.
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