City Poster Paris
Making of
Photography © Pascal Duez
Shop signs and other typographic applications in the public space are among the things that make me really nostalgic when thinking about Paris.
A huge heritage of hand painted letters remains visible in the streets today, although new signs are steadly replacing the work of traditional sign painters.
A huge heritage of hand painted letters remains visible in the streets today, although new signs are steadly replacing the work of traditional sign painters.
Photography © Pascal Duez
Besides the technique used, modern signs generally lack in variety and imagination. Signs were once so uniquely designed, like in the examples above.
Such distinctive lettering pieces and the words they carry contribute over time to the image of a particular place, in the same way as buildings and language do.
Such distinctive lettering pieces and the words they carry contribute over time to the image of a particular place, in the same way as buildings and language do.
Human Empire’s City Poster Contest has been a great opportunity to play precisely with this assumption. How representatives of Paris are the letters designed by architect Hector Guimard for the Metro entrances? And a typical ronde style for “Boulangerie”? Or a nervous, brush-inspired “Coiffure”?
Compared to a picture of the Tour Eiffel or the Notre Dame Cathedral, those signs have the advantage to portray everyday life in Paris, instead of only giving back the official representation.
The lettering for the poster is a combination of new interpretations of existing signs and free creations inspired by them.
Thanks for reading!
