[oli]

A stroll down the high street has turned into optical torture ...

Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free | Shop signs have never been uglier. A stroll down the high street has turned into optical torture

Spot on.

[Maerk]

Damn right. But what's really the chances of fixing it :/

[Limbo]

No chance

Amen brother. Good writing that - I laughed out loud.

[steveb]

There are a few smart buildings in downtown Helsinki where the various shops have to have a restrained and tasteful shopfront and the names of the businesses are all in the same typeface. Looks quite impressive.

Can't see it happening in the UK this side of the Rapture though.

[5acrefarmer]

I've been a signwriter for 30 years and I could tell you some real horror stories! Most signwriters don't give a shit and don't keep up with
times, technology or design changes. A good signwriter can have
excellent design and layout skills because we have to physically
produce the sign and the any artwork designed by a graphic artist.
But at the end of the day, the cast majority of the population has no
taste and no concept of design.

[John Good]

In our tiny island, more and more, new shops make bevelembossfireflame3Dsupereffetcs shit signs.

There are still two geniouses that walk through the island to hand paint the walls for advertising and shop signs. They do a beautiful work with inventive handshaped typefaces I'm actually gathering for a flickr album.

Ill' let you know.

[steveb]

When I was in Helsinki last week, I took a shot of the shop fronts I mentioned in my previous post. Very restrained and handsome to my way of thinking.

hki

[another™]

gotta love Charlie Brooker.