t y p o g r a p h y o n q u e e n w e s t

T Y P O G R A P H Y

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“ F O U N D T Y P E ”T Y P O G R A P H Y 0 1

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t y p o g r a p h y

tocpreface 04el furniture 05cumbrae’s 07zara 09rosecity 11fasinfrank 13vape29 15fancyfranks 17stelvio 19tor til laf lats 21americanapparel 23p&l burger 25rocklobster 27exclucity 29smoke+ash 31enzopizzabar 33rickshawbar 35lamesa 37dutildenim 39lipstickdynamite 41linwood 42frank&oak 43frank&oak:barbershop 47frank&oak:cafe 49frank&oak:oakstreetmag 51

tocthaielephant 51nomad 53dlish 55t immie 56smoquenbbq 57nam 59aesop 61chippys 6369 vintage 65sekai 67stussy 69samjamescof feebar 75thebristol 77carboncomputing 79church 81goodson 83drakegeneralstore 85nunu 87brooklynn 88cadillaclounge 89rushlane 91fredperr y 93oliverspencer 95blvdinteriors 97soco 99noce 101map 103

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PrefaceToronto’s scene on Queen West has been known as one of the trendiest spots in the city. It goes through the fashion district and design district including well known clothing stores like Zara and American Apparel but involves lesser known shops like Dutil Denim and Nomad. There is a plithera of options in cuisine to eat and drink while walkig down Queen West from P&L Burgers, Fancy Franks Gourmet Hot Dogs and El Furniture Warehouse all the way to Thai Elephant, Lamesa Filipino Kitchen and Rose City Kitchen. These places make up Queen West from Spadina all the way to Dufferin we will look at the atmospher of many of these places and see if the typeface their chose even suits the company. judge a book by it’s cover and the cover to these companies are created through the typeface they choose.

Throughout this book we will see the typefaces they have chosen and analyze whether their choice suits the atmosphere of the place or not.

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El Furniture Warehouse is a dive bar that has been on the rise of popularity in the Toronto scene. They first established in Whistler, ON and have branched over to Toronto in two locations- 410 Bloor St. W in the Annex and here at 232 Queen St. W. They appeal to the young adults through their all day everyday $4.95 food menu, ideal for students on a budget and they always have a l ine up for their club feel with l ive DJs at night. They have been most recently known in a negative l ight for their post on social media about Bruce Jenner’s transformation, but it just adds to their outspoken and raw personality.

The typeface they use is a serif font in all Uppercase Letter-forms primarily with white on black. The weight of this font is bolded and for some of their locations use an elongated type. The typeface they have chosen suits their business, it ’s bold and almost stamped like the foot print they have left in Toronto. The atmosphere of the place is very laid back and the typeface seems rebell ious and strong like their opinion on things. The font isn’t anything exotic or tries to stand out but it stands firm to its being and compliments the atmosphere of th dive bar quite fairly.

elfurniturewarehouse

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7 1 4 Q S W

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Cumbrae’s is a meat shop with the finest of meats to provide. The store has four locations all together and all of them are in different areas on Toronto, ON. This is ideal for those adults who are either aspiring to be chefs or just care about the amount of care put in to their food.

The typeface of this shop is a sans serif typeface with tones that are borderline earthy and flesh like. The earthy tones, with the use of browns work for meats perfectly seeing as once cooked properly they all have ideal complexions and the one used for Cumbrae’s is soft, delicate and neutral. The meats used are treated with care, cut

with delicacy and precision, turn out to be tender meats or cuts and is the way we would like to eat the meat as well. This place had a strong designer behind it and it conveys quite well. The branding of the font is perfect, whereas for the animals before being killed were branded and mixing woodgrain with it works for those who choose to smoke their meats. Overall there was a great amount of thought put in to this typeface choice and with the rustic yet tender feel the shop gives off, the typeface chosen works as well for this. A sans serif font shows a modernist quality and it has it for sure despite how long the company’s age is.

cumbraes

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Ztara holds to be one of the wor lds leading fashion company internat ional ly. They appeal to men and women of an age range of young adul ts to middle aged adul ts. Of course anyone with an interest in fashion, Zara wi l l appeal to them inevi tably. Their c lothing is s leek, at t ract ive, sexy, sty l ish and on the higher end of semi formal i ty.

The typeface they have chosen is undisclosed but i t has a weight of being semi-bolded and does not come in colour. I t is a ser i f font to sui t i ts professional personal i ty and seems to be stretched hor izontal ly for i ts wide var iety of countr ies and people i t appeals to. I t is negat ively kerned whereas the let ters come together qui te closely and this ref lects their uni formity and strong persona.

zara

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Rose City Kitchen is a Mediterranean Restaurant on 406 Queen West. The audience they appeal to are males and females of any age. They are usually filled with people that are young adults to middle aged. The restaurant is based in only Toronto, ON and was strategically placed whereas it brings a different taste to the city with fresh ingredients.

The typefaces used are a sans serif font in “Rose City” and a serifed font for “kitchen” in red. The “Rose City “is bolded and “kitchen” left roman. This seems to express merely that there is an emphasis on Rose City which the name of a city in the Mediterranean;

hence its importance and origin. In the eastern world, typefaces are a lot different in popularity and the fonts chosen for this logo seem to be alienated somewhat in comparison to places along the strip. Nonetheless the type is welcoming and seems as authentic as is mentioned in the title. There is a nice touch of red from the rose and it being echoed in the word kitchen was a smart approach. I would eat there and pick up that it was a restaurant merely from the sign before reading the “kitchen” part, even though it is hard to avoid. It gives off an atmosphere of being like home or a ‘taste of home’ and I would feel completely comfortable eating there.

rosecitykitchen

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F as In Frank is a thrift clothing store. There are a couple of locations however are primarily based in Toronto, although it originated in Vancouver, BC. The atmosphere of the place is young, trendy and filled with street culture. They are known for featuring name brands exclusively for a limited time and have an approach of combining clothing-- stitching together the bottom of one shirt and the top of another. They are unique in that sense and choose to stand out in the Thrifting World. They mind their own business and do their own thing. The typeface they have chosen is a sans serif font that is all black and seems to be elongated vertically a touch. This works for

them because as neutral as their typeface is, it is very much like them not to waste time on attracting people. The thrifting scene is not about being flashy, it’s about being neutral within oneself. Meaning that they express them self Roman and others see them as bold, just as the typeface is almost semi-bolded. Everything is negatively kerned and in all Uppercase letters, showing they are making a statement but if you don’t get it, move on. Since uppercase letters are hardly legible when in a tight space. Overall I would say it works, I would create a little breathing room between the letters but otherwise, their message communicates through their type choice.

fasinfrank

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Vape 29 is a shop for the recently popularized vape machines replacing cigarettes at a rapid rate. The popularity of these things start with the look of how much smoke people can exhale, plus since it is vapor it is allowed to be smoked inside. It’s like the 50’s all over again but healthier. The typeface chosen is decorative. The “Vape” is a bolded textured font and “29” seems to be almost scripted. Its intention is to imitate the vapor itself. I find that if the website was not placed below their sign, the sign could easily

be misinforming for a “23”. The sign I find mediocre, cheap, lazy, with some level of understanding in design/ artistic ability. It could definitely be stronger, but it is a smoke shop and it doesn’t take much to attract people to a place for smoking. A great example is that cigarette boxes contain the consequences on the box itself, showing that no one is really looking at the packaging as much as the product they are coming for. So the sign itself serves its purpose on a surface level, symbolic and psychological level as well.

vape29

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Fancy Franks Gourmet Dogs has been on the high rise in Toronto. It started out in Toronto. They take pride in creating the best ways possible to eat a hot dog. They have three locations in Toronto: College St, Bloor and of course Queen St. They serve a great variety in style of cooking a hot dog and they make sure to do it well. Their approach to such an under appreciated food item is what has made them stand out. Their competition is on many street corners, also called “Street Meat”, what will make you choose one over the other? Quality and they make sure to deliver it inevitably.

The typeface they use are script, decorative and sans serif font. The “Frank” is weighted bold for the hot dogs that are bold and full of flavour. The scripted “fancy’ is merely an onomatopoeia and ‘gourmet...’ As a sans serif apply to the modern style of the dogs. The variety of typefaces within the sign are parallel in description of all the types of hot-dogs they serve at the restaurant. Attractive, practical and memorable are traits in this type as well the traits of the restaurant. They work in great unison and there is nothing but love for them both.

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Tortilla flats is one of the top places for people to go and enjoy Tex-Mex Food with lots of beer. It’s a bar and grill with prices that are quite reasonable. The atmosphere is fun, social and are not afraid to have kids there. Overall the place is located in a spot that is not a part of Queen West’s trendy spots, but still a great place to stop by a drink and some nachos, quesadillas and enchiladas.

The typeface used for this bar and grill is slab serif with a heavy weight. The colour added is red which is supposed to visually increase peoples appetites. However the slab serif represents the American aspect to the bar because traditionally Western typefaces used slab serifs and the Texas aspect to the restaurant needs the slab serif to compliment it. The weight of the typeface is heavy representing the Mexican aspect of the company with its heavy and filling foods. The structure of the typeface for the Tortilla flats sign works quite well and if anything could be more refined. Though seeing as it is a bar and grill, a laid back scene, the texture and informality to the typeface compliments even better than a polished look.

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American Apparel is a clothing store that sells clothing for people of all ages male and female. Their price range is mildly more expensive for very basic clothing but it is the brand itself which drives the pricing. The clothes are mostly neutral but stylish. They do not have a style that blends both sides of the spectrum, plain clothing with a high quality. They are popular across the globe known in 18 different countries from America, to Italy, France and Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and even Israel. Their simple clothing has longevity and for this it is has become as popular as it is today.

The type they use is the most basic and versatile of them all- Helvetica. The two go hand in hand perfectly, because American Apparel clothing could be used in any and every situation without causing disturbance, just as Helvetica. You just need to know what to wear just like with Helvetica you need to know what weight to use for the occasion, but they keep it Roman to be as neutral as possible.

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P&L Burger is a burger joint that turns burger making up a notch. Full of flavour, big bold tastes and a unique approach, it deserves to be a stamp/ sticker slapped any and everywhere. The only location is in Toronto and the only location is this one on Queen West. The audience for this restaurant is for anyone ready to sink their teeth in to a juicy piece of meat- there is a chicken and fish option for those who do not want to have beef. As well the prices of these burgers seem quite practical and reasonable, especially for the amount of care put in every burger. Quality is a huge factor in making the P&L Burger what it is.

The typeface used is a contrast of sans serif and slab serif. I always correlate slab serif with serif with America since it is the font that they used early on and with burgers, it is something America takes great pride in. As well the slab serif fonts were the typefaces used in branding and stamping things so this gives a sense of pride which is ideal for the pride they take in the burgers they create. They added colour to the ampersand for emphasis and it creates an inverted Canadian flag between the P and L. The weight of the typeface is bolded showing the heartiness within the meal itself. In the sign they have three layers, and the biggest, juiciest part is the “P&L” part between “The” and the burger logo-- similar to the burgers themselves-- it’s what is in the middle that you remember and is what draws you in. The typeface is very fitting for the company and with it’s simplicity, it works well to create a potential of great fame in the years to follow.

thepnlburger

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Rock Lobster is one of a few restaurants created by Matt Dean Petite, a chef that has been creating seafood menus for years now. He has two locations of the Rock Lobster which has been around since March of 2012. The Rock Lobster has even branched out to become a wholesale and retail line, in addition to that has been the foundation of a cookbook called The Great Lobster Cookbook published by Random House Canada which can be purchased at Indigo/ Chapters via Amazon.ca. With all that being said, it is needless to explain the flavour factor within this restaurant. It’s seafood based menu indulging in buttery lobster and lots of taters, clams, scallops, shrimp, fish tacos and the list goes on.

The type used is a decorative font with serifs. The weight is somewhat heavy but overall not overwhelming in weight. They use colours such as red and white to show the colour of lobster and other crustaceans. The white is a nice addition to clean up the look of it overall. The type is significant to many fonts used on boats owned by fishermen and sailors as such. There is a great understanding of design in the execution of the type and overall branding of the restaurant. It is a clean look and it conveys the idea of seafood and beautiful flavours being introduced. It shows that it is a place to stop by for a drink and grab some surf.

r o c k l o b s t e r. c o m / q u e e n w e s t

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Exclucity is a street wear brand with an urban feel to it. They focus on footwear although they do sell some branded clothing: hoodies, hats and such for men and women. The clientele are young men and women, teenagers and young adults. The shoes are for whoever, but the audience has been as such. They have a cool feel to them and are focused on being successful-- making their footprint in the business. Toronto has been their most recent opening, whereas they are located in a 4 other locations and have been around since 2008.

The typeface they use is a stenciled sans serif font with a heavy weight to it. In alignment with a hip hop vibe a stencil does work whereas it could be used as a tag for walls and that is a part of the culture in regards to graffiti. The bolded typeface compliments their hard, tough, look. Including the silhouette of a city is a great idea for making this typeface personal to each individual; people will see their own city in the silhouette and this simple tactic now provokes a response different to each individual.

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Smoke + Ash is a fashion company that focuses on a

contemporary look for females who are young adults. The

aesthetic of the shop is a minimalist look through

clothing, footwear, accessories and jewelry. It is moderately

expensive clothing, but caters to women with a finer taste. They

focus on a lot of light colours and plenty of white space.

The typeface of the clothing store is a sans serif that is very

thin showing the delicacy and care put in to every piece of merchandise. The negative

kerning makes the type seems very brittle and light, just as ash

and smoke is. All uppercase letters create a

shopsmokeash

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32enzotoronto

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34rickshawbarto

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Lamesa the Filipino Kitchen takes on a very different nature on the Queen West strip. Filipino cuisine is usually unheard and to the Canadian culture, there are very few places to go to for this cuisine. Dishes such as Tuna Kinilaw, Lechon Kawali, Cauliflower Ginataan, Beef Bulalo are definitely foreign however need a try before judging. The atmosphere of the place seems out of this world with artwork of stylized characters with a colour palette in earthy tones and a low light setting. The food is definitely more beautiful than it sounds and the food comes at a quite the affordable rate with $10 salads, $8 rice dishes, octopus and pork dishunder $25, etc. They serve plenty of cocktails and suit to the crowd of the adventurous food connoisseur.

The type they use is a sans serif bold type that has a thin line in the midst of it. This type almost resembles many traditional Mexican typefaces but still keep it modern and attractive. The bolded weight of the type definitely captures peoples attention and the thin line in it definitely takes on a look that isn’t seen quite often but makes you remember the name that much more. It is surrounded by simple tribal shapes and patterns. The “Filipino Kitchen” below Lamesa has a low x-height but it gives added personality. This place is appealing in design and is a definite need-to try in the city. Not many places like this you will come across, so when seen, stop by because you don’t know when you will ever get another chance to eat food like that again.

lamesato

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Dutil Denim is a clothing store that offers many big names of denim such as A.P.C, Rag & Bone and Naked for men and women. They have started in Vancouver and have come over to Toronto. They have a feel that some would call Hipster but they are just a cool laid back place. They have a great variety in style of denim, whether it be the bottoms or the shirts or even shoes that accompany it. They focus on quality over quantity although they have a great deal of both factors and everything is very fitting. It has a rustic feel to it since denim did start out as a piece of clothing for the working class and has moved its way up to everyday use. The atmosphere of the place is filled with lots of wood, antique pieces like old chairs from pioneer days and hand crafted decor.

The typeface used for the store is a serif font in all lower case for it’s casualty like denim it self. It makes a statement but is very subtle as it a part of every day life. Denim has a variety of personalities based on it’s colour, texture, wash and fit. A serif font works for the professional aspect of some purpose in wearing jeans, but the lower case type reduces that professionalism. It is an American thing traditionally for the huge use of denim and it’s relaxed nature is shown through the positive kerning in the typeface giving it room to breath but it is not loose whatsoever. Because ultimately we must remember that denim was for the working class and it still has to have it’s stability which is accomplished through the type.

dutildenimshop

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lipstickanddynamite.ca

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linwood_to

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Frank & Oak is a menswear clothing store that has multiple locations and originates from its founders in Montreal. It was created by two friends who grew up together and wanted to create a collaboration between art and technology within clothing. Frank & Oak make themselves different from others because their brand is authentically self created whereas there is no middle man in terms of design. They create their own clothing, own fabrics, embroidery, print or pattern creation. All made by the company them self and produced as the same. Their goal is to have men ‘dress well and live well’ with clothing that is of greater quality and suits anyone’s budget. Their clothing has a style thats more polished and has attention to detail, it is casual-wear but the quality takes it that notch above many other brands. This clothing store is ideal for Queen St W because it is known for fashion and style everywhere, but there are plenty of unisex or female shops, Frank & Oak offer a place just for the guys.

The typeface for their brand is a serifed font that looks classy and practical. It has a bold weight to it to create more attention to the label, but even more so to contrast or help differentiate between them and the female brands. Which usually have lighter weighted type faces and script or sans serifed fonts. They do make sure that the bold look is not so heavy by kerning the type positively and making it seem lighter, as well place it in a frame with plenty of space around it. The type is clean like their clothing and is has an ampersand in it with a consistent weight reflecting their consistency in not only style but passion put in every piece of their clothing since they have no middle man to blame for anything they may not like in terms of design. All uppercase lettering shows a formality and professional approach in their business as they do cater to those who pay great attention to detail. And a white / black typeface creates a clean look, one that is neutral and does require an expectancy in their color palette in clothing leaving more room for creativity in production. Everything was strategically put in to place with the brand and nothing in it I would change or recommend in terms of type and atmosphere.

One thing that is different about this place is that they have three sections within the shop: a cafe, clothing section and a barber shop in the back; shown in the pages to follow.

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The Frank & Oak’s goal is for men to look good and live good. This approach they took to add a barber shop is by far one of the smartest ideas I have ever seen in a clothing shop. You can go in looking like a mess and get your morning coffee waiting to get your hair cut and then get a nice shave, trim and outfit ready for the evening without having to make multiple stops. The atmosphere of the place is full of vintage and retro merchandise around the room. There are Jameson bottles in the window ledge, lots of design and good old early 20’s century decor in the room. Attention to detail in every aspect even in to the chairs which this backdrop contains.

There are plenty sources of typography in the building, but one to focus on is the body spray on the facing page. This black and white collage of type and lettering is the most attractive packaging authentic to the atmosphere in that room. With pictures to compliment the packaging and 5 different types in one label-- there is nothing between. There is sans serif font, serif, slab serif, heavy weight, light weight, negatively and positively kerned, script. It’s just beautiful to look at. There are endless little things such as this packaging and many others like it to observe and enhance the atmosphere.

frankandoak

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Immediately when entering in to the Frank & Oak Store you are presented with a wake me up smell of coffee. They layout of the shop is bright surrounded by windows and natural light, a nice view of the street and people passing by, as well as plenty of reads.

The type they use for the cups in St. Viateur Cafe which is a company is Montreal called St. Viateur Bagel & Cafe.

The atmosphere is simplistic, modern and practical which the font they use follows the same trend. They use a serif, sans-serif combination and with a light weight and roman weight. It’s simple, it’s modern and nestles into the atmosphere quite well. It’s comfortable and works with the setting.

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Oak Street is a magazine that is featured in Oak & Fort locations because they are also published by them. They are one of the possible reads while in the cafe and a bi-annually published magazine. They focus on work, community and culture. They are on their now 3rd issue and it has been catching the attention of many across North America.

The typeface used is Helvetica Bold. The font works for the audience which are usually fashion or design interested people and Helvetica is the go-to font for people in such fields of interest. Their most recent issue focuses on Art & Design interviewing local artists in the Montreal scene. Oak Street Magazine is attractive, modern, simplistic, minimalistic and is photo heavy so Helvetica does not get in the way of imagery but rather compliments it quite well, especially for a matte finished magazine.

50oakstreetmag.com

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8 1 3 Q S W

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Thai Elephant is the lovely taste of Asia that makes you all happy on the inside. They stay authentic to the taste of Thai cuisine with lots of “Garlic, Lemongrass, Galanga, Basil, Chili, Ginger, Coconut, Mint, Shallot, Coriander, Lime, tumeric and many more”. They have four levels of heat in their food between a range of ‘nice’ and ‘crazy spicy’. They cater as well you can dine in, but the restaurant has been around since 2008 delivering a flavour that is hard to beat in comparison to many other Thai restaurants in the city.

The font used is decorative with a bubbly feel. There is a dynamic sense to the type’s negative space but a uniformity in it as well. The colours are as well what drive the atmosphere as it in important in the eastern culture to include colours such as reds and yellows for symbolic reasons. The type expresses authenticity to the culture just as the food represent the culture harmoniously. Very fitting type for the restaurant very fitting to it’s culture.

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Nomad is a male fashion brand with an absurd approach. They have been around for a decade now and are continually breaking rules and setting trends as a result of it all. They feature clothing from multiple famous fashion designers in street-wear such as Virgil Abloh, A.P.C, Fear of God, Yeezy, Commes Des Garcons and many others. They have pieces such as the long shirt which has been one of Nomad’s biggest trends caught on recently. They have a darker style with many abstract and unique approaches in their style but it has worked and given them a name online and Queen West is their first actual physical store. They have a great interest in fashion, art and design.

The typeface they use is a bolded sans serif, all uppercase for assertion. A drop shadow is added to create depth and make the type jump out in addition to the gold colour they have added. It definitely catches the eye when passing by the shop and makes you want to explore what is behind those doors. The canvas textured blazer seen in this image is just the tip of the iceberg in what they create. The type isn’t absurd in any way but it is definitely, bold and appealing for obvious reasons gold and the drop shadow. But just like with any artwork, either you love it or you don’t and the type makes it’s statement and you either re appealed or keep moving, but one thing definitely happens- it got your attention. Just like their clothing, it always stands out on the street and either you are inspired to wear/create a piece like it or you say “meh” and keep moving.

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nomadtoronto54

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Dlish Cupcakes is one of the finest pastry stops you can make along the Queen West strip. The level of creativity and originality within every cupcake will make you never feel guilty for indulging shamelessly. The company is solely based in Toronto and is a nice place to stop by

to treat yourself or others any time of the year.

The typeface used is a decorative font which is quite heavy. It is plump, soft and attractive. It shows the weight you will gain after leaving the shop. They use colours like baby blue and gentle browns for the light airy

taste of the pastries and the chocolates or caramels you may indulge in whilst there. The sign is very attractive and fun. It invited people of all ages, men and women and it reads as nothing but friendly, welcoming food to brighten your day.

dlishcupcakes

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For all the dog lovers, Timmie Dog Outfitters is the place to be. It offers dog grooming, dog foods and dog toys. As well if you ever want photos of your dog you can stop by there too. They are all about the pooch and its by dog lovers, for dog lovers. A smart approach to do in such a place like Queen West where there is always someone walking their dog on the street, to be relatively far away from the core of the downtown this is helpful for those who do not want to go too

far. This place is friendly and very welcoming, full of information and assistance.

The type used for this place is a decorative upper-case serif font that is heavy in weight accompanied by a roman lower-case serif font. There are little things about this type that are very specific and ideal to the shop, one example is the ‘I’ resembling a doggie bone in “TIMMIE”. It isn’t rounded off or as smooth looking as a typical dog

bone but still you get the idea when you see it. The other little detail that may go unnoticed are the ears on the ‘g’s in ‘doggie’. They are in different directions like a dog’s ears wagging when excited and running around. These little details add personality to the typeface and make it ideal for the store. The squared off type could give a feel of being too strict or boring or dull and unwelcoming but the colour palette makes up for it indefinitely.

timmiedogoutfitters

8 3 3 Q S W

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8 6 9 Q S W

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Smoque N Bones: Barbecue N’ Bourbon is a l itt le bar and restaurant on Queen West that grasps the taste of Southern Hospitality gathering flavours from Texas, Memphis, Kansas and Carolinas. This place of course focuses on ribs and other meats such as brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, sausage and peppercorn beef. The amount of f lavour delivered from this place is astounding gives you a taste of the south without ever having to leave Canada. A rustic interior f i l led with beers and bourbon, mouth watering smoked meats, accompanied with creamy mac n’ cheese, buttery corn bread, sweet pecan pie, it gets no better than this. They’re all about the food and are passionate about it; you see it in their social media that they are all about the food.

The typeface used is a serif font that is elongated and has certain decorative qualit ies about it. Subtle things l ike the crossbar in the ‘E’, l i tt le f lares in the serifs and the ti l ted ‘Q’ protruding into the l ine of type below. Colours used in the type are yellows, and light browns like wood and flames for the smoky feel. Overall the type is big and bold l ike the flavours they present and that alone is sufficient for describing their restaurant. It has a flare to it and put together beautifully despite being rustic for the attention to detail and quality of their foods. This is no ordinary barbecue joint, this one is definitely a game changer and one to check out immediately.

smoquenbones 58

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8 7 4 Q S W

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namsandwichshop

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62aesopskincare

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64chippystoronto

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9 2 1 Q S W

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69 Vintage is the name of a thrift shop on Queen West that has a focus on -- you guessed it, vintage clothing. The shop is ran by a woman by the name of Kealan Sullivan. This shop opened up in 2004 and has not looked back since, the clothing is geared toward women focusing on pinks, furs, patterns, denim and prints. This is not your typical thrifting attire, nothing cheap about these finds, because they come to prices of $200-$700+ range. Nonetheless the movement she has created is definitely commendable and warming enough to make you want to become part of the culture, it makes you fall back in love with the 60s- 70’s. It’s a little shop by Trinity Bellwoods and walking through the doors put you right back in to a blast from the past.

The typeface used is a sans serif, very vintage, almost art-deco with its curvature and vertical elongation. There is plenty of breathing room in terms of kerning but gives a comfortable amount of space in the sign. The colour palette of the type on the window are a tan colour which was ideal for the late 60’s. A similar shade of brown used in this type.

69_vintage

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Sekai Nail and Beauty Bar is a place for women to get their beauty done. The place offers manicures, pedicures, waxing, hair removal, massages and tinting. Toronto is only location so the focus of the area has to be taken in to practice. The price range of this beauty bar are a little bit more on the pricey side, aiming toward a clientele that is better off financially.

With all of this being said, the decorative, sans serif font is ideal according to the stylish atmosphere it creates. The type is in black and white for a minimalist look. Minimal for the bare bodies

leaving that place after a waxing. The type is all uppercase and merely for attention; the word Sekai meaning “the world/ earth” in Japanese isn’t necessarily shown in this type. However this type with it’s consistent strokes and being somewhat squared off, resembles the Japanese symbols and the visual correlation is sufficient enough. There are many ways that this could be changed, but with beauty not being a part of my expertise, I will leave that up to a female or someone with an interest in beauty products. It looks clean and stylish and that may be all that it needs.

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Sam James Coffee Bar with multiple locations in Toronto. It is a place orchestrated with students, cyclists and coffee lovers. This shop started out in 2009 and is moved its way up to becoming popular amongst the young crowd. As mentioned before this place is for anyone who loves coffee and is lookig for a slightly different, artistic and conceptual approach to coffee making.

The typeface used is a serif font that appears to be Roman. Black and White is the overall atmosphere of the restaurant, aside of course the coffee itself. Images on pages 71-74 show the interior decor of the coffee bar. The typeface shows professionalism, style, authenticity and being comforting. I feel these are qualities absolutely needed when creating a coffee shop/ bar and they have achieved this greatly.

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Church Aperitivio Bar or Restaurant & Bar offer a variety of Italian appetizers and desserts along with cocktails and is perfect for doing in or catering special events. They are a higher scale restaurant with a great variety in options for drinks and foods. They are careful in crafting their choices of foods to make sure they compliment drinks to offer very well. The audience is for adults who are put together financially; whereas their menu and atmosphere is put together in such a way.

The typeface they use is a loose script and sans serif. The sans serif font shows a modern ‘hip’ style in the restaurant appealing to the younger audience. The script hand-lettering shows that it is practical, nothing to feel out of reach in terms of finances but it has a clean look to it to establish a standard still. The name church may already do that to the public but if that was not enough, they have a visual that reads with the same effect resulting. The script reads as a romantic feel and with Italian food and cocktails, the romantic feel works perfectly with the atmosphere of the place.

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Cadillac Lounge is that place that was created by a few people in the mid 20th century who decided to make a bar later on in life and taking the time period with them. This is not a junction for young people unlike much of the bars on Queen West but it would be more for the older crowd. It is filled with live music regularly, a bad ass rock star atmosphere with lovers of cars, music and beer. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t much of a rowdy crowd but the nights are expected to be full of good times.

They use a variety of typefaces in the sign for the lounge but which are sans serif and script predominantly. The colour palette of the tinted pinks and blues date the atmosphere with a mix of the 50’s to 80’s. The weight of these typefaces are relatively thin and seem to be compressed. The sign is layered but capture the atmosphere of the bar nonetheless.

The Cadillac on the front of the bar helps exponentially create the atmosphere of the restaurant as well.

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Rush Lane & Co. is a bar that focuses on cocktails. The bartenders

are not only bartenders but mixologists, foddies and friends. The

atmosphere of the bar is ideally fro mature drinkers, those who are in a search of something different. Their food menu comes down to nuts and

pretzels, corn dogs for those who want to tone down the sophistication. But they seem to be very put together which is what Queen West is missing

many times.

The Rush Lane & Co. sign uses a neon, script, typeface that is loose yet formal. Like a signature which

can make a play on signature drinks? However the script is consistent in

weight, no calligraphy and the letters are separated, almost like a slurring

of the words. For this business oriented bar, this typeface seems like a play on the atmosphere for

when businessmen make deals when drinking and it almost imitates a

drunk signature. The name and type work well for this atmosphere, and no

suggestions could be made due to the humorous undertone achieved.

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Fred Perry is a clothing line that caters to men and women; it is located in 30 different countries. The clothing is created in England and has a style of clothing that caters to be for the academic, aristocracy people. However aims to be trendy and appealing with taking a modern approach to the clothing.

The brand and typeface of it achieve this personality successfully whereas the wreath shows authority and a higher class being crowned. The Helvetica Regular (Roman) typeface shows the practicality of it all and the appeal to the youth.

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Oliver Spencer was a man that was in school for art and left school to pursue being a tailor for his love of garment and cloth. His brand began in the early 2000’s with a style that was relaxed, yet formal, loose, yet assembled. This focus in colour palette are neutrals, grays and earthy tones. His apparel touches womens-wear as well menswear. The age group is for more established adults, late 20’s and so forth. The clothing is on the pricey side due to its quality and the name that carries a long with it.

He uses a serif, almost slab serif font in his work. It is quite similar to American type writer It expresses masculinity and professionalism once again. The weight of the font is light and overall looks casual yet full of attention to detail and care. The colour palette is of browns and grays and with that in the mix of the font it works well for a clothing store that appeals to both men and women. I would only add the touch of his rebellion, for choosing to leave school and create his own business; something to create a slightly more edgy look. Nonetheless it is comfortable and practical. Works well for everything except legibility possibly in adding it to the clothing.

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“I want to make clothes that you can

adopt and inhabit. Clothes you can

live in, clothes you can do things in”

— Oliver Spencer

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S O C O C r e a t i v e i s a d e s i g n f i r m f o c u s e d o n s t y l i n g b r a n d i d e n t i t i e s . I t i s a f i r m f i l l e d w i t h f o u r s t r o n g w o m e n i n t h e i r f i e l d s o f d e s i g n , s t r a t e g y , c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d w r i t i n g . T h e y a r e s o l e l y b a s e d i n T o r o n t o a n d h a v e b e e n w o r k i n g h a r d a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y a t m a k i n g t h e i r m a r k i n t h e c i t y a n d w o r l d o f d e s i g n . T h e y a r e l o c a t e d i n t h e d e s i g n d i s t r i c t

a n d h a v e p l a c e d t h e m s e l v e s s t r a t e g i c a l l y a n d i n t e l l i g e n t l y . I t m a k e s s e n s e .

T h e t y p e f a c e u s e d f o r t h i s s i g n i s a s a n s s e r i f f o n t a n d f o c u s e s o n s i m p l i s t i c s h a p e . T h e k e r n i n g o f t h e l e t t e r s a r e p o s i t i v e a n d t h e y l e a v e a n i c e b r e a t h o f f r e s h a i r . T h e b u s i n e s s b e i n g r a n b y w o m e n d e f i n i t e l y i s c o m m u n i c a t e d

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t h r o u g h t h e s h a p e o f t h e l e t t e r s a n d t h e c o l o u r s u s e d o n t h e s i g n . O n t h e i r w e b s i t e t h e y u s e b l a c k o n w h i t e b u t i n t h e i r s t o r e a s s e e n i n t h e i m a g e a b o v e t h e y u s e a g r a d i e n t o f v a r i o u s t o n e s a n d h u e s . T h e y h a v e a b r i g h t e r c o l o u r p a l e t t e a n d i t w o r k s w e l l w i t h w h a t t h e y a r e a l l a b o u t . T h e y a r e p r o f e s s i o n a l j u s t a s t h e t y p e f a c e i s c o n s i s t e n t , t h e y

a r e a f i r m a n d h a v e t o b e c l e a n j u s t a s t h e y t y p e f a c e i s . T h e y h a v e t o h a v e s t r a t e g y j u s t a s t h e t y p e f a c e i s m a p p e d o u t w i t h p u r p o s e a n d t h e t y p e f a c e s e e m s f r i e n d l y . I t i s s o f t a n d i n v i t i n g . W h a t s t a n d s o u t m o s t i s t h a t i s p o r t r a y s p r o m i s e . F o r t h e s e r e a s o n s t h e t y p e f a c e u s e d f o r t h e i r s i g n w o r k s b e a u t i f u l l y a n d h a r m o n i o u s l y w i t h t h e i r b r a n d i t s e l f .

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Noce is an Italian Restaurant on Queen West that serves Italian cuisine at a high class of scenery. It has won many awards for food and wine over the past several years. The people they intend on attracting are business people and couples looking for a romantic dinner. They are located right across the street from Trinity Bellwoods and appeal to the more polished crowd of that area.

The typeface they have used is a serif font in all uppercase lettering. The weight of the typeface seems to be Roman, whereas the atmosphere of the place is to be professional and yet memorable. There is a hierarchy in size between “Noce” and “Restaurant” as many examples prior had as well. It is a typeface kerned positively, giving breathing room between the letters creates a lighter atmosphere. This method creates a lighter feel and can make it romantic without the use of italics. The sign is mature and the colours used compliment it quite well with the earth tones of rich browns like a chestnut and the kiss of gold in it. From the sign alone, I would not have assumed an Italian restaurant, but those who are Italian would know that “Noce” means “Nut”. Hence the deep rich brown tone to the exterior of the restaurant. No suggestions, it works well with a perfect balance of neutrality, romance and punctuality of course intertwines with professionalism.

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