If architecture is an open book that attracts people to read and feel the city, then the signboard on the façade of the building may be the beginning of that amazing sentence. Just looking at it arouses interest and makes people want to know more and find out.
In recent years, with the comprehensive management of the urban environment and the promotion of "micro-renewal" of the neighborhood, the topic of "what kind of store signs does the city need" has attracted a lot of attention.
After some speculation and discussion, the society has formed such a consensus: the store sign is not only a way for merchants to solicit customers or express their personality, but also one of the factors that highlight the vitality of the city and the charm of the street, which should not be "uniform", but should show diversity on the basis of abiding by certain norms.
In other words, it is to let more creative forces invest in this work, so that everyone can express their understanding and love for urban culture through designing and writing store signs.
Zhao Duo is a signboard painter who studied art in Tokyo and now lives in Shanghai. In his view, Shanghai is a city with various possibilities, and painting signs for different shops and merchants is like creating different "urban expressions". It is a process of searching for beauty and individuality, full of joy.
Zhao Duo at work. Courtesy of respondents
Interesting shop signs that attract people to push the door in
Would you be interested in a store because of a good-looking store move? Will you push open the door and walk in because of the interesting slogans and pictures on the shop doors and windows?
In this era of developed reviews and the whole people visiting the store, the aesthetic taste revealed in the "appearance" of the store and the decoration details of the decoration greatly affects people's initial impression of it. A special shop sign and door can be called a "sharp weapon" to attract people to "plant grass".
Jiang Qinggong, an observer of Shanghai's urban culture and graphic designer, noticed a coffee shop on Fengxian Road, also because of the unique door - the Chinese and English characters written on the door have been widely used on theater signboards since the 1930s and the combination of old Shanghai fine arts characters, and the black substrate with matte gold leaf is low-key, attractive and unique, which complements the overall style of the historic Majestic Theater on the side.
Jiang Qinggong, who has long paid attention to the design and expression of Shanghai's streets, alleys, buildings, industrial relics, shops and other places, was suddenly attracted by the words on the door of the coffee shop. At that time, he was preparing a street text photography collection "Character Tour Shanghai", and he thought that he must find this creator to talk.
What Jiang Qinggong didn't know was that the creator he had entrusted to look for at that time actually "knew" him.
In 2019, Zhao Duo, a Zhanjiang native who has lived in Japan for five years and learned sign painting, came to Shanghai and opened a studio called "Huaihai Tuwen". When they hear this name, some people think of the sign shops that can be seen everywhere on the street. Zhao Duo thought the same thing. He said that after returning to China, he found that there were many shops in China that made signs called XX graphics, which were simple and direct, very grounded, and he just happened to live on Huaihai Road at that time, so it was logical to give the name of "Huaihai Graphics".
The business of Huaihai Graphics is not complicated, mainly to provide signboard design and drawing services for store signs, and to convey business information to attract consumers. At the same time, it can also customize fonts for customers to serve the various information transmission needs in the store. However, since the 1990s, the development of printing technology and the increasing popularity of computer software have long made the traditional handmade signboard painting appear lonely, and many professional signboard painters in the world either change their professions or choose to "keep pace with the times" to learn computer signboard production. On the mainland, even fewer people still master this skill and make it a profession.
Zhao Duo painted in the store. Courtesy of respondents
But Zhao Duo has a fondness for signboard painting, "I hope to provide some stores with one more option in this era of computer engraving." "The decoration of the door of the Fengxian Road Café is from his hand.
One day, Zhao Duo accidentally read the "Shanghai Character Record". This book uses the physical objects of printed materials in Shanghai over the past 100 years to form visual clues, and constructs a systematic, objective and clear basic archive for the traces and contexts of Chinese character writing and design after traditional calligraphy. More than 400 illustrations present the reader with memories of education, economy, politics, culture, art, and everyday life in 20th-century Shanghai.
《Shanghai Character Record》
Zhao Duoru, who deals with words every day, has obtained the most precious treasure, once put the book on the desk, and read and studied it when he has time. The author of this book is Jiang Qinggong.
In 2020, the two people who were related by words finally met. Insiders meet and talk about professional content, such as the characteristics of various fonts, which fonts are suitable for use in which places and contexts, how to use colors, how to better convey information, etc. To outsiders, it sounds like an "encrypted language."
In April 2021, "Character Tour Shanghai" was published, and a "Shanghai Signboard" exhibition was held at Xuhui Art Museum at the same time. Among the works on display, some are simple and atmospheric, some are complex and gorgeous, and some are playful and cute, representing different tastes. Zhao Duo's works were also invited to the exhibition.
"Shanghai Signboard" exhibition.
In Jiang Qinggong's view, the signboard painters represented by Zhao Duo and other font designers, shopkeepers, art lovers and other exhibitors have brought a more flexible side to Shanghai's sign writing and design, and are expected to leave more wonderful "text landscapes" for the city.
Shape the style and temperament of the neighborhood
Through street shops, people can intuitively feel the style and temperament of a city.
Japan's historic city of Kyoto, common some Zen signboards, the specifications are not large, the effect of the picture presentation will not be too full, the appropriate blank space gives people an intriguing feeling; The Asian financial capital of Hong Kong, densely packed with colorful neon signs give people a strong visual shock, revealing a strong commercial atmosphere and the fighting spirit of wind and fire.
Shop signs in Kyoto.
Shop signs in Hong Kong.
What is Shanghai like?
There is no definitive answer to this question. In fact, Shanghai, which is inclusive and inclusive, should not be confined to a single style and form. Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street and Hengfu Style Protection Area are beautiful, the old city box and THE CBD, the commercial main street and the "small and beautiful" backstreet have their own advantages, and the coexistence of diversity is the real street that people are happy to see.
There are many interesting shops in particular, and it is also Zhao Duo's impression of Shanghai. In the past few years in Shanghai, there have been more and more cooperation invitations from Huaihai Graphics, and Zhao Duo has become more and more busy. The reason is also very simple - Shanghai's street brands and independent stores are eager for some more design and original elements as the façade of the store, and the easily available and reproducible computer fonts cannot bear this demand.
Works by Zhao Duo. Courtesy of respondents
Some formats around the retro trend lifestyle, such as American barbershops, Ami Kaku clothing stores, medieval furniture stores, as well as cafes, restaurants, bars are the main customer groups of Huaihai Tuwen. After receiving the order, Zhao Duo will fully understand the customer's needs, and then according to the application scenario, space size, readable distance, etc., ponder the font, proportion, fat and thin, tall, color and other details. Draw a paper pattern, then register with the relevant departments for the record, and then draw on the wall, wood, glass, aggreko or different metal plates. The specific drawing time varies from a few hours to a few days.
Gradually, Zhao Duo's unique style and strong texture of works have attracted more people's attention. Some shopkeepers have been recommended by other shopkeepers, and some shopkeepers have looked at each other when passing by, specifically inquiring about the news.
One day, while walking, the reporter encountered Zhao Duo's works many times in just a few minutes. First I saw the window of the trend barber shop on Maoming South Road, then recognized the sign of the vintage clothing store on Julu Road, and then met the font customized by Zhao Duo at the coffee shop on South Shaanxi Road.
The font on the store door is customized by Zhao Duo. Photo by Wu Yue
The red-hot business has made Zhao Duo worried: most of the customers are from the downtown area of Shanghai, if a small area is too dense to appear in their own painted shop signs, will it affect the richness of the neighborhood signs?
The aesthetic trend of customers is converging, the store expects to continue the successful experience of others through simple "copying", and the personality of the store is erased to a certain extent... These are contrary to Zhao Duo's original intention of creation, and it is also a situation that he does not want to see.
To this end, Zhao Duo set a rule for himself, trying to avoid cooperating with too many shops in the same block and on the same street. "First of all, I can't get over it emotionally, because the cooperation with each shop has invested a unique feeling and effort, and I don't want to 'betray' this feeling; secondly, I also hope that the image style of this shop is unique on this street, and can enrich the whole neighborhood together with other styles of shops."
Zhao Duo at work. Courtesy of respondents
Good craftsmanship will not be eliminated by technological advances
At present, "handmade" and "craftsmanship" are highly respected, is the hand-painted sign more expensive?
Zhao Duo believes that "handmade" should not be simply identified as advanced, and the excellent products created with the help of modern technology are also worth appreciating. On the contrary, it is more prudent to over-market "handmade" products - handmade does not mean shoddy, "really powerful craftsmanship, will not be eliminated by any other technological progress, it can always be in the ring, and constantly improve."
The rigor of type design and the diligent pursuit of technical refinement stem from Zhao Duo's perception when he studied in Japan, and is also reflected in some of his non-commercial works.
Recently, an exhibition of Zhao Duo's works is being held in the store of the Jinchao 8 Lane 8 Printing Institute in Hongkou District, and the name of the exhibition is Zhao Duo's positioning of himself - the person who paints the signboard. In addition to the signboard objects borrowed from partner stores in Shanghai and across the country, people can also see graffiti-like contents drawn on cardboard in the exhibition.
Exhibition board. Photo by Wu Yue
It was an extra personal exercise for him. "It's harder to draw on paper than it is on a wall." Zhao Duo said: "The text and pictures painted on the wall have a base, if you accidentally draw the wrong one, you can also cover it with paint and start over." But the creation on paper is not the same, the planning and composition should be completed in one go, the wrong stroke will be ruined, the fault tolerance rate is low, and it is more common. ”
Zhao Duo introduced the drawing on paper. Photo by Wu Yue
In his free time, Zhao Duo will also make up some shops according to his own interests, such as vinyl records, locomotives, tooling and clothing, etc., and create signs and posters for these shops.
The "Three Brothers Coffee" in the picture is Zhao Duo's fictional shop. Photo by Wu Yue
Because he studied American retro sign painting in Japan, Zhao Duo has mostly created in English letters over the years, but sharp-eyed people will find that there are some exquisite Chinese works at the exhibition site.
Zhao Duo said that after reading the "Shanghai Character Record", he felt that "the door to the new world has been opened." There are a large number of fine prints in different eras, and While learning these font structures and writing skills, Zhao Duo was also fascinated by some commercial expressions related to people's daily lives. For example, "open for business", "today's rest", "air conditioning inside", "upstairs elegant seat", "beautiful and hygienic" and so on.
Chinese-word works. Photo by Wu Yue
Today, these expressions may be outdated, but Zhao Duo believes that the text itself will become a decoration or even a work of art in the space, or evoke people's memories or make people smile.
Zhao Duo, who uses Chinese square characters to create, gives full play to his imagination and integrates words, images and contexts to surprise people.
For example, a small change is made to the word "hall" in the traditional character "café" to form a visual effect of smoking, which is reminiscent of a steaming cup of coffee at a glance. The signboard drawn for the noodle shop artistically artifies the individual strokes of each Chinese character, giving people the visual association of "chopsticks holding slippery noodles".
Chinese-character works arouse people's associations. Courtesy of respondents
When it comes to the creative concept and creative process, Zhao Duo is always extra excited and introduces a lot. But when you talk about something else, you will find that his amateur life is actually very simple, rarely going out to eat and drink, and rarely shopping. Most of the time is spent practicing basic skills and creation, occasionally going to the stationery store on Fuzhou Road to buy the paper of your choice, or buying gloves and helmets at the labor protection supplies store for daily homework. Everyday wear is more street hip-hop, and the biggest memory point is that jeans and jackets are always dotted with paint prints.
There is also a photography exhibition on the exhibition site, showing the daily work of the signature painter, as well as the tools and brushes used. Photo courtesy of Yao Yao
"Signature culture" spreads the charm of words
"Wow, I'm in the newspaper!"
In May last year, after a friend sent a photo, Zhao Duo was pleasantly surprised to find that he had landed in a Belgian Flemish newspaper.
The story begins with a solicitation on social networks. At that time, a sign painter named Jasmine met a 90-year-old German sign painter grandfather, who said that many young people around the world are very enthusiastic about this career and pass on this skill. The elderly, who had never been online, found it incredible and expressed interest in the work of their descendants. To this end, Jasmine launched a campaign on social networks, calling on everyone to create based on the old man's name, Jef Palmans, collected by her and printed uniformly, as a gift to the old man.
After the release of the event, it quickly received a positive response from people in the industry, and Zhao Duo immediately decided to send a greeting from Shanghai to the elderly.
In the work, Zhao Duo wrote this sentence: Hey there Jef Palmans, We still paintin'letters (meaning Hello Jef, we are still doing this job).
Reports from the Belgian media. Courtesy of respondents
Later, the Belgian media reported this heart-warming story, and Zhao Duo's photo with the work was also selected for publication.
For Zhao Duo, going to the newspaper is not the key, what is important is to participate in the tribute to the predecessors as part of the community, and let other sign painters in the world know that there is such a companion in China and Shanghai.
In the interview, Zhao Duo mentioned "community" several times. Indeed, signboards with natural ornamental properties are themselves the embodiment of a certain community culture. A clever signboard may be able to attract people to push open a door, open a conversation, and promote a cooperation and a friendship.
In foreign countries where sign culture is more prevalent, the community is also more closely connected. Among them, the most prestigious is the annual gathering of hand-painted signature painters and typeface artists in the world, TheHeads Event. According to media reports, the earliest Letterheads event originated in Denver city in 1975, the United States, the signature font artists put aside the barriers and secrets of peers, and every year in different cities to carry out a gathering to exchange craft techniques.
Reporting from 2019 Letterheads Tokyo. Image source: Seki/HYPEBEAST
In 2019, Zhao Duo attended the Letterheads party in Tokyo, where 200 sign writers, calligraphers, and font lovers from Japan and around the world attended. Everyone gathered in the venue rented by the organizers to first observe the exhibition works, then freely combine, communicate with each other, and finally have a city cruise. It is worth mentioning that the party has a tradition of writing each other's city names, such as I write a "Tokyo" for you, and you write a "Barcelona" for me, and after writing them interchangeably, as a souvenir.
After moving to Shanghai, Zhao Duo imagined that he could also hold a Letterheads party here in the future, so that everyone could appreciate the city's rich signature culture and unique urban style. Under the epidemic situation, this idea cannot be realized for the time being, and Zhao Duo spreads the charm of words through another form.
Shanghai Signboard Painting Workshop. Courtesy of respondents
Not long ago, Zhao Duo held a workshop in the exhibition space of Lane 8 of Jinchao, and the participants included illustrators, type designers, etc., all young people who are interested in text and design. Although the space of the venue is limited, it can only accommodate seven or eight people at a time, but Zhao Duo feels that it is just right.
"The purpose of the workshop is not to cultivate professional signboard painters, but to share my understanding of the structure of words with you, so that everyone can experience the different writing feelings brought by different pens." I also hope that through practice and pondering, you can learn to disassemble different fonts and discover more diverse beauty. ”