Analog Cafe

April 27, 2011

Analog Cafe

You’ll find this sign in the window of one of my favourite coffee shops, Sublime Cafe in Kensington Market. I’ve been many times, but I only noticed the sign on my last visit. Maybe I overlooked it before.

The oddly shaped piece of wood, with its circular perforations, has a makeshift appeal and the no laptop pictogram is a nice gesture of solidarity with those who prefer the way cafes used to be.

Now that everyone is online almost all the time, do we need escape hatches from our digital lives? Are wifi-free zones the new sanctuaries?

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Try Less

April 19, 2011

Try Less

This sign seems to be a handmade stencil: someone has probably used it to mark walls around the city, and now it’s at rest in a window.

It’s funny the way elections are the officially sanctioned time for us to display signs in our windows and on our front lawns. But why not other times of year as well? Why not other messages?

Is this sign the quiet launch of a “try less” movement? Where do I sign up?

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START

April 10, 2011

START

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I have a thing for revised signs. Here’s my new favourite: a STOP sign that someone transformed into its opposite with the slap of a sticker.

I enjoy the optimism here: it’s good to be reminded that every pause is actually a moment of fresh potential, every halting point is a chance for something new. So… what are you starting?

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Happy Bridal Boutique Inc.

April 3, 2011

Happy Bridal Boutique Inc

Encountering a bilingual sign is hardly surprising in a diverse city like Toronto. For someone who only speaks one of the languages, however, it can be like watching a subtitled movie. One can be left with the uncomfortable feeling that perhaps the translation isn’t entirely accurate.

I have to admit that here I’m less interested in the sign’s words than in the illustration of the happy bride. I love the hasty brushwork, the sense that this was dashed off in seconds. Her smile verges on a self-satisfied smirk. And check out those blushing cheeks!

Happy Bridal Boutique Inc 2

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Aquila Live Music

March 24, 2011

Aquila Live Music

I spotted this sign in The Junction recently. The multicoloured letters have a pulsating energy that you can almost hear. I’m reminded of the classic album covers of Blue Note Records, their graphic visualizing of jazz.

There are so many things to enjoy here: the way the “I” in “BOHEMIAN” is the brightest letter of all, the fact that the “U” in “THUR” is actually an “O” with the top chunk blacked out, and of course the mysterious blank that follows “SAT”…

How would you interpret that?

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Please…

March 15, 2011

Please...

This big red “Please…” just grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let you go. You’ll find it on an alleyway that runs alongside a church and at the far end you’ll see a basketball hoop with an unravelling net.

I love the way this sign throws in a Bible verse for support. This alleyway is all about the cleanliness-godliness connection and if you mess it up you’ll probably feel wicked afterwards.

The sign is working: the area was immaculate when I took the picture. No youth were taking advantage of the space though.

 

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The Ballroom

March 3, 2011

The Ballroom

This sign is urgent and nonsensical at the same time. Its hyperactive energy puts a smile on my face.

There’s a whole string of these along a redone facade in the club district, and even though they’re obviously unfinished, I like them exactly the way they are. The wrinkled blue film adds to the sense of drama. When it’s peeled away, what will be revealed?

A large sign higher up announces the business name more clearly – The Ballroom – and if that mystifies you, a little detective work will tell you this is a new take on the bowling alley.

Scrambled, the letters of the name have a mischievous pull, as if they’re on their way to spelling other things. Like bowling pins knocked over and rearranged, they’re alive with possibility.

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Look Happy

February 21, 2011

Look Happy

I noticed this sign on my lunch break last week and returned the following day to snap a picture. Looking happy is a challenge in the middle of a Toronto February… but on a long weekend it’s a little bit easier.

Imagine a city with street signs for moods and mental states, traffic lights for our daily interactions. Would we live together more harmoniously?

Now that retailers have whisked away their Valentine’s Day gift items, it’s good to think about how we truly feel about one another. And on that note, I’ll share a revealing fact with you: the most viewed post on Toronto Type is this one.

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Reposado

February 8, 2011

Reposado

This sign has a slightly macabre edge, but it also doesn’t take itself too seriously. I like the way the name and the graphic are composed of the same casual strokes.

It hangs above a tequila bar on Ossington, and that skeletal bat must leave many wondering. As it turns out, there’s a connection: the long-nosed bat is responsible for pollinating agaves, whose juices are the source of tequila.

Reposado means “rested”, referring to the amount of time tequila is aged in oak casks. This bat looks like it’s resting for good—and at the same time it’s airborne, inviting us in.

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Syd Silver

January 30, 2011

Syd Silver

I used to walk past this sign and hope that it would be restored someday. All the rust and burnt out bulbs couldn’t detract from its aura of glamour and aspiration.

I took this picture back in the fall. If I recall correctly, the shop was already vacant at that point. Since then the sign has been removed and 500 Yonge is now behind scaffolding.

Perhaps Toronto needs a sign museum to commemorate influential businesses that disappear. Think of all the weddings and proms and parties that could be conjured up by the sight of this sign. Here’s to you, Syd Silver, for presiding over Yonge Street for decades and for all the moments you made more magical.

Posted in Damage, Numbers | 5 Comments »

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