I spotted this sign on a TTC platform this weekend. A few strokes of a magic marker and a cigarette was transformed: “No Pie” became TTC by-law number one.
I wonder if the clever person who amended this was feeling oppressed by negative New Year’s resolutions? Doesn’t “No Pie” capture that January feeling perfectly?
I say we lift the ban: more pie for everyone! Let’s eat it boldly and defiantly! Let’s devour it on TTC platforms all over the city!
One of the things I love about San Francisco (and there are too many things to list) is that there are neon signs everywhere. Here’s an example in Pacific Heights, a liquor store sign with a beguiling use of pink.
Neon has a way of promising enjoyment, whether it’s on a movie theatre marquee (see my last post), a liquor store sign or a gambling palace. Who can resist neon’s buzzy, blinking, multi-hued come-on?
At the beginning of a new year, it’s easy to find pleasures to exclude from your life – booze, cigarettes, fattening foods, arguments with your partner. But what forms of pleasure will you vow to include?
Your “no” list is likely predictable, but what’s on your “yes” list?
This is the marquee of the Oakland movie theatre I featured in my previous post. (It’s the first time I’ve highlighted a location twice, but I couldn’t help myself.) This sign has the irresistible gaudiness of a Christmas tree. All that neon promises further visual splendour and excess if you buy a ticket.
The Art Deco lettering balances the sign’s flashiness with cool elegance. There’s something so suave about a curved “A” as opposed to a pointy one, don’t you think?
Happy New Year everyone!
I was in San Francisco earlier this month and took this picture while across the Bay in Oakland. Why do words in reverse have such a magnetism? They’re still legible, but at the same time they’re peculiar graphic marks that suggest the strangeness of all written language.
One thing I particularly love about this sign is the network of beams holding the letters aloft. From a distance it has the look of a cobweb.
Hope you’ve been enjoying your holidays!
Here I like the contrast between the swirling, drippy lines and the small, severe capitals of “JUDGE ME.” I’m also curious: Why are those words on a doorway?
Perhaps a Tim Burton-style misfit lives here, someone helplessly different and puzzled by conformity. This sign could be a statement of fury and resistance, a middle finger raised to an endlessly judging world.
The traffic may be calmed, but I get the feeling that the person who corrected this sign was agitated. Very agitated.
It takes a certain level of irritation to pull out a magic marker and correct a misspelling. Most of us would idly note the error and move on. Or more likely, not notice it at all.
Was this person traumatized at an early age by overly competitive spelling bees? Or is this simply a patriotic Canadian who insists on defending our spellings, no matter what the occasion?
Have you ever noticed the dates embossed in squares of the sidewalk? They’re time stamps indicating when various sections were made. I like the fact that while striding into the future you’re also stepping on slabs of the past.
You’ll find this particular date on the first step leading to someone’s house. Anonymous workers crafted this stairway five decades ago. It must be satisfying to stomp on a chunk of history every time you’re coming home.
Sometimes not understanding is more pleasurable than understanding.
This string of letters and numbers is meaningless to a person walking by on the street; it’s the sort of visual noise we’re used to filtering out. But its lack of significance is exactly what makes it interesting to look at. It doesn’t offer any information we can act on, it just passively waits to be appreciated. Or not.
It’s the big red “1” in this sign that commands attention, so prominent that it splits the name of the business in two. Even though it literally refers to one hour service. it has a “we’re number one” grandeur that feels victorious.
The number’s on my mind right now because exactly one year ago today I posted the first photo on Toronto Type. Thank you fellow sign lovers and type fanatics for coming along on this visual adventure! Thank you for adding your comments and for joining the movement to look at our city in a more attentive way.
This is just the beginning, so please keep returning to see what’s new. And don’t be shy: I welcome your responses to what I’m posting and I’d also love to hear about any interesting signs you’ve discovered around the city. It’s easy to get in touch.
Happy Birthday Toronto Type!
This sign doesn’t just have the look of coffee, it has the flavour of it too. Stare at it for a few moments and you’ll taste something dark, earthy and intoxicating. I love the idea that a sign can excite more than your optic nerve – it can also awaken your tongue.
Anyone recognize this sign? In which coffee shop will you find it?
TORONTO TYPE 