OUGD504 SUMMER TASK - BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE RESEARCH

The Crumbling Kidderminster idea is one which I feel more passionate about, and have more imagery for as it stands, however in order to continue this project I feel it is necessary to explore other ideas to ensure there isn't something I have missed, and to perhaps gain ideas to use for different ideas in this brief, which haven't been previously considered.
I have therefore decided to research into the traditional British countryside idea, the more hand drawn, script style typography which is often found in middle class villages, such as Kinver or Ludlow. This is a completely contrasting idea to Crumbling Kidderminster, so will require completely different directions of research and production to achieve such a style.

I started off by visiting Ludlow and Kinver to have a look at some of the typography and style of shops in these places, to see if there was anything that stood out as being quite a recurring thing, such as typefaces or general style.

Just the name of this restaurant sounds sophisticated and middle class, with the use of the word "green" for grass area not being one used by the more working class typically. The use of a serif typeface also contributes to this more sophisticated appearance, as it is a more formal style often found in newspapers. However this is a very simple looking sign, with only two colours used and the name of the restaurant with a simple white border line being the only details on the sign, making it a very clean cut sign except for the serif typeface. 

This is a bookshop by Ludlow Castle, which uses a similar shade of colour to The Mill on the Green sign above, very earthy, nature related colours, such as green and blue. A serif typeface is also used for this bookshop, however a slab serif is used, which reflects the sturdy qualities of the books it sells. I also imagine this signage was hand painted onto the shop itself, as it has that kind of appearance, and I found that a lot of the signs on shops in Ludlow were either hand painted or used some other method rather than the common 3D plastic cut out signs you find in a lot of more high street, national shops such as Costa or Tesco. This also makes it look more independant and original, as no other shop will have quite the same look because of it's originally hand painted signage.

This is the front of a bakery in Ludlow, with the golden sign blending nicely into the paint work of the building, but catching your eye every so often with the metallic quality of either the paint that was used to paint it or another medium used to produce it. I'm not sure how weatherproof foiling is on buildings or even if it's possible.This bakery also has handing baskets overflowing with flowers dotting the side of the building as well, making this bakery have an extra edge of class and sophistication to it, unlike a standard shop in a town, which you'd rarely see any hanging baskets at all, as in most towns shops are a lot more commercial and uniformed.

As you can see the buildings in Ludlow are of a particular style, being a historic town. This is The Feathers pub and hotel, and is houses in a black and white building with all it's original wooden period features. The traditional hanging baskets of flowers are present as well, adding to the appearance of class and history.

Another use of a serif typeface is present in this shops signage, which reflects the content within the shop, which sells house ware in the traditional British style Ludlow presents itself in. This shop front is very similar tot he bookshop earlier, suing similar blue/green colours, with an uppercase serif sign which appears to be hand painted on as well, to achieve an original and vintage style.

This is a little cafe in the centre of Ludlow, which uses a different style of typeface for it's signage. A script style typeface is used instead of the more commonly serif, which gives a much more feminine and elegant appearance. The text still appears to of been hand painted on, in fitting with the majority of shops in Ludlow, creating that same uniqueness. The colour palette however is much more dull, using grey and cream as it's main colours, perhaps to counteract the femininity of the script typeface sign. Again you can see handing baskets along both the front and the side of the building, adding the necessary colour to it to make it look more quintessentially British.

Costa is a coffee shop which you will find in my towns, big or small, Ludlow being no exception. Even though Costa is an international franchise, this store in Ludlow manages to blend into the historic town, employing all the period features of the building it occupies, and appearing understated, blending into the rest of the town with minimal blaring signage.

The Globe is one of Ludlow's many pubs, and again this buildings has overflowing hanging baskets. However this sign is the more common 3D lettering, perhaps so that it maintains the clean appearance for a longer period of time. The colours are also a lot richer, not being pastel blue/green shades, which reflects more of the historic side of the town, as such colours we often used on the higher ranking people when the town was first inhabited.

After going round Ludlow I discovered many similarities between some of the shops, such as the very common use of hanging baskets, and the use of hand painted signage on many of the shop fronts. The serif is also extremely common, reflecting the formality of the town, how prim it is. These are things that I should take into consideration if I chose to go down this route, common aspects I have identified within the town itself.