Union Square

Savannah Armer

October 29, 2012

Signage

Stacy Asher

Union Square Thought Paper

San Francisco is full of surprises around every counter. Each district having such individual character that it seems like you are in a different place. Tourists are wowed everyday by the magic of the downtown area. Constant signage confronting them everywhere they look with beautiful lights shining in their eyes. The purpose of the signage in Union Square is to advertise brands and create a shopping “utopia”.

Union square brings the clash of two different cultural areas in downtown San Francisco. Union Square is in the center of downtown, next to Chinatown and SOMA.  It is a fashion capital of the world boasting hundreds of different clothing stores, premier restaurants, and the historical side of San Francisco with the cable cars. Union square is glamorous, having stores from H and M, all the way to Gucci. It is an area full of money constantly being spent on material objects, but walk one or two blocks down and your reality would change completely. The Tenderloin is a San Francisco’s ghetto persay, the buildings are falling apart, there is homelessness everywhere, and there is constant of drug abuse. The signage in the Tenderloin is usually poor, falling apart or fading away. Due to the Tenderloin’s lack signage, it was never defined as a “place” as much as it was defined just as a space.

Companies use pathos based advertisements to get society to spend more money, or to feel as if they are not complete without material things. In the window of Forever 21, there is the phase “Fall is Femme” in graffari like writing. The store is trying to convey the idea that in order to be femme for the fall time you have to go buy their clothing products. It is attempting to create a emotional dilemma with the audience, so they consider it a need. Again in Union Square, there was chalk art being done in the center of the square. It was a bottle of perfume with the brand “Estee Lauder” surrounded in flowers. At the bottom of the art was something not only to invoke a emotional response but also for them to advertise more. The phase at the bottom is “#mysimplepleasures”. The hashtag is a reference to the website twitter, and if enough people do the hashtag, the company gets more publicity. Also when did makeup become pleasuring? The company is trying to make it seem as if these items/products we get from them, actually do something for us emotionally. It is a way of sneaking into the subconscious of the costumer and getting them to spend more than they would otherwise.

Union Square

Ocean Beach

Savannah Armer

October 13, 2012

Signage

Stacy Asher

Ocean Beach

            The Ocean is one of the most beautiful sights on Earth.  People travel from all over the world just to get a glimpse and a picture to take home. San Francisco beaches are known for their beautiful fog and the good surfing conditions. Ocean Beach is located at the end of Golden Gate Park, and it is a must see area for many Tourists. Ocean Beach is a beautiful example of place being defined by space with a lack of emphasis on signage.

            In the early area of San Francisco development, Ocean Beach, which then was known as outside lands, was left alone due to the cold weather and fog. The first development in the area came in the late 19^th century in the form of a roller coaster. Then Ocean Beach got another surge of development once Golden Gate park was created, the end of the park dead ends directly to the beach. The beach Chalet that sits across of the water was built in 1925.  The city wanted to create great signage and art in the Chalet without distracting from the beautiful nature around them.

            Once the Beach Chalet was built, the WPA took control of the project, searching for the perfect artist to capture the times they were living in. They found Lucien Labaudt and she started painting during the 1930s. Labaudt’s mission was to document the lifestyles of residents as they were at that time. Throughout the paintings, one sees hobbies that people do in their everyday lives. One painting shows a woman sitting on a bench knitting, another a group of people with rackets, and communities together, she wanted to solidify the history of the times forever.

           

            The lack of signage in Ocean Beach allows the place to be defined by the space, instead of commercial distractions. When walking around the Beach, one will not see any advertisements, all the signs are pastel colors and all public information. For example, “Rip Tides” or “No Smoking”, are the public signs that you would see in the area. One can focus on the actual nature in the area, creating a real connection for people to grab on to. A commercial landscape allows society to feel comfortable, but not feel a emotion attachment. The lack of signage at Ocean Beach is important to the attitude that the beach conveys.

            Ocean Beach is both timeless and historical. Ladaudt’s beautiful murals on the walls bring you back to the 30s when times were simple and people were happy. But at the same time, the lack of signage and advertisements make the area have a timeless feel, as if it was just you and the beach.  Ocean Beach is a beautiful place defining itself in the nature space. 

Ocean Beach