Through the eyes of the metropolitan Graphic Designer the visual language employed by small shops in places like A Coruña is probably naff and unfashionable. They break almost every textbook rule of branding - inconsistent typography, conflicting logos, confusing signage (one bar doesn’t even indicate what it is!) However, these are businesses with individual personalities that cannot be communicated through a ‘catch all’ homogenizing identity. They are very far away from the niche aesthetic developed by an art school elite and have no marketing focus group to decide what is right for them. Their vernacular identities are not to everyone’s taste. They are often brash and ugly, badly executed and sloppy, but this is what makes the high street in places like A Coruña so diverse and visually dynamic. Their visual identity relates to what these businesses are - locally connected, quirky and diverse. They are informal and often inefficient, but given the choice would you really want to replace them with the bland, sanitized efficiency of brands like Boots, WHSmith, Tescos and Primark? (click images to enlarge)
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