Typographic Taxonomy of Neighborhood Signs and Sense of Place

Muhammad Nafisur Rahman (University of Cincinnati)
Vikas Mehta (University of Cincinnati)

Word, type and letters—as signs and artifacts—have an immense potential to construct meaning in the urban environment. Signs contribute significantly to the experience of place in the neighborhood, particularly commercial space such as the main street or neighborhood business district (NBD). Aside from numerous physical and social attributes, assemblage of contemporary and decaying signage, typographic expressions, public art, storefront displays, fascia-signs, and other modes of legible signs create an active neighborhood identity. This signage vernacular creates a visual identity of the neighborhood that depicts a vital visual representation of the neighborhood’s social dynamics, as well as political, cultural, and economic values. This research examines neighborhood visual identity through an analysis of typographic style, character and anatomy of on-premise signs, storefronts, building facades and surfaces by using the method of typographic taxonomy. The proposed empirical research is applied in the context of Cincinnati, OH, a city that has many distinct neighborhoods with a strong identity. Elevational mapping and photographic survey are used to record the full range of physical signs to investigate the neighborhood’s expressions through typography on urban façade. The research examines neighborhoods that are unique in terms of their socio-economic status as well as physical characteristics but are all pedestrian-oriented main streets and NBDs. An all-inclusive comprehensive typographic taxonomy of urban letterforms in the NBD, a method that has never been fully applied before, helps understand the layers of aesthetics with respect to size, placement, age, style, color, and so on. The signage landscape thus reflects and begins to reveal a cohesive visual identity of the neighborhood. Consequently, the research helps answer the question: How do words, type and letters as signs and artifacts convey meaning in an urban environment, and contribute to a neighborhood’s sense of place?Supporting Local Social Connection for Residents of