The letters covered in snow gives an impression of cool weather or just something cold while the red lettering gives a sense of something hot. As for the downfall of the sign, why these different types? It goes from solid block letters to elegant curls. When I looked at this sign, it gave me too little emotion possibly from the types being so contradictory. I believe this sign just didn't even register what feeling the designer of this sign was going for.
If you can't already tell from the bass jumping from the water with the reeds, this is part of a fishing business. There is a marina and a RV park owned by Roland Martin, a professional bass fisherman who lives in our community, and his wife. Now pretend that fish wasn't there and you didn't know Roland Martin, the type shown here has nothing to do with what the business does. When I look at the curls and such of Roland Martin's typeface, it seems like someone or some place elegant. Then looking at the simple lettering of where to ask about the RV park, it just kind of makes the places seem a little less elegant and more bland and boring. Also the sizing of the letters are quite confusing especially if you are driving 35mph and you only see this sign for a short enough time to only see the background of the sign and not much of the type. You would think the place to ask for the reservations would be more prominent but yet its just a tiny font compared to everything else.
This place only has one sign and it is on the side of its wall. Not only that but also you have to either be come from the same direction or down the road to see its sign. Also the type seems to change often. The FRIED CHICKEN can be kind of difficult to read going 40mph maybe 50mph, let alone the Dixie, Country Cooking, and Pork. Then again Dixie too close to read properly while even sitting still at the red light. Since none of the types match it seems like its a confusing place to be and while I understand that it would be eye-catching with the different stuff going on, I think it is a bit excessive since the "fried chicken" type could work with the "dixie" type. It would have made it would have given it a simple and homestyle feel rather than a confusing one.
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Excellent comments on the lack of readability, especially pointing out the vertical Pork and the tight letter-spacing of Dixie. You make a great point about how signage often focuses on graphics, yet falls apart when the designer isn't clear about how or what to communicate...and especially the environment. A graphic design that works on paper, won't necessarily work for a roadsign that must be read quickly while driving.
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