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Transcript of Tipograpfia Publica
tipografía público. TYPOGRAPHY OF AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANTS
table of contents
uno.
INTRODUCCIÓN
dos.EN MÉXICO
tres.ROTULOS: Tipografía pintados a mano
cuatro.COMPUTADORAS: Tipografía hecha a máquina
by Megan Clark
driving around in the city, I FEEL AS IF I AM CONSTANTLY SURROUNDED BY
mass-produced, man made signage and typography.
However, an instant change occurs once you drive
into a predominantly Mexican-American community.
Brightly colored, large scale, hand painted lettering
adorns restaurant and shop windows and walls.
The typography is richly textured from the surfaces
they are painted on, and from the distress of
the elements.
INTRODUCCIÓN
uno.
5
mi experiencia. THE TYPOGRAPHY ON AUTHENTIC
Mexican restaurants is quite memorable.
It’s bright colors makes it stand out
amongst it’s surroundings. To take
my photos, I took several trips to
the Mexican-American communities in
Wichita, Kansas, and Kansas City,
Missouri. In those areas, I found myself
immersed in a cultural experience.
IN DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY OFF OF
Southwest Blvd. there is a small strip of
Mexican shops, restaurants and grocery
markets. The storefronts are all painted
bright, vivid colors.
9
SPANISH TILES ARE A DECORATIVE ELEMENT
I NOTICED ON MANY OF THE MEXICAN RESTAURANTS
IN KANSAS CITY. THIS EMBELLISHMENT, ALONG WITH
THE TYPOGRAPHY CREATES A CULTURAL
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE RESTAURANTS AND
THE OWNERS’ MEXICAN HERITAGE.
en españolNOT ONLY DOES THE TYPOGRAPHY SPEAK TO
traditional Mexican styles, but the entire environ-
ment screams Mexico. The buildings were painted
bright colors. The surfaces of the walss are highly
textured and distressed. Mexican flags fly, red,
green and white banners are strung across
windows, Spanish tiles border windows, and murals
of Mexican history cover walls. Each location has
an eclectic mix of handpainted signs and computer
generated type, giving each location a unique per-
sonality. Most of the words are in Spanish, and most
of the people around me were speaking Spanish. I
almost felt like I was in another country.
The smell of fried tortillas and fresh taco meat
filled the air, awakening my senses. The typog-
raphy contributed to creating this culturally rich
atmosphere. These areas became a small Mexico
City, in the heart of these Midwest American cities.
AT TACOS EL TAPATILLO IN WICHITA
the typography painted on the windows
is a mixture of Spanish and English. The
painter used bright contrasting colors
which enlivens the space.
13
MURALS THAT DEPICT MEXICAN
cul ture of ten compl iment hand
painted typography. Here at Mar-
garita’s in Wichita, Kansas, a brightly
covered mural covers a 50 foot wall
on the side of the restaurant.
15
MANY OF THE AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANTS OCCUPY
BUILDINGS WITH HIGHLY TEXTURED STUCCO, BRICK
OR STONE WALLS. THESE TEXTURES ADD CHARACTER TO
THE ROTULOS PAINTED ON THEM, BY DISTRESSING THE PAINT.
by Megan Clark
YUCATAN LIVING
“HAND PAINTED SIGNS GRACE
THE BUILDINGS IN EVERY
TOWN AND CITY.”
celebrating a culture.THE TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGN, OF THE AUTHENTIC
Mexican restaurants, reflects the typographic
style of traditional Mexican culture. By recreat-
ing this style in America, the Mexican-American
restaurateurs are sharing and honoring their
rich cultural heritage.
EN MÉXICO
dos.
19
THE DYING ART OF ROTULOSWORKING GRINGOS
“THE REAL GEMS ARE THE SIGNS AND DRAWINGS
CREATED FOR THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT
THRIVE IN THESE CITIES.”
IN MEXICO, THESE HAND PAINTED SIGNS ARE
called rotulos. The painters of the rotulos are called
rotulistas, sign painters. Their craft is a form of
traditional guild, where they learn their techniques
as an apprentice to a professional painter or a fam-
ily member. Bold colors, thick san serif letters, drop
shadows and colorful strokes around letters, are
characteristic qualities of the rotulos. Often times,
the rotulos have painted illustrations that compli-
ment the lettering. The large brightly colored signs
the rotulistas paint, have become an integral part
of the cultural and physical landscape of cities in
Mexico. This landscape is now being reflected in
urban Mexican-American communities across
the United States. By painting the typography on
the Mexican restaurants in America, the owners
and painters are not only enriching the language
and text but also reinvigorating and celebrating
the traditional rotulo art form.
mexico to america.
THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN MEXICO
by Megan Clark, from Clark & Co.
design firm in Washington. The let-
ters have a drop shadow very similar
to many of the hand-painted signs of
the authentic Mexican restaurants in
America.
23
The rotulos in Mexico have the
same handmade quality of the
signs in America.
The letters are textured from the
brush strokes and the distress
from the elements.
25
by Megan Clark
YUCATAN LIVING
“HAND PAINTED SIGNS GRACE
THE BUILDINGS IN EVERY
TOWN AND CITY.”
THE HAND PAINTED TYPOGRAPHY ON THE AUTHENTIC
Mexican restaurants has a style reflective of the traditional
rotulos in Mexico. The style is honest and embodies
the authentic personalities of the restaurant owners
and the Mexican-American community as a whole.
tipografía pintados a mano.
ROTULOS
tres.
27
The walls of Angela’s Cafe, on Central and Washington in Wichi-
ta, Kansas, are covered with hand-painted typography. They list
the menu items, specials and business hours. At Angela’s Cafe,
the painted signs are in Spanish and English.
BIENVENIDOS, TACOS, FLAUTAS, CALDO DE REZ
& CALDO DE POLLO, FAJITAS, CHILES RELLENOS,
MENUDO, TORTILLERIA, MARISCOS, CARNITAS,
CARNICERIA, SABADO Y DOMINGO
The front of authentic Mexican restaurants feature hand painted words, listing
menu items, special features and business hours. The words are in Spanish or
English or a combination of both.
29
THE HAND PAINTED ROTULOS EVEN APPEAR ON FOOD
TRUCKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THIS TRUCK’S
TYPOGRAPHY IS COMPLIMENTED BY ILLUSTRATIONS OF
THE FOOD THEY SELL.
LA TRADICION, ON NORTH
Broadway in Wichita, Kansas
uses hand painted typogra-
phy on their front windows to
advertise their lunch buffet.
The typography is painted in a
clean mono-weight, san-serif.
The letters have bold outlines
and drop shadows. The bright
complimentary colors produce
a stark contrast, that makes the
type stand out from the surface
it is painted on.
33
drop shadows & outlines.THE PAINTERS OF THE ROTULOS ON THE AUTHENTIC
Mexican restaurants use bright, vivid colors. Blue, greens,
pinks, reds, yellows and oranges. Basically every bright
color imaginable. The typography tends to be either a
simple, clean, mono-weight san serif, or a clean cursive
font. One feature that always appeared on the hand
painted type, is the use of a colorful thick outline around
the letters, or a colorful drop shadow behind the letters.
This gives the type a playful almost cartoon strip quality.
35
PATRICIA CÚE VISUAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS IN GRAPHIC DESIGN.
“THEIR IMPOSING SIZE AND CHROMATIC
INTENSITY HAVE BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART
OF THE PHYSICAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE.”
beautiful f laws
SINCE THESE HAND PAINTED SIGNS ARE
painted on sides of buildings, old wood, or win-
dows, they pick up the texture of their surfaces.
The brush strokes leave a linear texture through
each individual letter. They also gain more char-
acter from the distress of the outdoors. The rain,
snow, and wind make the paint chip and scrape
and the sun causes certain colors to fade.
All of these beautiful flaws, give the authentic
Mexican restaurants the essence of actually being in
Mexico. The hand-rendered ritulos create a tra-
ditional Mexican American community, giving the
owners, neighbors and customers an authentic taste
of Mexican culture.
TACOS EL TAPATILLO ON NORTH
Broadway in Wichita, Kansas has hand
painted typography on every window
of the restaurant. The letters are tex-
tured from the paintbrush strokes and
distressed from the elements.
39
THE HAND-PAINTED ROTULOS
ON THE AUTHENTIC MEXICAN
RESTAURANTS IS CONSIDERED
VERNACULAR TYPOGRAPHY.
PAUL TOSH THE UNCULTURED WORD
“THE CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF
VERNACULAR TYPOGRAPHY SEEMS TO BE
UNDERSTOOD AS ANYTHING THAT IS
HAND-DONE OR HAS A HAND-DONE LOOK”
“THE CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF
VERNACULAR TYPOGRAPHY SEEMS TO BE
UNDERSTOOD AS ANYTHING THAT IS
HAND-DONE OR HAS A HAND-DONE LOOK”
re-use & over-painting
MANY OF THE SIGNS ON AND AROUND
the restaurants I explored re-used materials to
make new signage. Often times, restaurants
manipulated old signage from other restaurants
to make it their own. This makes the restaurant
appear handmade, just like the food they serve.
AT EL ROTESSERIE THE OWNERS
advertised a special with a hand
painted sign constructed out of left-
over sheets of plywood.
“FREQUENTLY, VERNACULAR SIGNAGE AND TYPOGRAPHY
IS AS MUCH A CRAFT AS IT IS GRAPHIC DESIGN, WITH
THE CREATOR USING WHATEVER MATERIALS ARE AT HAND,
EVEN RE-USING AND OVER-PAINTING OLD SIGNAGE.”
PAUL TOSH THE UNCULTURED WORD
43
by Megan Clark
YUCATAN LIVING
“HAND PAINTED SIGNS GRACE
THE BUILDINGS IN EVERY
TOWN AND CITY.”
OUTSIDE OF MEXICAN RESTAURANTS THERE
are not only hand painted and hand written
typography but also computer generated signage.
This can range from signs printed on paper to
plastic and neon signs. With an increase in access
to computers and printers, more and more signs
for Mexican restaurants are being created by ma-
chine instead of painted by a rotulista. Therefore
when walking down a street, you will typically see
Mexican restaurants with an eclectic mix of hand
painted typography and digitally made typography.
tipografía hecha a máquina.
COMPUTADORAS
cuatro.
45
LA TRADICIÓN TORTILLERIA ON NORTH BROADWAY IN WICHITA,
Kansas has three different computer made signs that clearly were used
for previous restaurants. The neon ‘Restaurant’ sign and the flashing
arrow, look like they came from a 1950’s diner. The main sign looks like
a pagoda roof from an Asian restaurant that used to occupy the space.
The owners of La Tradición are making do with what they have, which
adds character to the space.
Often times the computer generated typography, that is written in English,
is clearly left from a previous restaurant. The owners of the Mexican res-
taurants decided not to remove it, most likely because of financial reasons.
a reminder of the past.
49
I HAVE EATEN AT CONNIE’S MEXICO CAFE IN WICHITA, KANSAS since I was a little girl. They have
the best beef enchiladas in town. I have always admired the beautiful red neon sign that hangs above the
entry door. The pop of color stands out amongst the gray railway cars and grain elevators across the street.
This sign exhibits similar qualities found in the rotulos, a clean cursive typeface and a mono-weight san-
serif typeface.
WHAT I FIND FASCINATING ARE THE DIFFERENT
typographic decisions the owners of the authentic
Mexican restaurants make. Some only have hand
painted and written typography. Others have both
computer and hand generated. None of the authentic
locations I photographed only had computer made
typography. I think this shows how despite some
interest in the convenience of plastic or computer
made signage, all of the owners still wanted to
represent their Mexican culture through the rotulos.
past meets present.
53
illuminating the landscapeWHEN I SEE THE MEXICAN HAND PAINTED LETTERING
in the bright festive colors, I immediately assume that
restaurant has delicious authentic food. I assume their is
a sense of the Mexican community within, and that most
of the diners are Mexican, or Americans who appreciate
the exploration of other cultures' foods. I find the hand
painted typography absolutely beautiful, a work of art,
and a breath of fresh air among the cheap plastic signage
flooding the street corners. Especially in the lower income
areas, filled with old buildings, often decaying or in bad
repair, the bright colors illuminate the landscape and invite
the customer into the restaurant and into the community.
THE ASSORTED MIX OF HAND-RENDERED AND COMPUTER
GENERATED TYPOGRAPHY REFLECTS THE AUTHENTIC,
HANDMADE QUALITY OF THE FOOD, AND THE COMMUNAL,
LOCAL, TRADITIONAL AND HONEST NATURE OF THE OWNERS.
THE VIBRANT GREEN, RED AND GOLD OF THE HAND PAINTED
LETTERS ON EL RANCHO, GIVES LIFE TO THIS INDUSTRIAL
AREA OF TOWN IN WICHITA, THE COLORS ILLUMINATE
THE DREARY LANDSCAPE.
59
THE CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY
living within the typography of these authen-
tic restaurants, not only shows the owners’
pride for their traditional culture and heritage,
but gives us a look at the community as a
whole. The owners create an atmosphere, a
sense of place, and a community where Mexi-
cans feel connected to their heritage.
The owners transform old gray buildings into
richly colorful and charming destinations. This
atmosphere is created by the authentic quality
of the food, the decor, the handwritten signs,
the old signage from previous restaurants
and the hand painted colorful signage on
the outside of the buildings.
The owners of these Mexican restaurants are
not only making a business doing what they
know best, making delicious Mexican food,
but they are also sharing their culture through
the colorful, energetic environment they
create through their vivid typography.
sharing their culture
61
credits This book was typeset in Belizio and Avenir.
It was designed in Adobe Indesign and the
photos were edited in Adobe Photoshop.
The photos were shot with a Nikon D3000.
A special thanks to Megan Clark from the
design firm Clark & Co in Vancouver Washing-
ton. Megan kindly let me use the photos she
took in Mexico on pages 18 – 25.
Designer as Author, Patrick Dooley, Fall 2011
The University of Kansas
SOURCES
Baines, Phil, and Catherine Dixon. Signs Lettering in
the Environment. London: Laurence King Pub., 2008.
Web.
Cue, Patricia. "Designers and Non-Designers: Visual
Diversity and Inclusiveness in Graphic Design." AIGA
Responsibility Conference. AIGA, 2010.
Gringos, Working. "Yucatan Living » Art » The Dying
Art of Rotulos." Yucatan Living. Web. 07 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.yucatanliving.com/art/rotulos-painting-
mexican-art.htm>.
Tosh, Paul. "The Uncultured Word: Vernacular Typog-
raphy and Image." (2007).
63