Photograph a broad selection of typography and lettering examples (minimum 10) that illustrate what you believe define the identity of your hometown, nearest city or surrounding area.

We want you to research and collect a broad range of examples taken from historical and contemporary reference points.

Your collection should be edited down to five examples you think best reflect the identity of your location.

Note down the exact location to include street name, building number, city / town, area postcode and, if possible, the longitude / latitude on Google Maps as we want you to log your examples on the GeoType Padlet on the next page.

The aim of this task is for us to curate and examine vernacular letterforms. Please work hard to collate diverse examples, such as hand drawn, printed, weathered, worn, industrial and pristine. We want to see you looking from all perspectives and not just street level.

Analyse how effective the examples of type design communicate place and the identity of that area, and write a short (100 word) description for each letterform. Please consider its material make up, role, use and application, with regards to its location, eg a weathered sign over a disused shop, which would suggest the changing fortunes of the high street, or the industrial letterforms in a new bar, which suggest gentrification.

Upload your examples, description and exact location to the GeoType Padlet on the next page:

Reflection

As a travelling practitioner currently based in Bangkok, my research is informed by temporary immersion in different cultural contexts. This mobility has heightened my sensitivity to vernacular graphic design and its relationship to place, identity, and visibility. Observing signage within my immediate surroundings has revealed how typography operates competitively within dense urban environments, particularly in areas shaped by tourism, food culture, and movement. In Bangkok’s Chinatown, signage functions not only as information but as attraction, persuasion, and spectacle. This task encouraged me to slow down and consider how material, colour, placement, and form contribute to local identity, and how informal or improvised lettering can often communicate place more effectively than polished, standardised systems.

1. “I Wanna Bangkok” Entrance Sign — Chinatown

Location: [Song Wat Road, Chakkrawat, Samphanthawong District, Bangkok 10100, Thailand]

This sign sits at the entrance to Bangkok’s Chinatown and acts as a threshold marker rather than a functional shop sign. The playful phrase “I Wanna Bangkok” uses bold, hand-rendered lettering combined with graphic motifs, creating a sense of humour and approachability. Its slightly weathered surface suggests long-term presence, contrasting with the commercial branding visible behind it. Positioned within a busy tourist and local area, the sign functions as both landmark and photo opportunity, reflecting the performative nature of place identity in Chinatown. Rather than communicating information, it communicates desire, reinforcing Bangkok as an experience to be entered and consumed.

2. Yellow Fabric Food Banner

Location: [https://maps.apple.com/place?coordinate=13.737531,100.508599&name=Marked Location&map=h]

This fabric banner uses printed lettering on a lightweight yellow material, allowing the sign to move freely with the wind. Unlike rigid signage, its looseness introduces motion into the streetscape, drawing attention through movement as well as colour. The material suggests temporariness and affordability, commonly associated with street food culture. The brightness of the yellow increases visibility within a crowded visual environment, while the creasing and wear reveal constant exposure to weather and use. This sign communicates immediacy and accessibility, reinforcing the informal, fast-paced nature of food culture in the area and prioritising attraction over permanence.