Shop signs

Shop signage is hard to control: improving standards depends on educating owners, and maintaining a well-considered approach to shopfront design as owners come and go.

Left: the modest signage on Boots in Haddington is appropriate for a historic building.

Right:For traditional shopfronts with narrow fascias, such as this one in Bath, the simplest of lettering is often the most successful.

Ambrose Heal’s book ‘The Signboards of Old London Shops’ details the fascinating history of pictorial signs, once prolific in 18th century streets. Each trader had their own symbol to identify their premises. From the obvious such as the golden boot for shoe makers to the curious such as a peacock for lacemen, the streets must have been livened by these depictions. At a time when illiteracy was high, having pictorial signs to identify locations of different traders was essential, particularly in urban areas where larger numbers of commercial premises were found.

Over time, lack of maintenance caused major problems, not least the death of four pedestrians in London in 1718. It was 1762 before hanging signs were eventually banned in London, following the example set by the Parisians in 1761. In Glasgow in 1772, the burgh authorities bemoaned these fixtures and sought to bring about their removal. The burgh records of 1772 note that they: ‘Recommend to the dean of guild to cause take doun and remove all the signs which hang over the high streets of this city, as they intercept the views along the streets and darken the light of the lamps in the night time, an authorize the dean of guild to take all lawful steps necessary for the removing of the said signs.’

The days of the pictorial signboard were numbered. The transition was gradual. In spite of the ban, some continued to hold on to this tradition, notably for public houses, which we still see today.

Although there was understandably a reluctance to change, the legislation proved to be a water shed for shopfront design. It helped to establish what we now understand to be a traditional shopfront, with its fascia set above the shop entrance and display windows. Slowly during the late 18th and early 19th century the narrow space above the shop windows began to be used for signage.

It was a much more subtle approach than shop owners and their customers had been used to. However, clever signwriters were able to decorate these fascias with hand-painted beautiful lettering. Some established their own distinctive style, recognisable as the hand of that particular painter. Many were highly skilled in artistic technique such as the ability to make lettering appear three dimensional.

By the Victorian period, as shop numbers increased substantially, visibility and making a strong statement became important. Gilded V-cut lettering protected by glass indicated a high-class retailer. Individual letters of wood, ceramic or metal were widely used to good effect. During the 19th century there was a revived enthusiasm for three-dimensional signs with their old trade associations. These included a Highlander to indicate a tobacconist and a bear above a barber’s shop, the bear indicative of the animal’s oil once used to grease hair.

Into the 20th century, new materials like chrome and Vitrolite rose to prominence. Applied lettering of a simple sans-serif font became fashionable. Use of neon lighting was favoured to contrast with the glassy Vitrolite frontages. In spite of the variety of options available, traditional signwriting endured and remained the most appropriate approach for many shopfronts.

In the post-war years, the ready availability of cheap plastic products meant a radical change in the approach to signage. Once an integral part of the design of the shopfront, signs were valued for their visibility, ease of change and low cost, rather than how well they fitted with the style of the shop. By the 21st century, computer graphics had all but eradicated the art of traditional signage. Lettering, now produced on computers, often lacks the sensitivity once considered essential for the design of one of the most important aspects of a retail business.

The prevalence of modern, inappropriate signage, sometimes combined with other features such as roller shutters and canopy blinds, has marred our high streets. At the heart of the problem is the ownership patterns of the shops. Often chain stores are blamed. Certainly they are guilty of insensitive approaches to many buildings, the signage designed remotely in head offices. But there are examples where the signage of multiple stores has been very successfully moderated. Examples in the most historic of our cities such as Bath, Chester and York are found on a wide variety of building types. They can also be found in smaller centres where, with the determination of local planners and conservation officers, acceptance of the standard signage has been rejected and the retailers encouraged to find a more appropriate approach.

Independent shop owners are not always sensitive to the most suitable approach to signage. Often shops are let on short leases and the tenant wants a quick cheap sign to be erected. Others have limited funds and being offered a low-cost or free sign which is sponsored to advertise products can be an attractive option. Often the signs are sponsored by large organisations selling newspapers and soft drinks, reducing the cost for owners as the brands gain additional advertising space in the street. Consideration for the shopfront is often secondary to the cost of the sign.

Although there are statutory protection measures within conservation areas and for listed buildings, the exercise of such controls can be a constant battle. Signs are often put up overnight with no consent, but the political will to fight and control them is often lacking and the advertising regulations unhelpful. As a result, it can be a quick spiral downward, leaving shopping streets lacking coherence and with little respect paid to historic detail and proportions.

Grant-aided schemes, notably the Heritage Lottery funded townscape heritage initiatives and the Historic Scotland conservation area regeneration schemes often have shopfront improvements at their core. Signage is a key element to tackle, educating owners, unpicking later inappropriate additions and restoring traditional shopfronts with appropriate signage. In the short term this is certainly achievable. Maintaining a well-considered approach over a longer period, particularly with the transience of shop owners, is much more challenging.

In spite of this, many striking and creative examples exist. In his quirky publication ‘Fascia Lettering in the British Isles’, Alan Bartram writes: ‘A fascia is an ephemeral thing, and in certain situations an imaginative vigour in the treatment of unexpected materials can be a welcome alternative to sensitive forms, as long as there is feeling for the nature of the materials.’

The idea that signage should perhaps be experimental, imaginative and thought provoking has been lost in many high streets. Perhaps as well as encouraging the lost art of signwriting, we should look for new ways for retailers to promote their business in historic areas. In the Jordaan area of Amsterdam, with its myriad of boutiques and restaurants, carefully considered signage is evident in every street. The most striking example is the Button Shop, De Knopenwinkel, in Herengracht 389, where a huge carved button hangs above the door. The door handles imitate buttons, completing the effect.

The most successful signage will be well considered, respecting the shopfront but also reflecting the trade going on inside, in the same way as the early pictorial signboards. Quirky, individual and high-quality signs lift streets visually.

This article originally appeared as ‘The art of shop signs’ in the Institute of Historic Building Conservation’s (IHBC’s) Context 138, published in March 2015. It was written by Lindsay Lennie, an author and researcher who has her own consultancy, Historic Shop Conservation, which provides specialist advice on the care and conservation of traditional retail buildings.