fishermen warf

north beach

            On this trip we visited the district of North Breach and the surrounding areas. This was my first time to be able to explore this area. This area of San Francisco is full of many different cultures all close together. By having all the cultures so close together, it becomes easy for people to have really diverse San Francisco really is. The signage here is some new signs and some old. The signage In North Beach helps tell the part of its history.

            North beach is made up of very interesting parts that come together to make up north Beach. This area encompasses little Italy and also has the famous Coit tower. When walking though little Italy you almost feel as if you as actually in Europe the streets are lined with little cafes and people are eating outside. The atmosphere of this area is very laid back, it can be a great way to get way fro the day. The Coit tower is just up the hill; Coit tower is famous and part of San Francisco history. In the tower there are the murals lining the wall. These are the same type of murals from the public work program that wee in Ocean Beach. This spot is a huge tourist attraction; a lot of popular come there for the beautiful view of the city. Once you get to the top of the hill it is hard not to be amazed by how beautiful the view of the city is .I really enjoyed being able to see part of the city in a new way.

            The signage used in North beach is older and has historical significants to it. In little Italy with all the cafes lining the streets it is easy to see how the sings would be older. Some of the cafes have been there for many years and their original sign has become part of their business. Usually these signs are on the smaller side instead of being big and flashy. By having the signs of this area be less new it adds to the character, helping people feel like they are really in Italy. Also the signs that lead visitors to Coit tower are important. They help lead the people and show them the right direction to go in, With out these signs informing people where to go, no one would know how to get there.

            I really enjoyed this trip to North Beach. I found it be a very interesting place with a lot of different things to do there. I plan on going back to explore this area more. I liked looking at the older signs in the area; they have more character to them than a brand new sign. All the different types of signage here is a big part of what makes this district what it is. With out all the old signs of the cafes and stores this area would lose some of its charm .So the signage plays a role in defining a place. North Beach is so close to districts like Chinatown yet it is so different. This is the reason the city of San Francisco is so interesting city to explore.

North beach

Mission

            This week we visited the mission, Castro and lower Haight district. After visiting these districts we are able to compare and contrast them. Also to see how, just one block can make a big difference in the atmosphere of the area. We have visited a good number of different districts and it is becoming easier to see how each ones signage is geared towards a specific audience. Some districts hare very similar to each other while other are complete opposites, even though they happen to be in close distance to each other.

            Each of the three districts has a different audience it is trying to reach and gain the attention of .the Castro district has a main audience of gay and lesbian, because that is part of the majority of people who live there. A lot of the building in this area are very old and have a lot of historical significances and meaning to them. One image that I would choose from this area is the image of Castro Theater. This is a prominent landmark in the area and has become a historical sight. A lot of the sights in the area have a significant part in the fight for gay rights and equality. These buildings have very important meaning to the people who live there. The main audience of the Castro district is aimed toward the large gay and lesbian population and their triumphs to gain equality.

Another district we visited is the part of lower haight. Lower haight has a lot of small cafes and clubs or bars in this area. Even thought this area is named lower Haight it differs from upper Haight h by having less shopping and the houses and there are less decorated then that of upper Haight. One image that stands out form this area is that of all the mauls along the walls. The audience for signage in this district would be toward the more lower class people. This area can have some not as nice parts that make up the lower Haight. So the signage would be for them and also the homeless people living there. Also another group of people that the signage is directed to here is for the tourist to provide them with the proper information.

The last district that we visited was the Mission district .the mission district is located in such a spot that it becomes insulated from the fog and the wind make it appear to be warmer than other pats of the city. It has a rich culture with many murals along the walls. The mission has a lot of nightlife with many bars and clubs along the streets. Recently a lot of younger people have moved in to this area and the transformation has begun. This was one know as a bad area so the housing prices were cheep, now the housing prices are rising. The population here is filled with a lot of artsy young people. One image that stands out to me is the women’s building. The women’s building is covered in beautiful mauls. This building is something that really defines this area and shows who the singed is directed towards. The signage in this area is direct toward both the new young people living there and the poor people who have been living there for years.

             After taking the time to investigate all three of these different districts it is interesting to see the similarity and differences in them. They all have a rich culture and pride that seems to define them. Each of the districts has a building that has a great historical significants that makes it so important. Each of the districts has a signage system that is directed towards the people who live there to try and get the message across to them. Even though they are all very different they each same the same quality of having a rich culture, that defines them.

Chinatown

            This field outing we visited the three districts of china town, north beach and the financial district. All three of these districts have unique qualities that each one of them posses. Signage in each of the three districts differs, depended on the group of people they are trying to reach. It is interesting to contrast each district with each and see how each one chose to use signage in a different way After looking into each of the three distracts one stood out the most to me .the one of the districts that appeared to me as one of the most interesting was Chinatown.

            Chinatown has a rich history, and has become a very important part of San Francisco. Chinatown was first started in the year 1848,when the first Chinese immigrants started coming over. The first inhabitants of this part of the city were mainly from Hoisanese China. After a while a lot of different groups of people from China come over to San Francisco to live in Chinatown. This caused some problems and races wars started to erupt. Race wars were a big problem in this area, combined with the low income.  Chinatown eventually got their own squad of police, to help with the problem.            

The naiboughhood of China town is one of the working class parts of the city, while it is not as rich as some of the other parts, has a rich culture. Many immigrants from chins came during the 1960s,so with this influx of people made it grow even more

Chinatown has gained the nickname city with in a city because of its large size. San Francisco’s Chinatown is the largest one in America. This one has managed to keep a lot of the language and cultural aspects alive. By keeping more of their culture that originated back in China in this area is make makes San Francisco Chinatown unique and better than most others. When anyone visits China town it is hard not to be amazed by the buildings there. The buildings are beautiful and interestingly designed, you feel as if you are almost in China.

The signage in Chinatown is different than in most parts of the city. One of the first differences would be how almost all the signs are in Chinese. Because of the lower income of people who live in this area the signs is directed toward them, and completely different than a sleek sign of a store in Union square.  A lot of the buildings in China town are bight colors, which chat the eye of people as they are walking by.

            The signage in Chinatown is mostly old fashioned and not that high tech as that some stores have today. There are a lot of independent owned businesses, and their signs are not as big and eye grabbing as some other chain business. Technology has a big role to ply in how signs are made and used today. Some signs light up, flash and changed colors to grab people’s attention. Other signs are using more complicated art work in new ways. Also signs can be put at a high height to be seen by the people driving in cars. The way we view signage today is we aspect it to be bright and flashy with a lot of different aspects, just to get our attention. The image from the past that I chose was Chinatown Sacramento street. I like how even with the quality of the photo you can tell that not sigs were big and flashy like today. In contrast to this I found and image of today in Chinatown of a light up storefront sign. This shows how times have changed in the way we attract customers.

China town has a rich interesting culture and history. Out of the three districts that we visited this was the one that I thought was the most interesting to me. The culture here is strong and hopefully it stays that way, so it can continue to be an important part of San Francisco.