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