Product Synopsis

By focusing on a single city, London, where every shop conveys the vibrancy and sophisticated design values that characterize this great metropolis, this book showcases ninety-seven examples of shop identity in London, and reveals the intimate connection between the city's history and the design on its streets, and how that history has influenced international design trends. The examples here are organized by industry and feature three design categories: classic, modern, and exotic. "Classic" employs traditional decorative text and patterns while simultaneously shedding any hint of old-fashioned and combining elegant colors and fonts to gain a new, modern lease on life. "Modern," of which Britain's Sir Terence Conran is a leading international practitioner, uses simple fonts and color combinations to give hotels, restaurants and home furnishing stores an urban feel. As a city with a long history of absorbing other cultures, London succeeds in taking elements of those cultures and arranging them in unique ways. "Exotic" depicts this cultural diversity.