Thought Paper #8

Eva Dunn

Professor Stacy Asher

Art 195

November 10, 2012

Acceptance (Week Ten)

This week we visited the Castro, a district in San Francisco well known for it’s large gay community.  This was actually my first time at the Castro, surprisingly, and I absolutely loved it. All throughout San Francisco, one can see the liberal nature of its occupants; however, the Castro radiated acceptance and love, something I highly believe in.  It’s hard not to feel happy when surrounded by so much color and love.  Speaking of color, I feel as if color plays a huge role in the Castro district, and I will discuss why.

When walking into the Castro district, I noticed a dominance of the rainbow pride flags.  These flags represent diversity and acceptance of the LGBTQ community.  I saw these flags in shop windows, on t-shirts, on a huge flagpole which overlooks the Castro district, and so on.  The rainbow flag, which some call the “freedom flag,” has such a meaningful significance behind it. It has this whole underlying theme of understanding, acceptance, love, and hope.

These flags are not only prevalent in the Castro, but they are significant, as well. These flags, in all different places, and of all different sizes, are directed at people—all people.  Anybody who sees one of these flags is conveyed a message. They can even mean different things to different people. For example, a rainbow flag can say, “We accept you.”  Or it can mean, “LGBTQ people deserve respect and rights.”  It can even convey, “Everyone deserves the freedom to love whoever they please.”  These are messages that are heard by everyone. They are heard by gay people, they are heard by supportive people, they are even heard by close-minded people. These flags serve as an important message dealing with politics, close-mindedness, and love.

The Castro is an incredible area of San Francisco. It accepts. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for? A little acceptance?

Chinatown Adventure

Thought Paper #7

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Eva Dunn

Professor Stacy Asher

Art 195

November 3, 2012

Chinatown

            This week for my SF Signage class, we took a field trip to Chinatown.  After doing some research on the area, I learned that San Francisco’s Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. Isn’t that interesting?  Well, I also learned that, according to the San Francisco Planning Department, Chinatown is the most densely populated area west of Manhattan.  Through my research, I learned a few other interesting things about Chinatown that I will go over later on in this Thought Paper.  On another note, I find it absolutely incredible that San Francisco has so many different cultures and “districts,” if you will.  One second I can be in North Beach eating some Italian food, and the next second I can be in Chinatown enjoying a nice mooncake.  And if I want to get really crazy, I could go straight to the financial district and watch all the businessmen pass by.  That’s what makes San Francisco such a beautiful place—its diverse culture.  On this field trip, I got to see just a slice of San Francisco’s culture, and it was absolutely wonderful.  Visiting Chinatown provoked me to do a little research on the history of the Chinese in San Francisco, which, in turn, helped me understand many aspects of the area, including the signage.

            The Chinese in San Francisco did not have it easy.  They first immigrated here between 1850 and 1900.  After that, because of the language barrier, they sought out labor jobs such as in factories or on the transcontinental railroad, a famous and laborious undertaking.  Many of the immigrants had unfair working conditions due to their race.  After the unemployment Panic of 1873, the Chinese were even more discriminated against.  Immigration was then extremely limited for the Chinese, who had to go through a lengthy immigration processing at Angel Island—they could be held there for months in conditions not unlike concentration camps.  So, the history of the Chinese in San Francisco has not been pretty, and the large population of immigrants in such a small area can be seen today in the signage and setup of Chinatown.

            The signage in Chinatown serves as more efficient than anything.  Because of the large population of people within Chinatown, there are many different signs that compete for one’s attention; however, the signs are not extremely detailed or new.  A lot of the signage in Chinatown looks low-quality or older, with most of the signs being plain with merely a few words on it for description.  Below is an image of Chinatown in 1972.  It looks almost the same as it does today—with signs that are efficient and to-the-point.  However, today Chinatown utilizes more color and light in it’s signs whereas before it was just plain black and white (I know the picture is black and white but I believe the signs were black and white as well).

            Overall, the signs and setup of Chinatown reflects the dense population of people within the district.  The Chinese in San Francisco did not have an easy start and they continue to struggle to thrive within Chinatown.  However, Chinatown is one of my favorite places in San Francisco because it is so different and so cultured.  Where else can I go to get an authentic, delicious pork bun? 

Union Square Adventure

Thought Paper #6

Eva Dunn

Professor Stacy Asher

Art 195

October 28, 2012

Diverse, Yet United

          Most of the hustle and bustle that goes on in the great city of San Francisco takes place in what is known as Union Square, located along Market Street in the Downtown district.  The Union Square area holds something for everyone: BART, food, retail shopping, tourist shops, public buildings, and even museums. When touring Union Square and the surrounding area with my signage class, I noticed the drastic differences between the signs of Union Square versus the signs of the fringe of the Tenderloin. It is absolutely incredible the diversity that one can see in the various signs of San Francisco, especially in Union Square and the surrounding area.

          During my class excursion in Union Square, I noticed that many of the signs in that area were representing retail stores and, in turn, consumerism.  Basically, Union Square is just a large representation of capitalism at it’s finest. Capitalism seems to make America go ‘round, where competition between businesses fuel the norm of everyday life.  Directly in Union Square, the signs range from high-end retail stores to hole-in-the-wall low-budget stores to souvenir shops—however, each sign caters to an audience with the intention of spending money.  Although the signs’ intended audience ranges widely, many signs, especially in and around Westfield Mall, are intended for people who are from the middle to upper class.  I suppose this makes sense in the marketing field—their aim is to make signs that grab the attention of the people who can afford the product.  The signs in the mall and around Union Square seemed to be more high-budget, as well—meaning the signs and advertisements cost a lot of money.  Take this sign, for example:

 

The sign depicted is only a part of a sign that spans an entire block of the city, advertising a new building that is being constructed, the “Market Street Place,” which is intended to open in 2015.  I can only imagine how much the block-long sign cost to make and put up, but this expense is just a representation of the cost of the construction and erection of the building, which actually leads me to infer that the stores inside the building will be quite expensive as well.  Ah, capitalism, you’re like an open book to me.  Overall, the signs in the Union Square area aim to sell, to inform, and to capture attention.

          One can walk from Union Square to the fringe of the Tenderloin in just a few blocks.  With each passing step, the environment changes drastically—it goes from high-end shops to more affordable stores.  The people change, as well.  Once I turned the corner and walked down Mission Street, I could see a higher density of homeless people, many of whom seemed to be addicted to hard drugs.  When looking at signs in a place like this, I realized that the motives behind the signs’ messages are different than those in Union Square.  For example, I saw a sign in the window about a syringe access service (pictured below), which aimed to prevent HIV.   Although many signs on the fringe of the Tenderloin did aim to sell a product, it was obvious to me that the intended audience was drastically different. I saw signs advertising stores which sold porn movies and other sexual things, cheap haircuts, and low-budget eateries. The cost of the signs was obviously less than the cost of many signs in Union Square.  Because of the messages of the signs and their poor quality, I inferred that these signs were intended for the people I saw on the streets: homeless or otherwise financially struggling. It is incredible how an environment can change so drastically in such a short distance.

          While the different areas around Union Square hold different kinds of signage, there is a type of signage that is universally for all types of people: transportation and other public signage.  When visiting the BART station in Union Square, I noticed that the signs were merely informational.  They did not try and sell a product to people and they did not have any particular intended audience.  The sole purpose of these signs was to direct and inform.  And I find it amazing that something as simple as the BART could represent unity in such a diverse city.  Other public places held the same theme of unity, such as the public library.  Everyone is welcome in the public library, so the signs within aim to promote knowledge, something that anyone in the city of San Francisco can attain though reading and researching at the free library. This is such a beautiful concept: that anybody is welcome in the library or on the BART as long as they respect the sanctity of the building or system.

          Finally, I want to discuss something that I found very interesting.  The light posts in the area we were at actually depicted stories of San Francisco’s past.  Almost like the pictures one would see on an Egyptian urn.  So, while I was strolling along a new street with new signs and new products, I could actually get a glimpse of San Francisco’s past, as well.  I love the idea of picturing Union Square in the early 1900s, or even earlier.  These light posts help to strengthen that picture in my mind. Below is an example of one of the light posts I saw while walking:

 

     
          Overall, the trip to Union Square/BART/the fringe of the Tenderloin was very enlightening.  I got to see the drastic changes between a high-end marketplace and a more low-budget area.  I also found it interesting that the people of San Francisco could be united through the transportation system and the public library, among other public areas.  I also look forward to noticing more signs from different eras, such as the light posts.  

(more pictures to come)

Overly Formal Final Paper Proposal

          So, when given the task to think about the topic of my final paper, I immediately thought about what most interested me at the time: transcendentalism.  However, since then, I have realized that transcendentalism is a literary movement and does not necessarily pertain to signs.  It can pertain to some signs, yes, and it serves as an important period in history that has affected many things in modern culture.  However, to write an entire essay about transcendentalism would not express what I have learned in the class, it would merely be me desperately connecting my prior knowledge to signs that do not necessarily fall under the category of “transcendentalist.”  With that being said, I believe that the most incredible piece of signage that I have witnessed on my class outings has been Andy Goldsworthy’s work of art in Golden Gate Park entitled Drawn Stone.

I think, unless future field trips enlighten me more than this work of art has, I will write about Andy Goldsworthy.  I will focus on the meaning behind his work of art in Golden Gate Park, but I will also go into depth about his other important projects and the overall intent of his work.  I may even light upon the subject of transcendentalism while I’m at it, since I find that topic so intriguing. 

Alas, one does not do something important, like write a final paper, without first considering her options.  So, although Andy Goldsworthy is my first choice, other ideas are as follows:

1)       The Haight and how the signs represent counterculture. Overall, what counterculture means and how it pertains to everyday life in San Francisco. This paper would almost be like an extension of my Haight thought paper.

2)       What is a sign? And how does it hold deeper meaning? (The Philosophy of Signs)

3)       How this class has personally shaped my insight and perspective on signage.

And, finally,

4)       Signs through a communication major’s perspective: how do signs attract an audience?

After considering all of my options, I believe that it is safe to say that I have at least brainstormed my topic for my final paper. Although I am fairly set on the topic of Andy Goldsworthy, my topic may be subject to change with future field trips.  

(I apologize for the overly formal tone of the proposal. I was in the mood to write as if I was an old British author speaking to his book club. I hope you can understand. Smashing.)

Ocean Beach Adventure