FR8yard

We were very excited to receive a commission from FR8yard, the first completely outdoor hospitality establishment in the state of South Carolina, located right in our hometown of Spartanburg. Keeping in step with the establishment’s vintage aesthetic, we started by researching period signage from the early 50s through the late 70s. Everything from antique bar and hotel logos to laundromat and gas station marquees played a role informing this piece. The final work utilizes a directional arrow and circular element executed in a traditional sign-painter red to direct the gaze of passerby toward the space and to act as a wayfinding mechanism for those farther away. For the typography, we selected a bold sans-serif, inline font reminiscent of historic theatre marquees, and chose to balance it with a more decorative script as our secondary font. We then accented these two typefaces by making them slightly three-dimensional to give the piece just a bit more visual separation from the wall, and as a nod to the historic references we were using, most of which were physically constructed signage rather than wall-painted. PHOTO/VIDEO CREDIT: Gabe Porter