V&A (A for amazing?)

Today we went to the Victoria & Albert Museum and oh my god was it amazing. We were lucky enough to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit (shoutout to Lorraine) but the rest of the museum was just as amazing. The signage that they had was really cool too, it all kept with the theme of each exhibit. The 'everything belongs to you' was right in the lobby of the museum, which was awesome to see first thing you walked in because it made you realize that everything in the place is there for your benefit and enjoyment. The 'what is luxury?' was in an exhibit to the left. The entire thing was simple and clean with the rooms being kept mostly in black or white. It gave off an expensive, tasteful feel perfect for the exhibit. The shoe exhibit sign was my favorite. The neon was just so flashy and contrasting to most of the things around it so it really stood out and caught your eye. The contrasting typefaces in the neon sign were also a nice touch because usually neon signs are very simple but it made this one so much more interesting.

Camden Town

Today we ventured out in the pouring rain to Camden! We had been there before and knew there was a bunch of street food carts that we wanted to to try. Even though it was raining it was definitely worth it. I got 'nachos' from one booth but the chips were replaced with mashed sweet potatoes and it was delicious. There is also a lot of cool street art in Camden. I had seen a lot of it before but this one piece in particular caught my eye today. It had foxes painting and said 'get rich or try sharing' which I though was clever since the saying is usually 'get rich or die trying.' The street art in Camden adds to the entire feel of the town, which is much different than Kensington; it also gives it a lot of character!

AmsterDAMN this city is beautiful

On our second day in Amsterdam we managed to fit in quite a lot. We started the day off by getting brunch at the Pancake Bakery and it was probably one of our best decisions yet. They had such amazing food, I got the Sweet American which had blueberries, honey, whipped cream, yogurt ice cream and mint on top. After brunch we went to the sex museum and then to a coffee shop. We also did a canal cruise, which was a really cool way to see the city. We then walked through the red light district and made our way to the famous Iamsterdam sign. The sign was a lot smaller in person than I was expecting. It was made out of metal and was in a thick but simple sans serif typeface. The contrast between I am and Amsterdam is made clearly by the red letters. There were a lot of people there because it was close to a few museums and not too far from the city centre. Overall it was a good day in Amsterdam!

Finding your way through Heineken

On the Friday that we arrived in Amsterdam we did the Heineken Experience Brewery Tour. It was a lot of fun! We walked through the whole factory, saw how the beer was made, walked through the original horse stables, saw the bottling process and so much more. At times the route might’ve been confusing but they had wayfinding signs that made it easy to continue on (pictured blow). They often matched the style of the room you were walking through so that they didn’t seem to be out of place. At the end of the tour you got to turn in your wristband tokens for beer and we also got snacks.

When Brighton isn't so bright

Today we took a day trip to Brighton! It is only an hour by train and with slo being so close to the beach, we were definitely all missing it. We happened to pick what could be the worst beach day but the rain and clouds didn't ruin our day. To wait out the rain we decided to get brunch at The Breakfast Club. It was an adorable restaurant with the cutest decor and branding. There were witty quotes on the menu, which was simple and clear in an easy to read serif font that matched the name on the restaurant exterior. The champagne and Bloody Mary section used fonts that stand out, drawing attention to those parts of the menu by the contrast to the simple serif. After brunch we walked along the pier and rode the Brighton Wheel!

Taylor St. Baristas

On our way back to the train station in Brighton, we stopped for coffee mainly because this coffee shop looked so adorable. The first thing that caught my eye was the hand lettered chalk board out front. The handwritten script font contrasted nicely with the sans serif font that their name was written in. Also their logo and the arrow were nice decorative touches. The window decals that covered their front windows were also a nice touch. Although they could've matched the company's color blue a little closer, I'm sure they were difficult to print and attach perfectly to the window.

Turf Tavern Hand Lettering

While in Oxford, we checked out the town's oldest pub: The Turf Tavern. It wasn't like any of the pubs we had been to before, it had more of a restaurant feel with plenty of outdoor seating and excellent customer service. The food was great and the pitchers of Pimms were even better. The first thing that I noticed when we got to the tavern were the beautiful hand lettered chalkboard signs outside the door. One was for Gin & Tonic and the other was for Pimms, the theme was 'The A-Z of Summer'. They were beautifully done and the emphasis was on the capital letters which they had added color and doodles to. They used the same typefaces on both signs so they looked nice standing next to each other but they were still quite different. They were eye catching and everyone stopped to take pictures of them so it was a job well done!

Why didn't I go to school in Oxford?

Today we visited Oxford, England as a day trip for school. Our teacher from London took us on a tour of the main areas of town and then we were free to explore on our own afterwards. We saw the main shopping area, a few of the college campuses, churches and had lunch at the oldest pub in town. Every single campus was beautiful and the town is so calm and inviting it makes me wonder why I didn't go to school there! 

Double Decker Bus Designs

Some of the buses around town aren't the typical red that everyone is used to seeing. Many of the buses have come to be used as advertising, and with a lot of space to do so it seems to be pretty effective! The bus wraps need to be huge so I'm assuming they're printed in different pieces on a large wide format printer. Some of them are really eye catching because they're so different from the typical red. The typography is large to get the point across and so that they can be read from a distance. The popcorn one pictures below is the one I see most often for a brand that I hadn't heard of until coming to London.

Columbia Street Flower Market

Today's adventure included a strip to Shoreditch to visit the Columbia Street Flower Market. The market is only open on Sundays until 2pm so we planned our day around that! The market itself was adorable, it was one street where flower vendors lined both sides. Although it was crowded and pouring rain, it was definitely worth it because the flowers were absolutely beautiful. The two pictures below are from my favorite stand at the market.

Patty & Bun Logo

Today while walking from the Liverpool underground station to the bus to Shoreditch we came across a little cafe with an adorable logo. The name of the cafe was Patty & Bun and in their logo they connected the ampersand to the B. In the smaller circle version of their logo they also use the stem of the P as part of the stem for the B. The logo in the circle is also cute because it states simply what they do at the top and then has the restaurants full name at the bottom. The cafe was also cute from the outside, their name being on a wooden sign over a red awning. We didn't stop to eat here but it is definitely somewhere that I'd like to try!

Camden Town

On our first Friday off from school we decided to check out London's famous Camden Town! It is an entirely different culture than Kensington and it feels as though you just got to Venice Beach in California. There are many street vendors and goos little places to eat. We happened to stumble upon a little food festival set up near the Camden Lock, which is definitely something I'll go back for again. Camden is definitely the place to buy tourist-y things and there are a bunch of cool photo opportunities.

Honest Burgers (With Honestly the Cutest Menus Ever)

Today while in Camden we got dinner at a local burger chain called Honest Burgers. There are about 6 of them all over London and I've only heard good things so it was definitely something I wanted to try. Little did I know that they would have the worlds cutest menus.. The typography was simple and the items on the menu were laid out in sort of a flowchart. It was easy to distinguish what kind of burger you were getting and the sections for each were clearly labeled with the bold typeface. I also liked how everything was in all caps and kept simple with just black print. Drinks were on the back laid out in a design that was equally as visually pleasing. To make it even better, the menus were on either side of a thin piece of wood and held on with thick rubber bands. It was something completely different than a menu I've ever seen before.

39 Steps at the Criterion Theatre

On our first Tuesday night in London, we saw the play The 39 Steps at the Criterion Theatre. The theatre is in the Piccadilly Circus area of Central London, which has a main area similar to Times Square in NYC. The play was pretty entertaining and there was only four actors who played all the different roles in the play. The inside of the theatre was historical looking (we weren't allowed to take pictures) and was exactly what you would imagine an old theatre to look like. After the play we went to a local bar called O'Neills, which has definitely become one of our favorites! 

 

Sunset Biking in Hyde Park

Tonight a group of us decided to ride bikes through Hyde Park to get to know the area better and see some of the statues and lakes inside the park. London has bikes all over town that you can rent, which makes it quite easy to get around. We rode through Kensington Gardens and around the edge of the rest of Hyde Park. It was a perfect night to be out for sunset (which isn't until around 10pm here!) because the weather was nice and a good end to our first Sunday here.