Notting Hill

Wondering the streets of Notting Hill, you'll come across numerous antique stores. The wonderful silver, sparkling jewels, and posters of years past. Portobello Market is where an antique style converges with the modern London city. 

On the left of the image there are street signs. Each has a uniform color, and Sans Serif text. The sign is easily read, with a simple message: blank, parking only. Yet hanging just to the right of these signs, there are others that call into play the antique style of Notting Hill. The colors are muted, not as vibrant, with a slightly darker hue. 

The antique signs feature characters such as Superman, Batman, and Wolverine. They are more playful, and can lend to a more creative decoration. Depending on the customers style, they have a choice to choose an antique sign that nods to the past, or a newer, simple sign that is more modern. 

Whatever your style, you can definitely find pleasing shops, restaurants, and places of interest in Notting Hill. 

London Street Art

Walking around the streets of London, one sees various street art. Paintings, cement drawings, post cards, and a personal favorite of mine: graffiti. London is a megacity, home to a diverse population from different background, and everyone has their own form self expression. Graffiti is such an activity. 

Walking in Southwark near the Imperial War Museum, I cam across this tattoo shop. Although the various types are in the decorative family, they are very different. The type, mixed with the colors, and images like skulls, a heart, and the skyline of London, make for an intriguing image. The above white sign seems to contrast with the metal garage door, but somehow it works. Sure they could have made a better choice, but I think that highlights to diversity styles and people of London. 

The Snap Story

If you live in the 21st Century, and are somewhat concerned with social media, then chances are you have a Snapchat account. If you have a Snapchat, then you probably use the handy Snap Story function to keep your friends up-to-date on your day. I do the same thing. Posting pictures and videos to my Story to show my friends and family what I'm actually doing here in London. The images can range from "selfies" to videos of an event.

To relay the location aspect of a story, Snapchat has recently, with the latest update, added many Geolocation functions also known as "geotags". All the user does is swipe left, through a host of filters, until these images come up. The image only comes up within the area, and knows you are there based on the GPS location of your phone. 

As related to design, these geotags come in a variety of designs, typographies, and colors. No two geotags are the same. Whenever I journey to a new part of London, I enjoy taking a snap and seeing the design of the geotag. They are a fun, yet cool way to let people know exactly where you are that people of all ages enjoy. Instead of the common white type that comes across the gray banner, geotags are the creative way to display a location.

Below are some images of the geotags from my own snap story.