Cafe signs produced using gold leaf gilded sign writing requested by a client for their new cafe in Wanstead, which was named as one of the uk’s ‘best high streets’ in 2015 by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
It was requested that the main branding was to fill the fascia as much as possible, be in gold & also to either be an italic or a script lettering. The fascia panel was quite large compared to other fascia panels and this made for their cafe signs to stand out against competition.
There was a ‘subheading’ board under the main fascia & awning which was requested to also be in gold but in san serif (block) typeface.
They also requested that the signwriting be seperated by images of a coffee bean.
The lettering was drawn on a paper layout & then transfered onto the fascias.
The gold leaf was applied one word at a time, but at a pace, so the size mix didn’t dry completely.
This ‘subheading’ panel had 2 coats of size mix, just so the the grained & stippled surface was better covered.
It was essential the gold had good contact to the surface & stuck well, so there was no ‘grinning’ of the size mix showing through the gold.
With the size having several coats to cover on the stippled surface the gold leaf stuck better eventually.
The ‘subheading’ board with the gold leaf gilding completed. The coffee beans painted too, the client was more than happy with it.
The whole look of the cafe signs worked well with the background colour of the building & the contrasting colours of the black & gold.
The street address numerals were added last minute, they added balance to the look & I used the same colour as the shop to blend the signs to the background a little more.
Hand Painted Traditional & Contemporary Signwriting in London
Signwriter – Traditional Signs of London
info@traditionalsignsoflondon.uk