Abstract
Hong Kong is a city labelled the “Pearl of the Orient” and reflects a spectacular night view of neon lights. Before the rise of television broadcasting, neon signs were one of the most pervasive forms of media, helping all kinds of businesses communicate with a consuming public. The Hong Kong Neon Signs Archive involves the photo-documenting of over 400 still-existing neon signs since June 2015. It prompted a historical, cultural and contextual study of Hong Kong signs, as well as the below exploration of two inter-related graphic components of neon signs: visual language and typography. This article attempts to explore the following questions: What kind of typography (the style and arrangement of bilingual text) is used on signs? What are the visual languages and conventions of neon signs in relation to different types of businesses? What kind of tacit knowledge (of sign makers) informs the making of typographic neon signs?
| Translated title of the contribution | Landscape of Light: Chinese Typography and Visual Communication on Hong Kong's Neon Signs |
|---|---|
| Original language | Chinese (Simplified) |
| Journal | Hong Kong journal of Social Sciences |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2018 |