Vernacular Typography Booklet: Vernon Street

I spent a majority of my life within the Rocklin and Roseville area. They were small, suburban cities in the Placer county area. Nothing crazy ever really happened, and I never really expected much from the area. It was safe, but it was also kind of boring.

Downtown Roseville was quite lovely though. It consisted of one main street known as “Vernon Street”. It probably had the most going on out of any place within Rocklin or Roseville. It was small, but it had restaurants, a night life, and several fun stores you could visit. I often went there to study at a cafe that I loved dearly. But I never really explored it much because it was nothing more than Downtown Roseville to me, just another part of this suburban life that I live. A calm, boring life.

In my Typography II class, I was tasked with going to any street, and taking pictures of different forms of type throughout the street. We then had to put those photos within a booklet, as if we were an author advertising the street and its charm. Not only that, but we were also tasked with advertising our “book launch” through 2 posters. It was a lot of deliverables for one project, but I really do believe everything came together.

You truly never realize how much type is all around you and how many messages you see. Not only that, but also how many ways a person can display a message. What was once just another street in a boring suburban city was now alive with color, type, design, history, and all sorts of messages. I grew up coming to Downtown Roseville for swimming lessons at the nearby swimming pool. I was always studying at the coffee shop nearby because I loved the live music and the cozy vibe they offered. But I never took a second to just walk through the street and enjoy what it had to offer. I always wrote it off because I was so used to seeing it all my life. But this project gave me an opportunity to look at Vernon Street differently, and even create something fun and enjoyable out of it!

I also love seeing how type is included in our lives, and the ways people use type to send a message. The font choice, materials, placements, and styles all make a difference in the vibe of the establishment and the message they send to their audience. It got me thinking more about type for my own projects and how I choose to send a message to those who view my art.