UPDATE ON THE GREYHOUND WALL MURAL

Greyhound Mural Designed By Good People

It’s taken an age to process all the images, crop them and make them work with the image which we had to amend as many colours simply didn’t work with the image (which wis why the Greyhound now proudly stands in a wildflower infused meadow in inject some much needed colour into the work. We have a lot of B&W images which we had to tweak colourwise to tones of sepia etc so they worked with the image. The image was also tweaked to work better from an angle than straight on as the space in which is will be viewed will be seen more at an angle than flat on. We are getting closer.

This is the close up:

There is still a lot of work to go to eliminate as many repeats as we can. This job is costing us a fortune in time and money!

Have a good weekend.

‘JILL’ POP UP SHOP

Saturday saw the launch of the pop up shops in Sydenham, Kirkdale and Forest Hill.

We have been helping with the design of the signage, all of which was done on a shoestring budget. The letters came to £145 fixed onto a marine ply backboard and then painted black. As will all shops, it has the number (it drives us mad when shops don’t do this!).

This is the ‘Jill’ hub (originally there were to be 3 ‘hubs’, we suggested they be called Tom, Dick & Harry, but when three became two they changed to Jack & Jill… with Jack further up the hill in Forest Hill).

This is the before:

This is the design visual:

This is the installed sign:

(there is still a bit of painting to do!)

There is a lot going on in Forest Hill and Sydenham at the moment. Check out www.see3.co.uk for more details.

The Jill sign was installed by Rushworth Carpentry

GREYHOUND WALL COMPETITION

The Greyhound Pub in Sydenham has been empty for a few years and is now being developed. A competition has been run to add some public art to the rear wall of the pub. There were 60 entries in total. Our entry
is this:

Please note, this isn’t the final design, it’s still a work in progress.

We found out on Monday evening that we won. We are very excited by this and will keep you all updated as to the progress.

THE GREYHOUND & SYDENHAM IN PIXELS:

Each tile is one pixel. Each pixel is one image supplied by the people of Sydenham. They will be images of people, historical figures, illustrations, art, places, family photo’s, events photos, etc.

All the images together will make up the image of the greyhound seen below, which is based on historical images of the sign for The Greyhound pub.

When you get close you get to see the detail and the individual pixels, from a distance (3-5 m, the width of the passageway should give you a good view of the whole image) you see the greyhound.

The idea is to give people a sense of ownership and pride in Sydenham, to celebrate the present, past and future. Everyone who participates will have their name in a plaque shown on the right that also shows the history of
The Greyhound.

The windows can be covered with the same see through window film they use on London Buses to continue the tiles across the glass.

We have also designed a hanging pub sign for the back of the pub.

This image is a visual and doesn’t not contain the final images. These are yet to be collected.

Many thanks to our Intern, Sandra for all her hard work on this.

We will be collecting images for the wall about Sydenham. They can be of local art, family photo’s, history, famous people, old pictures, places around sydenham and events etc. We will include the other entries into the competition into the design so they will all be on the wall.

Each image will have to be square, 10cm x 10cm at 350dpi.

More details about how and where to send your images to follow shortly.

There is some feedback to the competition on the Sydenham Forum, which, despite the initial review has been incredibly positive.

Designed By Good People

WHAT IF 19: EMPTY PUBS

This use to be a carpet shop.

Then, a number of years ago, it opened as the Pukka Bar, an upmarket indian restaurant. It had a refit that cost £250,000 but really opened in Sydenham about a year early before the gastro pub and cafes opened. It lasted 6 months (the place inside is vast). The interior refit is of a very high quality and remains. The pub that took over from the Pukka bar doesn’t.

We hope the interior will remain, but if the pub is going to be renovated or left, why leave it like this:

What if:

A simple printed hoarding. The door would be indicated by the dotted line.

Obviously this is a transferable design. Whoever is taking over the property can announce it on the stamp on the front of the box.

Have a look at the other What If’s on empty shops here:
WHAT IF 18
WHAT IF 17
WHAT IF 16

WHAT IF 18: EMPTY PUBS

Lots of people hated the gramatical error in the name of this pub. We found it rather charming. Which isn’t what can be said about the pub or the building which wasn’t the nicest place to be. Which may be one reason why it’s now closed.

But thats’ still no excuse to leave it in a state. It’s not making the building any more attractive.
It currently looks like this:

But What If:

Here is a close up.

If we get to do it we will work on it a little more and make it look like everyone is enjoying a drink.

This is a simple ‘street art project’, the wooden windows would be stencilled with the famous faces as if they are enjoying a drink in the bar.

More to come…

WHAT IF 17: EMPTY SHOPS

This is another idea for the empty buildings by Sydenham Station that currently look like this:

But what if:

The vending machines etc would be working which would add a bit of interaction to a building that hasn’t interacted with the public for years. The backboard would be made of planks, hidden doors could be made if access to the building is needed. The type is signwritten on the wood except the sign at the top which would be individually cut letters.

It could easily be adapted to other sites, to different types of shops and be a lot of fun.

See also the previous version

WHAT IF SYDENHAM

Once upon a time shops would look proud of themselves. Sydenham road was actually beautiful. Shop owners would stand outside of their shop with a look of pride on their faces. Goods would be beautifully displayed. Signwriters, signmakers and glass cutters (these were generally from the area, all had their own styles and would help give an area it’s own visual identity) would make the most humble of businesses beautiful.

These shops aren’t exclusive boutiques. They simply believed in enticing people into the shop by making their store as attractive as possible. They had pride in their appearance. Even a humble dairy or fruit and vegetable shop. They were beautiful.

Some shops were so proud of where they were, they put the name of the road on the shop. We did this with Billings. Most shops these days don’t even put the number on the shop front. We think they should by law.

Today Sydenham Road is pretty shabby. Compare the above with the same road today:

Much as we love Mustis above (which is what everyone calls the store) the signs hasn’t changed for years, it pre-dates the current owners (Musti is one of the friendliest shore owners in Sydenham). Garam Masala have put tiles more suited to a toilt on the outside which is totally out of keeping with the building.

Many people say this is a great dry cleaners. We use another one, despite this one being cheaper and nearer to us. It doesn’t look like it will do a good job. For months they actually had a mouldy wedding dress in the window. IN 4 years they haven’t cleaned the shop front or cleared the tags off the roller shutters.

If you take over a business, invest in new signage. Spraypainting over the old name is not going to win you any customers! It makes me question how they treat the food if they think this is acceptable.

The sign on the right broke one windy night over 2 years ago. They still haven’t fixed it. I’m not sure what that says about what they sell or customer service. To us it makes the shop look like it doesn’t care. It’s interesting historically though!

The sad fact is that it’s cheaper to repaint an original shop front than rip it out and install a new one. Quality signage and signwriting isn’t that expensive.

So shops in Sydenham currently look like this:

But what if:

Same shops, same shop fronts, same prices. Just new signage, awnings and a bit of paint.

Which one would you rather shop in? Which one gives you a better impression of the high street, customer service and quality?

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www.whatifhayes.wordpress.com
www.whatifpenge.wordpress.com
www.whatifilfracombe.wordpress.com

WHAT IF no 15: HOUSE OF LINENS

We popped into ‘House of Linens’ a little while ago to get a few bits and pieces (we are going eco and are now fixing old clothes and buying ‘vintage’) and met the very friendly owner. He was talking about Billings so we told them about the What if Sydenham Project.

He looked all excited and rushed us outside to look at this sign which he wants to redo. We have been really busy and the few times we have had chance to pop by we haven’t seen him in the store. So before we show them what we have come up with I thought it best to get some feedback on this.

So here goes:

What if:

OPTION 1a

More sophistcated colours, the ‘stitched’ logo is on a raised enamel panel (about £400) on a wooden background with Vinyl applied lettering in gloss to make them look as if they are hand painted. The security grill and door etc have been painted to match the sign.

We aren’t sure when the business started trading in Sydenham but it’s been here a long time and the owners wanted to communicate this, hence the ‘trading since ’92′.

OPTION 1b

Or we could add an awning and raise the sign above. The awning costs about £1300.

OPTION 2

The sign is based on a fabric swatch with the turned corner in a shocking pink to catch the eye. Again the design is retro with a twist and uses more sophisticated colours.

So which one feels the most like a small, family run, haberdashery that has been trading locally for many many years?

If you comment please say if you use House of Linens.

For more feedback visit the Sydenham Forum or VIrtual Norwood.

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WHAT IF no14: FRESH & FRUITY

Fresh and Fruity are linked to Billings (What if No 13) as they are Amo’s parents. Infact without their help, and the help of Annabel and Tim from the Sydenham society Billings may never have happened.

Since then we have been incredibly busy and the What If Project has taken a back seat, despite lots of local businesses asking for their makeovers. Unfortunately we have to pay the bills as we fit these in when we can!

We have been promising this for a while, so I though I’d post it here, get some feedback before presenting onto them. It’s been a while in the making!

This is what the shop looks like now:

FRESH & FRUITY before

BILLINGS IN THE PRESS

This was in the South London Press in July 2010.

It’s the second time we have been featured in the newspaper. Good publicity for Amo, the owner, and us.

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www.designedbygoodpeople.com

WHAT IF no13: BILLINGS

BILLINGS is a new fishmonger and butchers arriving in the high street soon in the old shoe repair shop and keycutters . Hmmm, I never did understand why shoes and keys went together. Anyway…

This is what the shop looks like now.

But what if:

WHAT IF no12: THE CINEMA IN CRYSTAL PALACE…

This is what the cinema currently looks (we took a few liberties by photoshopping out the cars and people walking by). It’s a very busy road.

BEFORE:

BUT WHAT IF…

WHAT IF no11: GARAM MASALA

Having recently had a chat with the owner of Garam Masala (and had a great meal there) we suggested doing a ‘What if’ for him.

This is the before:

Our main observations about the current facade are that the yellow sign looks dated, the restaurant looks dark from the outside, some lights near the window would be good. The menu is too far from the door, it should really be next to it (it also stops diners feeling that people are staring at them). To shop front isn’t original so there is a space above the windows which looks odd.

But what if:

WHAT IF ILFRACOMBE

Anyway, we have been hard at work after being contacted by the North Devon Journal on a sister blog ‘What If Ilfracombe’.

www.whatifilfracombe.wordpress.com

Here is an example:

Before:

But what if:

GREENING THE NABOURHOOD CENTRE

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y274/leenewham/avignon.jpg

Just thought I’d throw this out there for comment. If the Nabourhood centre was covered in the green wall system it would cost between £450 to £600 per m2 (I’ve contacted some companies). I roughly estimate that the nabourhood centre is between 40-50m2 that needs covering. So it will cost between £18,000 to £30,000 to use the green wall system on the nabourhood centre. It reduces heat loss and helps keep buildings cook in the summer. It reduces noise. It’s VERY low maintenance. It stops graffiti. It doesn’t need painting. It encourages butterflies etc. It doesn’t damage the building. I know I’m going got get stick from some quarters which I’m fine with because of the Mosaic, which I disagree with (but I think Valerie has done an admirable job in bringing it to the stages of reality). I simply think it’s worth investigating an alternative. If we think it’s worth pursuing this I will. What do you think? Should I pursue it further?

WHAT IF no9: MUSTI’S PART DEUX

This is a sketch (the shapes and pig need refining but you get the idea) for Mustis new sign now that he has his new shop front. We we able to go inside the shop before it was renovated and it has the original ceiling roses from the original light fittings above the false ceiling and the original wooden floor that started in  the middle of the front window where the original door would have been. unfortunately the floor is now concreted over. It would have been great to have revealed the original features in the refit but hopefully they are untouched and safely covered by a new false ceiling.

We have looked at Musti’s before and it generated some interest (it’s how we got to meet the man himself, and what a nice guy he turned out to be).

So here is the latest…complete with pig.

BEFORE

Musti's, as it is today.

But what if…

I drew the pig rather quickly, it's just a rough. Needs some polish...

It is possible to put graphics on roller shutters. I’m not a huge fan of them normally.

So what do you think?

WIS.

Some good feedback for this one the Sydenham Forum:

http://alturl.com/qufd

IF YOU LIKE THIS, PLEASE TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT!

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www.designedbygoodpeople.com

WHAT IF no8: OUR EMPTY SHOPS LOOKED LIKE THIS

Empty shops are a blight on any high street (although sales of window polish go up).

W.I.S. Thinks that owners of empty shops should be forced to ensure that they are presented in an acceptable way. It’s a great opportunity to have art displayed, local history, or as in the case of this ad, history AND an advertisement. Everyone seems to hate those triangular boards stuck above shops saying ‘shop to let’.

The old curtain shop currently looks like this:

SAD, DEPRESSING, BORING, UNLOVED

So how can we take something that is a blight on the high street and turn it into something positive?

What if it looked like this:

POSITIVE, PRETTIER, UNIQUE TO THE AREA

WHAT IF no7: LADY METROS BECOMES GIFT BOX

I don’t know much about this new store except it sells gifts. I guess most people know very little about it as it doesn’t have a sign. When the shutters are shut it doesn’t even look like it’s a business. This is what it currently looks like:

The shop without a face

I presume that once this was once one shop. I think it would be wise to live in harmony with Desire next door and make the sign one colour. Otherwise it’s a bit like those houses that try too hard to be different from their neighbours and you get a drainpipe painted in two different colours.

One other pet hate of mine are roller shutters that completely cover the front of the shop. They make high streets look like prisons. But you can turn a negative into an advantage by painting it.

So a shop without a sign becomes giftbox…

And how it could look

WHAT IF no6: KENTE COFFEE SHOP

Kente is a great little coffee shop in the high street. We are lucky that we now have a few good places to go (although I wish some were open late!).

When I posted the original Deli what if it caused quite a lot of debate which led to calls for Kente to change it’s sign.

This is what Kente looks like at the moment:

Kente before makeover.

It’s blue and yellow signage look more appropriate for estate agents sign that sits above the shop.

Look inside Kente and you will find old travel posters like these:

The lights inside have an art deco feel to them.

So I’ve picked up on some of these visual cues with the type. Colours are warm and inviting golds and reds on a roasted brown background which are colours more associated with coffee. Look at coffee packaging and a majority of it uses browns, blacks, reds and golds/yellows.

The sign would be better on wood rather than the shiny plastic background currently used.

Which could look something like this:

Stage 1

Colours are adjusted (background of sign is very dark ‘roasted brown’), logo is gold with deep rich red-ish brown type for kente. Type is adapted from some type on old travel posters, hand drawn bespoke for this, it’s not just a font!

WHAT IF no5: The HSBC became a Thai Restaurant

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of seeing such a prominent building lay disused for so long.

I don’t know if its possible to open it as a food outlet. We have a few places to eat in the evening, but compared to some places it’ is a bit limited.

I love a good Thai, and generally I go to them in central London. The Thai restaurant near where I used to live in New Cross was incredibly busy, so what if this…

THE HSBC 2009

Becomes something like this…

One other thing, in the background you may notice the wall has an old advertising sign for Cobbs corner on it on the new picture. What if we could ‘recreate’ some of these old painted ad/murals around Sydenham for businesses past and/or present.

MORE FEEDBACK CAN BE FOUND ON THE SYDENHAM FORUM