To the readers of the A&B portal, the Traffic Design association is well known. The Gdynia-based collective, which is slowly repairing the world with the help of good design, carried out another successful change in visual identity. This time the metamorphosis concerned a car repair shop.
The goal of the artists from Traffic Design was a new identity for the car repair shop
Photo: Rafał Kołsut © Traffic Design
mission to repair the space
As part of the Re:design challenge, artists affiliated with or working with Traffic Design help small businesses transform their signs so that they are not only more attractive to customers, but also don't visually litter the space. Although the artists are primarily active in Gdynia(see here), their projects can also be seen in other cities such as Lodz and Elblag(see here). The collective believes that quality design and interest in it will grow after each completed project.
We are constantly looking for new and interesting design themes. We are keen to act in neighborhoods, because we know that one good sign can inspire neighboring businesses to make visual changes. That's why after the milk bar in Chylonia, the time has come for a vulcanization and car repair shop in Grabówek," points out Monika Domanska of Traffic Design.
The workshop before and after the change of identification
photo: Rafał Kołsut © Traffic Design
an unusual challenge
We often associate car workshops with buildings pasted with banners of brands that produce particular parts. The same was the case with the "mechanic" in Grabówek, Gdynia, where the workshop, operating since 1968, underwent a unique metamorphosis.
The most important thing was to change the color scheme and create a new signboard. It was decided to go for an intense blue color, which appears on the doors, lettering and fence. Attention is also drawn to the modern signboard made by the traditional method, which is repainting. It involves transferring a design to the wall using cardboard with a punched outline. This technique was used, among others, by Stanislaw Wyspianski in the Franciscan Church in Krakow.
When creating a new signboard, repainting was used
Photo: Rafał Kołsut © Traffic Design
In addition to changing the signboard and color scheme, it was important to reduce incentives. All unnecessary banners were removed. Instead, the workshop's phone number was painted in large numbers, significantly improving the company's visibility. The lettering was designed by Eugenia Tynna specifically for this project. It's worth noting that the author had previously done a unique "Gdansk Alphabet" project, involving the creation of terrazzo cubes with lettering that can be found all over Gdansk(see here).
The semaphore sign that stands in front of the gate was also solved in an interesting way. This is an example of upcycling, as hand-painted sheet metal and a tire from a vintage beetle were used here. It's hard not to notice such a creatively solved signboard.
Semaphore signboard signaling the location of the workshop from the street side
Photo: Rafał Kołsut © Traffic Design
proving that less is more
Each successive realization of the Traffic Design association shows how reducing the amount of information and media improves a company's visibility. The excessive and meaningless amount of advertising we encounter in public space has the opposite effect. Whether it is a multinational corporation or a neighborhood auto repair shop. Let's hope that the grassroots improvement of aesthetics in Gdynia, supported by the local government, will influence other larger and smaller cities in terms of organizing space, advertising and supporting local businesses.
The history of the site dates back to 1968
photo: Rafał Kołsut © Traffic Design
