A slim, driver-friendly font used to print road signs. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Most people go about their day without giving a second thought to the ubiquitous signboards that are a part of Hong Kong’s architecture. Many readers consume the city’s vast quantities of newspapers and books without appreciating the skill that went into designing a particular typeface. 

Hong Kong Typographical Expression is the latest cultural exhibition mounted by Nan Fung Development. The atrium of TKO Plaza has been transformed into a gallery subdivided into six categories displaying familiar public typography. There is also a workshop area set up for interactive demonstrations and public participation in techniques such as stenciling. 

Cautionary messages stenciled on a light background through iron chip chiseling. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong typography is bilingual. The city’s population explosion resulted in a four-decade building boom from the 1950s. New roads were paved and marked, new shops opened and every bit of news was recorded in the city’s dailies in English and Chinese. These historical aspects of printed words in Hong Kong are all highlighted in kiosks that provide examples of fonts used in road signs, signboards and print. 

A section on letterpress printing includes a vintage print machine. The accompanying description elaborates on the intricacies of the machine — used to print newspapers, theater tickets and documents in mid-20th century. On the other hand, iron chip chiseling, which produces a stenciled effect, was used to print cautionary notices on walls. 

A letterpress printing machine in action. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Acrylic signboards are cheap and effective ways to provide information. Samples of the  familiar red lettering on a white background can still be spotted  in the older districts of Hong Kong. The exhibition examines ways in which characters have been paired with backgrounds to achieve a particular effect as well as a variety of standardized calligraphic Chinese scripts that were in use. 

For example, slim, uncomplicated fonts are used in road signs so that drivers can read them fast and easily. The exhibition demonstrates how the legibility of English and Chinese road signs can be enhanced by using contrasting white paint on a dark gray pavement and the stylized characters that are typically employed. 

Neon signage is an art form closely associated with Hong Kong’s nightlife and given its proper place of honor at the exhibition. A kiosk outlines how thin glass tubes are shaped with high heat to form characters and filled with different gases to create a range of colors. 

Installation view of the Hong Kong Typographical Expression show at TKO Plaza in Tseung Kwan O. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Ken Fung and Kevin Mak, co-founders of @streetsignhk, are architects by profession who are into preserving street signs in their spare time. They worked with Nan Fung to help bring some of the city’s neon signs to life for the exhibition and are hosting a Neon Light Puzzle Workshop on June 6. 

“TKO Plaza is very easily accessible to the general public,” Fung states. “Of course, we took this opportunity to promote signboard culture and its conservation to a wider audience.”

“Also, the Cantonese word for shopping literally translates as: walking on streets,” Mak notes. “In the old days when people really shopped along the streets, signboards served to attract customers. As the city developed, shopping gradually shifted from streets to shopping malls. Bringing signboards into a shopping mall through this exhibition is an interesting contrast.” 

If you go

Hong Kong Typographical Expression

Date: Until June 9, 2021

Venue: Atrium, TKO Plaza, 1 Tong Tak Street, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories.