1980s Camera Store
From the “A Graphic Designer Made That” course, we were tasked with creating storefront signage and window dressing for a struggling mom-and-pop camera store called “Dawson Camera Stop” set in the late 1980s. In addition, we were challenged to come up with a fictional camera company and logo, complete with a film negatives envelope.
In the sample script we were provided with, the “Dawson Camera Stop” is a store that sits on a main street of a small town and is described as “the kind of place that should be bustling, but not a lot of traffic these days.”
I imagined this “once-beloved” camera store was founded a few decades prior to the late 1980s, so I referenced 1950s storefronts for the hero sign. I created custom typography for “Dawson”, inspired by various retro script styles.
Leaning into the “mom-and-pop” of it all, the window graphic is meant to feel warm, welcoming, and classic. For finishing touches, I textured it with paint strokes to give it some aging and a handmade feel.
I designed a logo that followed 1980s trends: bold, italicized, and futuristic. Orange was a popular color during this time period, particularly in the camera world. Lines cutting through the typography were seen as tech-forward and innovative.
