Sometimes I think that walking into a coffee shop might be as close as I'm ever going to get to describing the feeling of entering a different dimension. Even somewhere as artsy as downtown Moscow, and even on a day like today when there's a concert going on right outside, One World Cafe is like a pocket dimension. You can't hear the wail of electric guitars or the drums or anything as soon as the door shuts behind you.
I chose the photos I chose because, to me, they exemplify the pieces of every one of these establishments that lets you know that you are in a coffee shop--not a restaurant, not an insurance office, not a fast food place.
Coffee shops have fashioned themselves such a solid and recognizable image that, honestly, the more I think about it the more impressed I am. As far as this relates to semiotics, I think a lot of the "signs" are more objects, or collections of objects, more than they're actual the actual signs littered around the place.
We’ll
discuss the actual signs first.
As
a bit of a typography nut, I think it’s worth mentioning that almost every
single coffee shop logo has one very interesting thing in common—cutesy, “girly”
fonts.
Take this photo for example. Do you see that logo? Are you paying extra special attention to the font? If I showed you a photo of several different coffee shop logos, do you think you would see the similarity? There is a very specific type of font that coffee shops seem to favor: they aren't particular straight, they don't even have even kerning, and they are all sort of... well, cutesy. It gives them the impression of a playful, relaxed establishment. One full of people you can hope to get along with, because they don't take themselves too seriously.
Another thing worth considering is how coffee shops have built themselves around the idea of an artistic, creative environment. I've never walked into a coffee shop that was not covered head to toe in art or some form, and a good 90% of it can be expected to be on sale. The lights are dim, the chairs are all mismatched (and way too comfy to promote productivity, if I may be so bold--I don't think you understand just how many accidental naps I've taken in the middle of One World). The music is good, but I suppose that's a matter of a opinion, and if you take the time to notice, it's obvious that the music they play is supposed to be quiet and relaxing, which further adds to the atmosphere. Everything about their carefully controlled environment is constructed to reflect what we think of as the stereotypical artist, sitting in a studio apartment surrounded by paintings and music, wearing a black turtleneck and dark glasses.
Also they're attached to a ceramics studio, so that definitely helps the image.
Probably the last thing to note about the way coffee shops work to establish their particular "scene" is that there is a certain air of controlled chaos about them. Things are not strewn randomly about the cafe but they are arranged to give the appearance of it. Each piece of clutter is carefully placed to mimic it just sort of naturally piling up over time.
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