Monday, February 4, 2008

a yummy piece of history

to me, potbelly has a sort of 30's depression sort of feel. i can see all the poor people coming in for a delicious sandwich. the slightly bland and neutral color scheme of the whole store goes along with the poor and living on the street feel. the typeface is laid back..they were wise in not using a sans serif font or a elegant type...the name speaks for itself. the name potbelly makes me think of people gathered around the potbelly stove trying to keep warm in the harsh winter when the newspaper isnt doing justice.

8 comments:

I'd Rather Be Baking said...

interesting interoperation. I have never thought of connecting the potbelly logo with the depression, but I definitely see that connection now. I agree that the logo would not have been as effective if they had chosen to use a serif typeface. Ironically, the san serif font makes it look more classic and older than a serif font would.

MerBEAR said...

I never connected that with the depression either but I see it now. I think the green color used gives the logo a more updated and hip look.

Sarah Reed said...

Interestingly enough, I see more of a sixties look to the typeface that the designers chose for Potbelly's. This is probably because the letters are fatter and have the same curves as sixties typefaces, and the yellow color adds to its brightness. However, I'm not entirely sure...sixties typefaces had rounded brackets around the serifs, and this one doesn't. Anyway, I still think the typeface brings a fun quality to the logo, especially with the curved baseline and angled letters.

anits said...

I never really thought of the Potbelly logo as a 30's era motif. But now I can kind of see the connection with the old fireplace picture incorporated into the logo. I actually probably connected the typography of this logo to 60's or 70's era because of the big, fat type used, which was common in the 60's and 70's. But the colors used are more modern...if it was connected to the 60's or 70's they would use bright and psychedelic colors.

LmBaptista said...

i agree with Kazoo....i dont see it at all with any intrpretation going to the past...i have no culture of the potbelly sign and to me it really seems quie modern , and i would fin hard to connect it with older times, just because of the clean shapes and how everything is displayed.

Bethany said...

I think potbellys is definitely playing off that era. The do it through with the style of food store that it is and that whole stand in line make the order get your food almost like your in that period standing in line to get your soup for the day. so of course they are going to keep that theme going in their logo. the color pallet i think is key but there also a feel like a sign quickly put up to announce the availability of food, rough, but purposeful.

pollypocket said...

I LOVE POTBELLY's! Not only are their sandwiches delicious, but I love to look around while I am standing in line at their unique ways of advertising! Everything from their typeface choices to their imagery has a very hand done, old-fashioned feel. I never would have thought to relate their logo to the depression! Cool connection!

skidmark said...

I never thought of it as depressing, but I do see the throwback feel. It looks more like a 60s or 70s type because of the roundness. This typeface brings in the fun-ness of the atmosphere and gives a homey feel!