The Golden Dragon Wok

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  • Title: The Golden Dragon Wok: A Visual Survey of the Evocative Essence of Chinese Restaurant Signage Designs in an American Chinatown
  • Author(s): Kok Cheow Yeoh
  • Publisher: Common Ground Research Networks
  • Collection: Common Ground Research Networks
  • Series: Design Principles & Practices
  • Journal Title: The International Journal of Visual Design
  • Keywords: Signage, Typography, Chinese, Chinatown, Restaurant, Gastronomy, San Francisco, Elements, Principles, Design, Graphic, Dim-Sum, Globalism, Social, Identity
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue: 2
  • Date: March 24, 2017
  • ISSN: 2325-1581 (Print)
  • ISSN: 2325-159X (Online)
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1581/CGP/v11i02/1-17
  • Citation: Yeoh, Kok Cheow. 2017. "The Golden Dragon Wok: A Visual Survey of the Evocative Essence of Chinese Restaurant Signage Designs in an American Chinatown." The International Journal of Visual Design 11 (2): 1-17. doi:10.18848/2325-1581/CGP/v11i02/1-17.
  • Extent: 17 pages

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Abstract

Ethnic entrepreneurs in America often carve out an economic niche in the food and beverage industry, showcasing restaurants as an authentic experience especially in American Chinatowns. The main goal of this research is to offer a visual analysis in explaining how design elements found in San Francisco’s Chinatown restaurant signage contribute to their gastronomic identity. A total of sixty-three restaurants were analyzed using a framework based on the interactions between elements, their characteristics and their interactions as put forth by designer and educator John Bowers. Ninety percent of the eateries positioned Chinese characters above and before English alphabets on their main signboards, fostering a visual significance in contributing to the gastronomic identity of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, California.