Colour Analysis of Retail Signage and Shop Fronts on Narborough Road

This data is part of visual outcome of my PhD project: How Does Colour Contribute To Constructing Identity of Place in Urban Environments. The case study of Narborough Road presents visual research and colour analysis of a street scape in Narborough Road area of Leicester, UK. <div><br></div><div>The variety of shop signages, window displays and shop fronts produce a brandscape in street level that reflects an important dimension in the social and economic diversity of Leicester. The retail setting construction needs to be part of a visual regime shaping understandings of the urban environment. </div><div><br></div><div>In total 110 retail shops along Narborough Road have been documented and analysed in terms of deification of corporate identity, corporate colour and colour combination of signage and shop front. </div><div><br></div><div>Each retail design for their shop front and signage in corporate with individual brand strategy. According to my statistics, 31% of the retail establishments implement 'one colour' strategy, 44% two themed colour combinations, 23% use three colours, 13% uses four colours and 3% applies more than five colours for their corporate images. For example, although shops use more than one colour, the colour theme of signage and shop front consists the same in hue, so that a prominent colour. Although shops use more than one colours, a prominent colour still can easily be identified. </div><div><br></div><div>Narborough Road as an aggregation of retail shops that requires the brand should stand out for its competitors. The bright and vibrant corporate colours helps to enhance the brand image and increase its memory. However, in a large scale, the colours of corporate identity in the street are in contrast to each other consequently creating a colourful visual environment. </div><div><br></div><div>Colourfulness implicitly suggests variety and individuality of colour in terms of colour hues and colour combinations. From the case of Narborough Road, the colourfulness has a visual quality that distinguishes it from other places that have been understood as identity of place. It can be argued that colourfulness should be considered as a scientific terminology to describe the visual phenomena in colour theory. Diversity of branscape on Narborough Road provides an empirical case to demonstrate the colourfulness could be considered as well as a design solution for constructing identity in the urban context.