Vol. 41: An Ambitious Information Sign in the South of France

It was the beginning of May, but the weather in Nice was unusually cold and changeable. gAt this time of the year itfs usually possible to catch sight of beautiful woman parading around topless!h Our veteran tour guide who was keeping us company on our tour of Europe expressed himself almost apologetically. In front of the famous Hotel Negresco, all one could see was the gray sea and a wholly unremarkable beach beneath the dull sky.

The city of Nice itself was even more uninteresting, having the aspect of any tedious provincial city. I felt as though my expectations had been way off mark, but I did on the other hand notice this information sign. It consisted of a wind-up convertible advertising space, a message board, a map of the city streets, and a clock. The Japanese are well-known for cramming as much as possible into a restricted space, but I can never recall ever having seen in Japan quite so many functions crammed into such limited space. But the uncramped appearance, despite the overly ambitious nature of the sign, is no doubt a result of the skillful design. Although they greatly value the appearance of their old cities, the French are willing to incorporate sharp designs reflecting modern taste into them. These designs blend well with classical urban features. This success comes about from a developed design sense.

I saw signs similar to these in other cities in the south of France. This photograph was taken in the city of Montpelier.






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