HomeWhat does Dr. Cho’s sign tell us about future design trends?
11. Dec, 2009 
6 Comments
During a recent visit to my lovely small Midwest hometown, I was happy to see that my pediatrician’s storefront continued to look exactly as it always had as far back as I can remember. Beginning at age nine or ten, I visited Dr. Cho weekly for my allergy shot, which might have been miserably boring were it not for her amiable demeanor (and the comic shop down the street). Being borderline neurotic and very likely a hypochondriac, I frequently reminded Dr. Cho that air bubbles had been known to stop hearts, and she’d just laugh and stick me. Ten minutes later (sometimes longer) she’d return to examine the red welt that had formed at the injection site on either my left or right upper arm. “No reaction.”
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Frankly, seeing Dr. Cho’s never-changing signage was reassuring after a decade of change. In Morris alone during the the past ten years, two near iconic sites were demolished in favor of shiny new things; a gorgeous Gothic looking, five-span through-truss bridge was exploded after a newer, wider, structurally sound model finally opened to traffic, and the handsome brick twenties-era building where I attended first through fifth grades was demolished in favor of a still unbuilt courthouse (which will presumably have functioning heat and insulation).
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Continued after this reminder photo sponsored by The Yellow Mini-Blind Corporation:
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Dr. Cho’s storefront still stands out – that’s what they’re supposed to do. And her sign’s so retro it’s almost back to being very now again. But even if the sign turns out to not be very now now after all, it will almost certainly be very very now (again) very very soon. Dr. Cho’s seventies-era font is just slightly off-style, but I predict it’ll be the rage next year. As far as the colors, Pantone “the world-renowned authority on colour” says 2010′s color of the year will be turquoise. (Which means there’s a lot of turquoise in the pipeline, so you better decide quickly whether you’re in or you’re out). Assuming that blue-green hue lives up to the Pantone promise, can aqua be far behind? Are they even different colors? And while it’s true that the yellow mini-blinds might be a bit, um, not very now, when all the elements are taken together with the iconic smiley face, I think the overall effect is timeless. Happy Friday folks.
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It was a slow death for the old bridge. Until they exploded it. Photo from Halverson Construction.
Above: Morris River Bridge. Image from Bridgehunter.com.
Thanks Tate for perking up my morning. Now if I could just get Strange Closets to serve me coffee in bed……w/a bagel…..and some lox. Oh, and please toast the bagel.
And cream cheese.
That is the most mesmerizingly hideous storefront I have EVER seen. Each of the elements that comprise it is worse than the one before ! And to think that you had to go there every week and get a shot. I picture you driving up with your mom and sitting in the parking lot staring at that weird smiley face before getting out of the car to go in.
That formative experience could’ve been what set you out on the design path you so steadfastly follow now.
Tate,
As a fellow Morris expat, thanks for a trip down memory lane. It’s funny how the storefront looks exactly the same as it did years ago!
At least it’s kind of comforting to know there are still doctors out there who keep their fees reasonable instead of charging up the wazoo for luxury suites.
Hi, Tate. Aqua vs turquoise – actually Dr. Cho’s storefront name and happy face on arc ARE aqua – it is paler than turquoise. You are SO right about the myriad yellow miniblinds, I thought they were just wide vertical blinds. Maybe Dr. Cho should just upgrade to verticals, in a nice shade of tan or khaki to complement the brickwork and not fight with the AQUA signage.