The Roll of Shop Signs in Transforming Townscape (Case Study: Chahar-Bagh-e Abbasi Street)*

Cityscape is a medium between man and the phenomenon of city as well as the visual-meaning-related embodiment of the components of space; one component of cityscape is the signage and billboards. Advertising billboards, introducing products and services- can increase the activity and vitality of space or cause confusion. This is where the cityscapes of most of the active city-centers are covered with colour billboards. These colorful billboards have been juxtaposed overtime to satisfy the needs of shop-owners and seek the attention of the customers; therefore, they show the unique characteristic which is a particular visual identity and is the result of the effects of people’s culture and is in accordance with the needs and taste of the day. Chahar-Bagh-e Abbasi street is one of the oldest and most important streets of Isfahan city that is covered with the ad-billboards of shops and stores. Shop signs as one of the elements of cityscape can have positive or negative effects on qualities of public spaces. This article has used descriptive- analytic way of research. Then by observing and collecting the information from the site, the strong and weak points of ad-billboards in Chahar-Bagh-e-Abbasi street were studied. Finally, it was concluded that the billboards have a form of harmony and arrangement with the fabric, though it does not contain visual attraction, due to the inappropriate use of color and lack of attention to the cultural background. And it is required to make reforms in this area. Three different approaches to accomplish these reforms are adopted. This article choosing the third approach establishes common quality and quantity principles provides suitable templates and examples and offers a design framework and general recommendations and organization of advertising signs on the Chahar-Bagh-e Abbasi street.