City Aesthetics And Typography In Terms Of The Reflections Of Visual Culture On Social Structure And City Culture: Samsun City Typography

Tarık YAZAR – Ali TOMAK – Ali SEYLAN – Abdulkerim TURKAYA

Abstract
From social perspective, a city is a residential area which consists of individuals who do not show similarity, and which has a nature of continuity in a relatively large populous area. As to economic criterion, a city is an economic mechanism which emerges in the process of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services so as to be able to meet the continuously changing requirements. In this economic mechanism and in this residential area which has a nature of continuity, one of the most important elements which keeps individuals together and provides interaction is effective communication. In the process of development of cities in accordance with the planning, so as to be able to respond to social expectations, one of the characteristics which must be considered is geographical location, strategic importance, historic texture, social structure, its being a cultural arts center, graphic design and cosequently city typography. In the graphics designs prepared in order to realize communication between people living in the city, typography is the one mostly used.
The art of establishing fonts into a two-dimensional surface is called “typography”. That typography, as a designing element, provides a visual communication has led to the existence of it in every field of life. In city life signboards, signs which show directions and places, posters and even writings on the walls, graphities,which we meet everyday both provide visual communication language and have a negative or positive impact on city aesthetics. Humanbeings continuously interact with physical world in which they live, and with all of the visual elements in their surroundings. For this reason, the applications in which typography is used and is thought to have an important place in city life must be functionally analysed corecttly and must be designed to provide contribution to city aesthetics.
In this study, we have aimed at taking notice of people to the place and importance of typography in various dimensions in the axis of visual culture; and in this context, Samsun city typography has been evaluated by using various examples.

Key words: Visual culture, City aesthetics, City culture, City typography, Typography.