The Vernacular Typography of Street Vendors: Migrant Cultural Identity in Surabaya

Abstract: Street vendors in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, are a part of informal sector of businesses undertaken by migrants. They are considered as a social phenomenon. Their presence is often considered to reduce the beauty of the city as it occupies public areas. Nevertheless, street vendors are recognized for their support of Surabaya’s economy. They appear with their visual identity on their cover stalls that are often made from striking color fabrics. Generally, the stall design shows pictures of food menu along with typical information in large fonts that dominate the cover stall’s surface. The main topic of this research deals with how migrant communities in Surabaya develop a visual culture through street vendor cover stall design, especially through their use of unique graphic style typefaces as their cultural identity. Vernacular typography on street vendors creatively serves as a local visual culture and also performs an issue of interest between authority and power orientation.