Stray Cat Bar, Zürich
Amazone for the neon sign of the Stray Cat Bar in Zürich’s Aussersihl district, also known as “Chreis Cheib”.
Originally designed by Leonard H. D. Smit as a script typeface without any overhangs and first cast by Lettergieterij Amsterdam in 1958, Amazone was digitized by Bitstream in the early 1990s as Amazone BT, also known as Ribbon 460. The unknown neon sign designer closely followed the details of the typeface, including the looping flourish in C and the high exit strokes in y t r. The latter are a peculiarity of the digital version and are not found back in the metal original. I find it always interesting to see how the look of a typeface changes when it’s adapted to neon. In this case, the medium of monolinear tubes removes Amazone’s distinct contrast, bringing it closer to designs like Kaufmann.
