Chinatown: Western Brands With Chinese Characters

Can you identify a big-name brand just by its logo? Probably. But what if the words are spelled with Chinese characters? It’s a question we never really thought to ask ourselves until Istanbul-based designer Mehmet Gözetlik confronted us with his meticulously made art project, Chinatown.

Gözetlik painstakingly handcrafted neon lights to create the logos of Western brands with the company names switched out for the generic terms, like how LEGO becomes ‘Toy’, Ford is shown as ‘Car’, and 7-Eleven becomes ‘Grocery Store.’ The whole thing is an exercise in brand recognition and seeing how corporate identities translate across cultural divides. Of course, it’s also an impressive showcase for some masterful work by Gözetlik, and if we were Burger King, we’d pony up the necessary cash for that sign right now. Check out the video below. [Via]