Noah's Yard poking fun at their neighbours

Noah's Yard is a café/bar just 5 minutes up the road from where we work. Inside, it's full of comfy sofas, quirky artwork and even a selection of retro board games. The objects in there feel like they've taken years to curate, and together they form a place that feels a million miles away from all the high street chain bars.

You can often find the James Good team there, tucked away near the back, on a Friday evening. A pint of Peroni or a Bombay Sapphire and tonic is the perfect antidote to a busy week of work.

Recently, Noah's Yard caused a bit of a stir by taking down their signage. The old signage was perfectly adequate; raised black letters mounted on a white fascia. Simple and understated.

Noah's Yard take down their old signage

The new fascia has a rusty metal front and the name "Noah's Yard" has been pushed into the corner, leaving a big space in the middle for a line of movable magnetic letters. Every few days the sign is changed to a new message or phrase.

It struck us that this was like a physical version of a Twitter feed; short, regular updates, used to keep customers in the loop. It's been used to support community causes ("Save Ffynone"), advertise events ("The Amigos Tonight") and even poke fun at the neighbours ("Difficult Tan"). It seems to have become a real talking point, both on social networks and in the real world.

The Amigos Tonight

The Hangover

Your House

One day the sign read "Your Name Here" and it inspired us to do a bit of guerilla marketing. We stayed late after work to cut out some of our own letters (set in Helvetica, of course).

Then, we got up at the crack of dawn the following day, armed with our letters, a telescopic ladder and a camera. We cheekily (and carfeully) took down Noah's letters and replaced them with our own message: "James Good Woz Ere". After spending about 30 minutes carefully kerning the letters, we sat back to admire our handy work...

James Good Woz Ere

Extreme Kerning

In case you're wondering, we returned Noah's letters later on that evening and gladly he didn't press charges. 

As you can probably tell, we like Noah's Yard. By thinking differently, they have created a unique experience that people naturally love to talk about. Their customers don't mind paying a little more for their drinks when they're served with care and in an environment that's as cosy as your living room, but also as cool as an art gallery.