Size alone cannot always redeem a lack of imagination. Unlike Badalona (see 21) where the letters exploit a central three dimensional object and the steel allows for reflections and surface interest, at Cité Europe - the shopping city on the outskirts of Calais - the huge concrete letters (approximately 2m high) which greet visitors are bland and ill-considered. Although slightly let down by being seen against a plethora of lampstands, standard road signing and planting, the biggest disappointment is with the design of the letters themselves. Or rather, the lack of design: instead of responding to the site, the material, or the distinctive French style of sans serif often used for shop fascias and the like, the typeface Futura is used.