My company makes the breakaway systems used in the bases for most highway signs and light poles. Because of this... Transpo employees have taken an interest in road signs as we travel around.
One of my personal favorite, from England, is a "frog crossing" sign!
-Cyd Gorman, Marketing Manager, Transpo Industries Inc.
You've really outdone yourself, Gene. What a great slice of lost Americana. And an interesting sampling of design. I recall seeing many unique roadside signs as a kid in the 1960's/70's traveling Route 66/US 40 from southern California to visit relatives in small Oklahoma towns. Those small towns still had many older signs that have certainly been replaced and standardized/homogenized by now. Thanks for a great lesson: design imparts character.
-Bob Allen
Thanks for the nostalgia "trip." I remember when they replaced the fuel burning lanterns with electric lanterns in the early '60s and even at my young age I saw it as something sad. When they would work on the highway in front of our house they gave my father a small can of fuel and asked him to keep an eye on those spherical torches/lanterns used to mark hazards at night.
Thanks for another great visual resource I can show my high school Advertising Design students! Being a lover of all things vintage, I realize they don't appreciate it as much as I do, but who cares?! They will never experience the wealth of great design America possesses unless someone forces them to take a look. Again, thank you for such excellent research!
When a local intersection street sign, which was produced by prisoners, was installed regardless of the sign containing incorrect spelling of both street names, the residents near the intersection voiced their discontent to the local authorities. When they encountered a deaf ear, the sign mysteriously disappeared! That just goes to show that there is such a thing as sign proof stages. ;-)
These are a great reference to old and some really great looking signage, problem is we have no way of using them as a guide if we want to re create a shape or feel, a long time ago I was able to download a PDF file of these great stories and articles but no more, would it be to much to ask to bring the PDF back, I have about 230 emails saved and im sure most of the links wont work any more. Please bring them back!
Just a note to say how much I love these weekly offerings. I don't do much design work but when I do I dig into my stash of old mags to plagia . . . er, find inspiration.
Mr Gable, have you seen issues of Forbes magazine from the 20s? The most beautiful printing I have ever seen.
Submitted by dysonswift on Tue, 04/21/2009 - 15:45.
Oddly enough, for several days now I have been thinking about the round ball torches that I would see at road construction sites at night. Our city didn't have anything as fancy as the "Perfected Storm Kink Torch" that you show, just beat up spheres with a wick out of the top and a small cover to protect protect the flame from rain.
The "mean" kids would roll them down the street like bowling balls or use them to set up their own road barricade.
I also remember the reflectors with the red glass marbles. I had one that I used as a paper weight for years. Oh my gosh! I ever remember when you needed paper weights. (sigh)
Every article on CreativePro.com has a Print button at the bottom of the article. Click on that button and a print dialog box will appear. On the Mac, that dialog box looks like this:
Instead of outputting to a printer, you can output to PDF.
On my Windows PC, the dialog looks different, but the Adobe PDF print driver is still available. Click it and you have a PDF!
Re the catalog caption referring to "one of the new San Francisco bridges"--that the Golden Gate! Those guys in Portland must have had some bridge envy to be so casual about it.
Is there really a Festus, MO? If there isn't, someone will have to invent it.
Unique Signs
My company makes the breakaway systems used in the bases for most highway signs and light poles. Because of this... Transpo employees have taken an interest in road signs as we travel around.
One of my personal favorite, from England, is a "frog crossing" sign!
-Cyd Gorman, Marketing Manager, Transpo Industries Inc.
Americana in signs
You've really outdone yourself, Gene. What a great slice of lost Americana. And an interesting sampling of design. I recall seeing many unique roadside signs as a kid in the 1960's/70's traveling Route 66/US 40 from southern California to visit relatives in small Oklahoma towns. Those small towns still had many older signs that have certainly been replaced and standardized/homogenized by now. Thanks for a great lesson: design imparts character.
-Bob Allen
Torches
Thanks for the nostalgia "trip." I remember when they replaced the fuel burning lanterns with electric lanterns in the early '60s and even at my young age I saw it as something sad. When they would work on the highway in front of our house they gave my father a small can of fuel and asked him to keep an eye on those spherical torches/lanterns used to mark hazards at night.
Road signs
Thanks for another great visual resource I can show my high school Advertising Design students! Being a lover of all things vintage, I realize they don't appreciate it as much as I do, but who cares?! They will never experience the wealth of great design America possesses unless someone forces them to take a look. Again, thank you for such excellent research!
sign quality erosion
When a local intersection street sign, which was produced by prisoners, was installed regardless of the sign containing incorrect spelling of both street names, the residents near the intersection voiced their discontent to the local authorities. When they encountered a deaf ear, the sign mysteriously disappeared! That just goes to show that there is such a thing as sign proof stages. ;-)
another great post!
Thanks Gene : )
WHY WHY WHY.....No more PDF!!
These are a great reference to old and some really great looking signage, problem is we have no way of using them as a guide if we want to re create a shape or feel, a long time ago I was able to download a PDF file of these great stories and articles but no more, would it be to much to ask to bring the PDF back, I have about 230 emails saved and im sure most of the links wont work any more. Please bring them back!
Thnkx, B
love this stuff
Just a note to say how much I love these weekly offerings. I don't do much design work but when I do I dig into my stash of old mags to plagia . . . er, find inspiration.
Mr Gable, have you seen issues of Forbes magazine from the 20s? The most beautiful printing I have ever seen.
I remember
Oddly enough, for several days now I have been thinking about the round ball torches that I would see at road construction sites at night. Our city didn't have anything as fancy as the "Perfected Storm Kink Torch" that you show, just beat up spheres with a wick out of the top and a small cover to protect protect the flame from rain.
The "mean" kids would roll them down the street like bowling balls or use them to set up their own road barricade.
I also remember the reflectors with the red glass marbles. I had one that I used as a paper weight for years. Oh my gosh! I ever remember when you needed paper weights. (sigh)
Re "WHY WHY WHY.....No more PDF!!"
Hello B,
You can still save articles as PDFs. Here's how:
Every article on CreativePro.com has a Print button at the bottom of the article. Click on that button and a print dialog box will appear. On the Mac, that dialog box looks like this:
Instead of outputting to a printer, you can output to PDF.
On my Windows PC, the dialog looks different, but the Adobe PDF print driver is still available. Click it and you have a PDF!
Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com
Highway signs and gear
Re the catalog caption referring to "one of the new San Francisco bridges"--that the Golden Gate! Those guys in Portland must have had some bridge envy to be so casual about it.
Is there really a Festus, MO? If there isn't, someone will have to invent it.
Great stuff as always, Gene.
sign catalog scanning
What a great article and so nicely designed!
Thanks!
-Steve