Yeah, yeah, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Um … until, that is, you see all of them all at once …
I was in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan a few weeks ago. That’s “hicksville” to those of you who don’t know it by its other moniker, the “Paris of the Prairies.” I grew up there, and it is remarkable for how little it changes. But this time I did notice something I hadn’t seen before: an extreme proliferation of these low-tech, customizable, neon-lettered signs. This wasn’t a case of “Ew, look at that.” followed a day later by “Ew, there’s another one.” Nope, this was a case of “Holy crap, look at all these signs!”
They are everywhere: streets are lined with them one after another, and despite the visual overload, they are remarkably eye-catching and weirdly unique.
I couldn’t help but think of the sign salesman, what a killing he must be making. I was also intrigued by the rustic simplicity of the things. Steel square tubing forms the frame, sometimes with wheels, sometimes not; plywood, painted black; some plastic strips to hold the letters—and voila!
It didn’t take long before I decided I had to photograph them, and I soon became obssessed. Driving my elderly mother around town, it was difficult for me to resist the urge to slam on the brakes every few blocks, or careen around corners in an effort to capture another one. She simply wouldn’t understand, so I had to pass on some real beauties.
Not just for the “Brass & String” stores (as my friend Dan so adeptly labelled those hapless businesses you can’t possibly imagine anyone making a living from); these signs are used to advertise everything you can imagine. From home businesses to businesses which, in most other cities you might think would be concerned about … er … graphic standards.
They are on busy streets, side streets, in fields, strip malls, in front of churches and schools, on lawns in front of houses.
No business or organization, it seems, can do without one of these signs.
But, wait! Lest you think I’m here to bemoan and decry these as excrescences upon the urban landscape, I have to confess that I am not. There is something intriguing about the concept: think about it: One typeface (only upper case), a few different sizes, rigid linearity, and a limited amount of space. Hmmm … sounds an awful lot like a student typography exercise.
And indeed, I started to become quite interested in the variety of expression within such a limited range. No, these signs don’t have personality (or at least, about as much as your average Saskatoon citizen), but they do have a certain inventiveness, coupled with accidental brilliance.
Or simply accidence.
I don’t see these as a blight, merely a passing phase, soon to be replaced by some more “sophisicated” version, or digital display. I would like to have one in front of my house. It might say
Got something to say? Say it big. Say it loud. Say it in neon letters.
Ah, the whistling repertory of the common man... aka the vernacular
Marian, your "marquee signs" are slightly different (neon letters), yet similar to source material appropriated for non-vernacular design use. For example, this CD box set designed by Giulio Turturro:
It's funny how everyday folks seem to be able to deal with the lack of proper punctuation; compared to the design-types in the New School thread.
On May.24.2005 at 01:51 AM