Design
Business Cards for Pop Culture’s Best Characters
Television and movies are a key part of our daily lives, keeping us entertained in the comfort of large couches and beds alike. With those TV shows and movies come iconic characters that we grow to love. Though we feel like we know the intricacies of these characters’ personal lives, have you ever stopped to […]
The fading beauty of ghost signs
Have you ever walked past a building and noticed an old, hand-painted advertisement slowly fading away? It may be fading and difficult to read, but it is still visible. This is called a “ghost sign”. Usually, they are kept for sentimental purposes or simply if the owner doesn’t care to have it removed. Many ghost […]
A short history on the London Underground sign: Sixth in a SmartSign blog series on famous signs and their origins
The bar and disc used by Transport for London is quite possibly Britain’s most identifiable transportation symbol, as well as cultural icon. The logo, which was created in 1905, started out as a bar crossing through a wheel, with wings to symbolize the city’s newly motorized buses. Three years later, this was changed to a […]
The neon of New York City
New York City has long been known for its array of lights and neon signs. New York’s history with neon signage, however, has been nothing short of simple. In the 1930’s, neon signs were an integral part of the New York City landscape, representing the image of NYC as a “glamorous metropolis”. Neon signage was […]
A short history of the Boston Citgo sign: Fifth in a SmartSign blog series on famous signs and their origins
The Citgo sign is known to be an icon particularly for its appearance on television, seen in the background of baseball games. The square sign, standing at 60 feet, overlooks Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Citgo Petroleum Corporation, or Citgo, is a refiner and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, and other industrial products. The company’s […]
A short history of the ‘Hollywood’ sign: Fourth in a SmartSign blog series on famous signs and their origins
Many know the famous Hollywood sign as one of the most historic landmarks in Los Angeles and a worldwide symbol of the entertainment industry. What most people don’t know is that it was actually originally built as a real-estate advertisement. The original sign read “Hollywooodland” and was created in 1923 to advertise the upscale real-estate […]
A short history of English pub signage: Third in a SmartSign blog series on famous signs and their origins
The English pub is quintessentially English, like roast beef, tea and the Tudor rose– even the smallest village in the English countryside has a pub. (The oldest English pub still in existence, Ye Old Fighting Cocks, was founded in 795.) And the pub sign, universally part of the pub’s appeal, has an unusual origin of […]
