Signs of the times « Big Orange Slide

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Thursday, May 24th, 2012

Signs of the times

Design

August 11, 2010 by Ian Mackenzie

The face of ads in downtown Buffalo as of last Friday. Better than a vinyl? Not sure. But 20 years in they still look cool.

9 Comments

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9 Comments on "Signs of the times"

Jacoub Bondre
August 11, 2010 @ 3:33 pm

I prefer paint to vinyl for sure. In NYC you can see some brilliant work. Specifically at the corner of Broadway and Houston.
Michelle Davey
August 11, 2010 @ 3:52 pm

I have huge appreciation for painted signage. Infact, I have a huge collection of photographs of painted signage from all over.

The typography is always amazing. This is definitely a lost art. :(
Ian Mackenzie
August 11, 2010 @ 4:08 pm

Have you seen “Up there“?
andre tedford
August 11, 2010 @ 4:18 pm

Its the story the paint tells – that’s what I dig about old building ad’s.

Vinyl looks just like the screen shot… but hitting print on a computer and the method, time, technique, danger, pain, weather, planning, equipment, training….. the art form of painting on a side of a brick wall you have a story about the doing the work, not a story about the number of revisions you did for the client.

great shot !

-a
Liam Mooney
August 11, 2010 @ 4:43 pm

Thanks for sharing Ian!

These gems are called Ghostsigns, and are just totally amazing.

Loads of people actually document these from across America, here is a site from the UK:

http://www.hatads.org.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=33

Most of the signs were painted from 1890-1960 before the advent of more durable forms, aka vinyl.

Anyway, you have really got to love the way these ads captured the onset of unbridled capitalism that existed in the United States before the Great Depression.

Makes one wonder: hundreds of years from now will archaeologists use these ghost signs as a way of analyzing our behaviours and the way we organized our societies and modes of production? If they are still around that is.

Here is an AWESOME article from the New York Times re: the Ghostsigns of Manhattan.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E6DF143EF936A35752C1A9639C8B63
Billy Buttery
August 11, 2010 @ 5:21 pm

I love the progression of ads being painted…It’s been a while since I’ve seen one in Toronto though. “Up There” is a great documentary
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August 11, 2010 @ 7:55 pm

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Ian Mackenzie
August 11, 2010 @ 9:29 pm

@andre Agreed. I love the sense of process that comes with paint. And how the story evolves over time. Long periods of time. Also, there’s something nice about how this particular example has “Draper” in the copy.

@Liam. Thanks for the links. and the term “ghostsigns”.

“. . . you have really got to love the way these ads captured the onset of unbridled capitalism that existed in the United States before the Great Depression.” Yup. How is it that industrial architecture from that era is so endlessly photogenic?

@billy. Local ghostsigns? Here are some nice ones from Toronto as shared with us by @vISUALwALL on Twitter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davetill/354324761/in/set-72157594474186564/
Ryan Fox
August 12, 2010 @ 2:32 am

Paint FTW. It just has so much more character.

And on a brick façade? Yes please. I love the thought of an urban canvas.