Hand Painted Signs of Savannah pt. 2 (of 3)

More Beautiful type and signage from Savannah, Georgia.

Handpainted Signs of Old Atlanta pt. 3 (of 3)

This final installment of Atlanta's handpainted signs is a bittersweet one for me, as I no longer reside in Atlanta. These images bring up a little bit of nostalgia in me, and they are a reminder of a culture that I am now far away from. New York definitely has its fair share of handpainted signs, but they are generally much more slick and refined, void of a style that feels like it developed in isolation from the rest of the world. They also lose so much of their power and mystique when they are just one of many storefronts on a never ending block of buildings. Many of these buildings in this and the previous posts are surrounded by nothing but forest. You also lose a sense of the total building environment, with everything from the sides of the building, the front door, windows, and even the roof, not to mention the fence, front yard signage, and mailbox being a part of an overall design system.

A photographic study of New York signage was done in this book: Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York, and thoroughly shows what would be more of an older New York City style of signage. The signs are more slick/refined, have higher production quality, and are less 'raw,' but still have a great deal of character.  

One of the last apparent examples of the once ubiquitous design system for the Sock Man. As few as two years ago, you used to see trucks around the city with the iconic sock character and red and yellow type. There were also several storefronts, one of which was located on Glenwood. The identity was apparently developed by Trent.

One of the first handpainted signs that ever stuck in my mind, was this green street sign cut from wood. What really struck me was that all other signs around it, in the entire city in fact, are the standard government regulation green street name signs, with white type printed on a green metal rectangular. This sign roughly imitates the standard sign, and really makes you wonder how it came about. I have often wondered if maybe the original sign was damaged by a car, and the community could not get a timely response from the government for a new one to be made. Eventually someone just made their own, not caring whether it was a mechanically printed metal sign or a handpainted wood one, and it stuck. No matter what the reason, it shows a commitment and care of the people for the community in which they live, and also a refreshing sense of resourcefulness and independence.

Ad for a plumber, found on Candler Road. I love the tiny bear face above the 'n' in 'Plumbing'. Art done by local artist Kyle Brooks.

Handpainted Signs of Old Atlanta pt. 2 (of 3)

More signs from Memorial Dr, Glenwood Ave, Candler Rd, Moreland Ave, and Bouldercrest Rd. The first image is a hidden gem from a run-down, industrial stretch of Memorial, and features beautiful paintings of individual objects that were apparently for sale in the building at one point. Dont miss the six foot tall wrench in between the two doors in the second photo. Today it is apparently either out of business or used for something else.

 

One of the best examples of the city's tradition of the fully adorned daycare center. Many daycares in Atlanta feature brightly painted exteriors, hand painted images of popular cartoon characters and other school/learning-related imagery, and large, bold, fun type. Prestigious features all these, plus the hand painted type seems to even continue into the interior, with 'Small Minds Big Achievements' visible inside the building on the photo. The funhouse mirrors as front windows add to the excitement, wonder, and toy-like quality of the building. I can only imagine anyone who attended this daycare would be left with such a strong and surreal memory of the place for probably their entire life.

Handpainted Signs of Old Atlanta pt. 1 (of 3)

I have been photographing handpainted signs in Atlanta for quite some time now, but not nearly as long as I have been noticing and appreciating their refreshing color schemes, startlingly original compositions, and hand painted letterforms. Like most cities in America, Atlanta has been slowly taken over by corporate chains and strip malls. This transformation, combined with advances in technology, has led to an endless sea of bland forgettable logos, painfully boring signs, and virtually unnoticeable storefronts, all designed by people in cities far away from most of the communities in which their work will be displayed. Where once stood - out of necessity - hand painted and hand assembled signs, now stand digitally printed vinyl banners, window clings, and 3d lettering seemingly available only in Helvetica. Safe corporate design now rules, and risks are rarely ever taken. And most disappointing of all, the elements of surprise and delight have all but evaporated in most modern signage.

However, there are still several pockets of complete individuality remaining in certain neighborhoods of Atlanta. For various reasons - most likely because of the economic level, demographics, and age of the area - corporations have not determined it worthwile to have a major presence in these areas. This has led to certain places maintaining a large proportion of independently-owned businesses, businesses that are not given a style guide to tell them exactly how their store should look. The owners of these businesses rely on a seemingly still-profitable industry of letterers and sign painters, which is all but dead in most other areas of the city. In Atlanta, these artists and designers have created a vast collection of work that represents the last remnants of a fastly disappearing regional design style. I have focused mostly on signs in Southeast Atlanta, just outside the city, where I feel the greatest concentration of these types of signs is. Most of these photos were taken on Candler Rd, Moreland Ave, Glenwood Ave, Memorial Dr, Bouldercrest Rd, and Jonesboro Rd.

The transformation that is taking place everywhere is neither good nor bad, it just simply is. Great design has always been created, and always will, regardless of technology or medium. There is of course a lot of incredible signage, branding, and storefront design made today by many talented designers across the world with new technology and printing/construction processes. To call for a return to the old ways would be nostalgic and futile, and to refer to these signs as 'bad' or dismissible would be just as equally inaccurate. In fact, most of these signs would be considered 'good design', if there is such a thing. They fulfill their function of clearly indicating what exactly the store or business has to offer to the public, and they do this in a creative, surprising and arresting way. Not only that, but they also retain the ability to attract the viewer's attention while simultaneously remaining relatively simple and straightforward.

The only artist that leaves any indication of his name on his work is a painter that signs his name simply as 'TRENT'. Trent has a very individual style and his work can be identified by his signature use of bright primary colors, large letters cut from wood in one of several personal typefaces, and a strange technique he sometimes uses of 'dusting' letters with a glitter that sparkles in sunlight (as can be seen above in '$50 WEAVE'). He is also probably most well known for his design and painting of the Sockman icon, which was visible in several locations throughout Atlanta for many years, but now is much harder to find. Trent is one of the most creative, playful, and prolific sign painters in Atlanta, and I will feature much more of his work in future posts.

Above and Below: Notice the images simplified down to pictograms, describing exactly what goods/services are offered inside. The store's offerings are clear even to someone who is swiftly driving by and only has the chance to glance at the sign without reading any text. The sign would also be completely readable to the illiterate or people who cannot speak English.

This post is the first of three installments of handpainted signs in Atlanta, and the photographs constitute one third of the photos I have taken. I think it is important to document these signs, as they are becoming more and more scarce and will possibly eventually disappear completely. I would love to see what handpainted signs look like in other cities in other regions of the country, and especially in other countries. Ive seen many beautiful images of signs from other countries painted in a folk-art style, and I lived in Savannah, Ga for several years and vividly remember the city having its own distinct style of hand lettering. Feel free to leave a comment with a link to images or send me an email of signs in your area.

I do want to point out that there is a new resurgence of popularity for handpainted signs. This resurgence is aligned with the trends of food trucks, 'farm-to-table' dining, the indie craft movement, and the overall general enthusiam for referencing old typefaces and old ways of doing things. The current zeitgeist is one that seems to be longing for the past, a nostalgia for a misremembered time ago. This has led to handlettering and a multitude of handpainted signs for trendy clothing stores, overpriced bars, and upper class restaraunts. These types of handpainted signs have not been showcased here, as I feel they have already been over-documented by design blogs, designer portfolios, reference sites, and various other online outlets. The main reason the above signs are so fascinating to me is because they are not just aesthetically nostalgic nods to the past, but instead vital, living, breathing, and relevant necessities of the businessmen and enterpreneurs who require their functioning design.