This lonely photo submitted by an aware observer that knows a beautiful sign when he sees one, thank you Lalo!…As for the sign this is as classy as it gets. Great font choice, beautifully constructed type, the name matches the words and it sends a clear message that it is all steel and it is strong. Thank you Lalo!
Captured these timeless pieces while being nosey and mildly tresspassing around on nob hill.
Unlike us mere mortals these little gems will only get better with bad weather and time…
This post is a bit different. The pictures below were offered to me because although they were taken for the sake of their composition and color, my good friend Hiro recognized their value to this blog.
This is what he had to say:
“The first one is “Paul’s Cost/Less”, it was taken deep in the dog patch area of San Francisco. The sign has a old Americana feel to it, which I love, and it could possibly be from the 30’s or 40’s but don’t quote me on it.
The second one is an address, which I thought had a good balance of small red title and big numbers. The place is one or two blocks away from where we have our warehouse sales.”
More of his work can be seen on his Flickr stream here. Check out some of his other work!
This was sent to me by my good friend Jonny Blanco. He caught this back in early October on Mission and 18th. Not the usual signage picture, but interesting enough to deserve a post! Something about masking tape and a paintbrush that I can’t resist. Thanks Jon.
These are a couple shots that I took last year in year in NY. The first one is one of my favorites. So much style for a work advertisement. I caught this on the side of an apartment building on the Upper East Side.
The second shot is just one of the ubiquitous subway stop markers. I was really intrigued by the “3″ on this one though, it doesn’t seem like it quite fits, but the stylization made me stop and document. Enjoy.
Bo’s Flowers. Much loved Market Street Florist. I hear the flowers are great, and that’s all well and good, but this sign always makes me smile. I want to say, as the title suggests, that this is what not to do, but there is something so endearing about this sign. It’s as if they started in the middle, went backwards a bit, changed their mind about the typeface, then switched back and made due with whatever space was left over. I look at the first “S”, then the second, then the first… it’s crazy. Glad they did it, but don’t try it yourself, I’m fairly sure this is impossible to replicate.
In 1894 they knew something about embossing. These letters are DOPE. The capital C, M, I, & E are really interesting, you definitely don’t see them everyday. Yes, the most notable landmarks that came out of the Exposition were the De Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden, but the type on this plaque is pretty fresh too.
This was snapped last year as well. It’s no longer even a liquor store, or a grocery store, or anything of the sort. I saw it on Cabrillo in the Richmond district. The 3-dimensional metal and neon sign in the center is definitely the star, but the bits of other OG handpainted signs that surround it, and which were probably added as the main sign ceased to function, are an added bonus.
This simple sign is from the entry way of the Department of Motor Vehicles office on Fell Street in SF. I caught this with my Iphone last September, and was inspired to start this blog from this picture alone. The letters are wonderful. I wish I knew how long it has been hanging in the DMV.
Caught this pair of signs just of Market Street a couple weeks ago. The main sign was just a fresh classic mounted piece, but the little one was terrible in the best way possible. They’re on different ends of the same building (if my memory serves…), but I think they may even have been two different laundromats. I’d probably use “WASH & DRY”.
