Signs Never Sleep

The Poetic Home Blog {PH}: A Sign Given to IMB Employees in the 1960's

Grace Light has a blog called Poetic Home, that concentrates on showcasing vintage inspirations and antique collectibles.  She displays and talks about signs quite often, but not so often so that it has become commonplace or mundane.  I find myself frequently checking her site to see if she has unearthed some sign treasure or not, and I am never disappointed when she finally does.

"The next time someone asks you a “dumb” question, smartly point at this antique sign, originally issued in the 1960s by IBM as a corporate gift. Whether or not this corporate gift was inspirational or offensive, the antique sign urging people to “THINK” is a welcomed addition to any home. Or, if you ever imagine yourself with a cartoon thought bubble around your head, then this retro sign was destined to be in your office."   Link

Custom, hand-painted gift signs from Shabby Shoe Signs

Shabby Shoe Signs is a company that specializes in one thing.  Creating charming , hand-painted signs for home, garden, or anywhere else!  These signs are made from recycled wood, and are painted and distressed to look like family heirlooms

This is just the type of company we love to highlight here at Signs Never Sleep, because Karen has decided to specialize in one type of sign, and is doing it extremely well.

Karen does both stock and custom orders.   Her stock signs start at $15.99, as do her custom orders.   Link

Dimensional Sign Carved by Stoner Graphix: A terrific Pennsylvania Signmaker

Dimensional Sign Carved by Stoner Graphix

Tiki Bar Signs and Pirate Signs from Mada Sign Designs

Mada Sign Designs is run by two veterans of the theme-park industry, Cindy Bothner and Staci Hay.

Cindy worked for the Disneyland Sign Shop and Walt Disney Imagineering for 20 some years before retiring. She worked as a Scenic Artist, Production Designer and Field Art Director on Attractions for EPCOT Center, Dinorama Animal Kingdom, Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland

Staci has a background in Graphic Design, designing Logo’s and Sign’s for the commercial and private sector. Staci also worked for Walt Disney Imagineering as a Scenic Artist on the Disney’s California Adventure project.  Link

They have a wide selection of sign designs, and any of them would make a terrific gift.  The average price seems to run about $160.00 to $250.00 and the signs are a generous size  (most being around 30" x 15")

The Open Colour Standard: A free and open alternative to Pantone

Pantone is the system that graphic designers, sign artists, (and anyone else that needs color control) use to standardize colors.  It has been around since 1963, and since that time, they have held a virtual monopoly over defining exactly what "red" a designer might mean.  The way it works is when a designer in New York says PMS 432 to a sign-maker in California, they can both reference a color swatch book to see exactly what color something needs to be.

It is a good system, but recently a movement has started to come up with an "Open Colour Standard".

"What we have, then, is a venerable, widely supported, but largely inflexible and very expensive de facto standard. It has a huge impact on both print and digital media, not to mention the clothes you wear, the color you paint your living room, even the specific shades used to define healthy dirt or high-grade orange juice. It is, in short, a bloated monopoly eating up more and more of the color market.

But what's to be done about it? In an effort to support open-source graphics programs and foster a wider understanding of, and engagement with, color, there's a nascent movement underway to develop what we call, with refreshing lack of originality, an Open Color Standard.

If it works, this effort could open up spot color, make open-source software more viable for pre-press, and maybe even inspire a little kitchen table chemistry. Most importantly, it would take the cross-platform treatment of color out of the hands of a private company and put it where it belongs, with users."  Link

Custom, hand-painted gift signs from Shabby Shoe Signs

Shabby Shoe Signs is a company that specializes in one thing.  Creating charming , hand-painted signs for home, garden, or anywhere else!  These signs are made from recycled wood, and are painted and distressed to look like family heirlooms

This is just the type of company we love to highlight here at Signs Never Sleep, because Karen has decided to specialize in one type of sign, and is doing it extremely well.

Karen does both stock and custom orders.   Her stock signs start at $15.99, as do her custom orders.   Link