Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Iconic Retro Food Signs



I made these four signs in one day. That means spraying primer coat on four 2 ft. x 1 ft. masonite boards, waiting for it to dry, spraying color coat, waiting for that to dry, cutting shapes out of foamboard, spraying them and waiting for them to dry, and then inscribing them with acrylic marker. Then I assembled them using industrial-strength two sided gel tape, without which our store would completely fall apart. They are to be installed at an angle from the larger boards which you have just seen, so that viewers see some sort of signage from both sides of the display. It's kind of hard to describe; the signs when installed make a wide obtuse angle, with one leg of the angle being much smaller than the main sign. 

The style is "retro" or "googie" or "doo-wop" which is perfect for Trader Joe's signage. There are plans to "doo-wop-ify" most of the large signs in the store, for that playful, cheery, relaxed beachside feeling, so much at odds with the hostile world just outside the doors. Meanwhile, I'm tired.

2 comments:

emikk said...

Does googie exist in the Noantri universe?

Pyracantha said...

What a great question! Yes there is, especially in some of the resort and entertainment regions, and it's plenty garish and tasteless. But all the writing is in glyphs and neo-cuneiform. Maybe I'll depict it someday.