Scanning Around With Gene: The Signpost Up Ahead

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I wish we had a more European experience in America, where you’d get a distinct hit when you crossed from one state to the next in your car, and not because of local liquor laws. These days, you can drive from coast to coast and see the same signs, logos, colors, and even lighting types at every major road stop along the way.
Here are a variety of licenses for cars in those times.


Another big change came when signs became something easy to make locally, which these metal versions are not. Cities and government agencies switched to screen printing and vinyl cutting when those technologies became more affordable and durable. No rusty, paint-chipped detour signs after about 1970.

I sometimes imagine driving the old Route 66 or 99 in California and seeing these signs along with local restaurants, filling stations, and speed traps. In those days you rarely had to ask what city you were in, and certainly not which state. At least today we’re still identifiable by which places have Trader Joe’s and Ikea. But both have such horrible signs!


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Gene Gable has spent a lifetime in publishing, editing and the graphic arts and is currently a technology consultant and writer. He has spoken at events around the world and has written extensively on graphic design, intellectual-property rights, and publishing production in books and for magazines such as Print, U&lc, ID, Macworld, Graphic Exchange, AGI, and The Seybold Report. Gene's interest in graphic design history and letterpress printing resulted in his popular columns "Heavy Metal Madness" and "Scanning Around with Gene" here on CreativePro.com.
  • Anonymous says:

    My company makes the breakaway systems used in the bases for most highway signs and light poles. Because of this… Transpo employees have taken an interest in road signs as we travel around.

    One of my personal favorite, from England, is a “frog crossing” sign!

    -Cyd Gorman, Marketing Manager, Transpo Industries Inc.

  • Anonymous says:

    You’ve really outdone yourself, Gene. What a great slice of lost Americana. And an interesting sampling of design. I recall seeing many unique roadside signs as a kid in the 1960’s/70’s traveling Route 66/US 40 from southern California to visit relatives in small Oklahoma towns. Those small towns still had many older signs that have certainly been replaced and standardized/homogenized by now. Thanks for a great lesson: design imparts character.
    -Bob Allen

  • Anonymous says:

    Thanks for the nostalgia “trip.” I remember when they replaced the fuel burning lanterns with electric lanterns in the early ’60s and even at my young age I saw it as something sad. When they would work on the highway in front of our house they gave my father a small can of fuel and asked him to keep an eye on those spherical torches/lanterns used to mark hazards at night.

  • Anonymous says:

    Thanks for another great visual resource I can show my high school Advertising Design students! Being a lover of all things vintage, I realize they don’t appreciate it as much as I do, but who cares?! They will never experience the wealth of great design America possesses unless someone forces them to take a look. Again, thank you for such excellent research!

  • Anonymous says:

    When a local intersection street sign, which was produced by prisoners, was installed regardless of the sign containing incorrect spelling of both street names, the residents near the intersection voiced their discontent to the local authorities. When they encountered a deaf ear, the sign mysteriously disappeared! That just goes to show that there is such a thing as sign proof stages. ;-)

  • Anonymous says:

    Thanks Gene : )

  • Anonymous says:

    These are a great reference to old and some really great looking signage, problem is we have no way of using them as a guide if we want to re create a shape or feel, a long time ago I was able to download a PDF file of these great stories and articles but no more, would it be to much to ask to bring the PDF back, I have about 230 emails saved and im sure most of the links wont work any more. Please bring them back!

    Thnkx, B

  • dysonswift says:

    Just a note to say how much I love these weekly offerings. I don’t do much design work but when I do I dig into my stash of old mags to plagia . . . er, find inspiration.

    Mr Gable, have you seen issues of Forbes magazine from the 20s? The most beautiful printing I have ever seen.

  • Anonymous says:

    Oddly enough, for several days now I have been thinking about the round ball torches that I would see at road construction sites at night. Our city didn’t have anything as fancy as the “Perfected Storm Kink Torch” that you show, just beat up spheres with a wick out of the top and a small cover to protect protect the flame from rain.
    The “mean” kids would roll them down the street like bowling balls or use them to set up their own road barricade.
    I also remember the reflectors with the red glass marbles. I had one that I used as a paper weight for years. Oh my gosh! I ever remember when you needed paper weights. (sigh)

  • Terri Stone says:

    Hello B,

    You can still save articles as PDFs. Here’s how:

    Every article on CreativePro.com has a Print button at the bottom of the article. Click on that button and a print dialog box will appear. On the Mac, that dialog box looks like this:

    Instead of outputting to a printer, you can output to PDF.

    On my Windows PC, the dialog looks different, but the Adobe PDF print driver is still available. Click it and you have a PDF!

    Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com

  • Anonymous says:

    Re the catalog caption referring to “one of the new San Francisco bridges”–that the Golden Gate! Those guys in Portland must have had some bridge envy to be so casual about it.

    Is there really a Festus, MO? If there isn’t, someone will have to invent it.

    Great stuff as always, Gene.

  • Anonymous says:

    What a great article and so nicely designed!
    Thanks!
    -Steve

  • Anonymous says:

    Thanks for another great visual resource I can show my high school Advertising Design students! Being a lover of all things vintage, I realize they don’t appreciate it as much as I do, but who cares?! They will never experience the wealth of great design America possesses unless someone forces them to take a look. Again, thank you for such excellent research!
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  • Anonymous says:

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