Drawing letters on boards or buildings to convey a message
Sign painters create a new sign on the walls of theHotel Figueroa inLos Angeles, CaliforniaA man painting a logo on a bus in Budapest
Sign painting is thecraft of paintingletteredsigns on buildings,billboards or signboards, for promoting, announcing, or identifying products, services and events. Sign painting artisans aresignwriters, although in North America they are usually referred to as sign painters.
Signwriters often learned the craft throughapprenticeship or trade school, although many early sign painters were self-taught.[1][2] The Sign Graphics program at theLos Angeles Trade Technical College is the last remaining sign painting program in the United States.[3]
Skillful manipulation of a lettering brush can take years to develop.[4][5][6]
In the 1980s, with the advent of computer printing on vinyl, traditional hand-lettering faced stiff competition.[7][6] Interest in the craft waned during the 1980s and 90s, but hand-lettering and traditional sign painting have experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years.[8][9]
The 2012 book and documentary,Sign Painters[4] byFaythe Levine and Sam Macon, chronicle the historical changes and current state of the sign painting industry through personal interviews with contemporary sign painters.
Old painted signs which fade but remain visible are known asghost signs.[10]
Turvey, Lisa (April 2012). "An American Language".Artforum International.50: 218–9.
Swezy, Tim (February 25, 2014). "One Shot Seen 'Round the World: A Survey of Sign Painting on the Internet (Part of AIGA Raleigh - the oldest and largest professional organization for Design)".AIGA Raleigh. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
Childs, Mark C. (2016).The Zeon files : art and design of historic Route 66 signs. Babcock, Ellen D., 1957-. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.ISBN978-0-8263-5603-1.OCLC 944156236.
Auer, Michael (1991).The Preservation of Historic Signs. Washington, D.C: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources, Preservation Assistance.
Jakle, John A. (2004).Signs in America's auto age : signatures of landscape and place. Sculle, Keith A. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.ISBN1-58729-482-6.OCLC 66385186.
