Sign Language: Street Signs As Folk Art

by John Baeder

A collection of Baeder's favourite hand-painted, scribbled or collaged signs collected on his travels around the USA, accompanied by autobiographical text and captions. The composition, brushwork, colours and styles used in the signs are also discussed.

Paperback

First published August 7, 2000

Reviews

[Shelby Rush · Rating 3 out of 5]

I marvel at Baeder's paintings of diners, exactly the sort of subject I'd love to shoot, if I ever spotted any. This book is different: With a single exception (one of his own diner paintings), these are photographs of amateur signs. Unlike the author, I don't find hand-painted signs as endearing, though I admit to savoring misspelled signs. The irony gets to me! I also enjoy photographing skillfully executed graffiti, which he has reservations about. Granted, I agree that graffiti, unless commissioned, is disrespectful to the property owner, but in a perverse sense it is artistic expression. And I'm drawn to that.

Baeder assumes motives of the sign painters I can't agree with. Unless skill is evident, I think communication is all the painter is striving for. But he reads into the shapes of the letters all kinds of romantic notions.

I'd prefer that all the photos he shot be in color -- the pages would have popped more. I can see how some readers would find this book less than fascinating. Unless signage is clever or aesthetic, I'd tend to agree with them.