“There was a time, as recently as the 1980s, when storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards and even street signs were all hand-lettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the techno-fuelled promise of the quicker and cheaper. The resulting proliferation of computer-designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our visual landscape.
Fortunately, there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade. In 2010, filmmakers Faythe Levine and Sam Macon began documenting these dedicated practitioners, their time-honoured methods and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship.
With a foreword by legendary artist and former sign-painter Ed Ruscha, this vibrant book profiles sign painters young and old, from the new vanguard working solo to collaborative shops such as San Francisco’s New Bohemia Signs and New York’s Colossal Media’s Sky High Murals.
About the Author
Faythe Levine is the Director of the Arts/Industry programme at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, where she is responsible for the development and administration of the residency programme hosted at Kohler Co. and curating related exhibitions at the Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Sam Macon is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, writer, photographer and the Co-Director and Author of the documentary film Sign Painters.
About the Publisher
For nearly 40 years, Princeton Architectural Press has been a leading publisher of books on architecture, design and visual culture. In recent years, the Press broadened its scope, introducing a children’s list and a line of stationery products. Princeton Architectural Press made its reputation by identifying new trends, publishing first books on emerging talents, as well as definitive works on established names, and by creating books of unsurpassed design quality and production values, producing nearly 1,000 intelligent and stimulating publications.
