Post 4 – Opposite Of 1950’s Signage Aesthetic

I think I’ll keep half of the aesthetic, signage, and use the opposite vibe for this post. I think that minimalist signs are the exact opposite. 1950’s signage is marked by bright colors, loud text, flashing lights, and starburst shapes. Minimalist signs use often thin text, neutral and muted colors, lots of blank space, and little decor. There is a stark difference between the two, although achieving similar goals of informing passersby of information. I think that the 1950s signage has a lot more personality, even if it does seem a bit tacky at times, and pops a lot more than minimalist signs.

[1] Stardust Motel sign (Alamy Stock Photo)

[2] Xojasminelouise’s minimalist sign design from Fiverr

If I were to change my upcycle project to this currently, I would have to discard most of my materials. I could likely make a larger sign since minimalist shapes require less wasted material, especially in my case the plywood used to support the sign. I am using aluminum soda cans to provide the color to my sign design, and the colors are predominantly red, blue, and white. Since minimalist designs do not use bright colors, my red and blues would become useless for the most part. I could still use the whites to create the blank space a minimalist design might be expected to have, and maybe some black colors from the can labels could be used for the text on the sign.

The content itself would probably change as well since minimalist signs often advertise different things than 1950s-style signs would. 1950s signs typically advertise motels, casinos, and diners, while a minimalist sign might be expected to advertise beauty products, cafes, and bookstores. Different connotations across the board. I think the location of these signs would be very different as well since 1950s signs are typically used to advertise to highway traffic with their huge size and loud fonts, while minimalist signs would be found mostly on walking paths like Pearl Street to get the attention of someone actively shopping or running errands.