Creating Fun Signs

I am always looking for opportunities to create fun, sometimes irreverent, graphic signage. It might be something small, like a snarky laser-etched ‘Standard Disclaimer’ sign that hangs by a pop-up bar; or ‘Fancy Shmancy S’mores’ sign for a mobile cart at a campout that glows under UV light. Sometimes it’s big, like a street sign for a camp intended to draw large groups of people in. Each sign is designed and created with an eye for design and lots of fun details.

In 2012, burning Man chose the theme “Fertility 2.0”. We decided to put a unique spin on the idea of fertility. We chose to think “Fertile Minds”, and how that could play out as an opportunity for interaction with passers-by. The Fertile Minds Idea Deli was born. The sign was designed with 50’s diner and deli aesthetic in mind. The original logo was created in Adobe Illustrator and vectorized for use in CNC routing. I wanted a dimensional sandwich board that Ould stand at the edge of the street to bring people in. It uses 4 layers of plywood, individually painted and assembled into the two panels that were set up on site using heavy skids to keep it from blowing down in the wind.

Our camp offers lots of opportunity for creative signs, both decorative, and informative. When our gallery space changed from an airship lounge into an animal-themed space, it got rechristened as the Creature Comforts Lounge, with an appropriately festive lounge sign that looked great in the daytime sun, as well as under UV lighting. This sign was cut in layers on the laser, and hand-painted in UV-reactive paints.

Other signs that have been part of our gallery and pop-up bar space include fun wooden graphic posters, and a BrainWash chalkboard used to announce pop-up events at the Brainy Bar.