Don’t try this at home
Once again I find myself inspired by resident BADG author Nate Voss. His recent venture into typography reminded me of this terrific sign I nearly choked on a year or so ago. It’s presence dominates an Edmonton intersection, overcoming the likes of suburban giants such as Blockbuster, KFC and McDonalds.
The first time I saw it, I had just rolled up to the stoplight and did a double take at this nearly sixteen-foot tall titan of typographic terror that sits unsettlingly close to the street. There was silence in our car, until my wife read it, as it appeared, in an eighth-grade boy’s puberty-stricken voice, “baAAYYYWWwood.”
Now, every time I drive by this corner, the same voice finds its way out of my lungs, and every time I see typographic exercises like the ones Nate is undertaking, this sign flashes into my eyes, and I feel compelled to warn students, designers and the general public to be careful with type. It is very powerful, and mustn’t fall into the wrong hands.
March 31st, 2006 at 9:32 am
My favorite was an address set on the side of brick retaining wall a few blocks from my old office. How big? Oh, 4 or 5 feet tall. Each. So, having seen this before, I rolled by it with my brother in the car and went something like this:
“Hey man, where do you live?”
“I live at 7805‚Ķ”
Eh, HTML really doesn’t allow me demonstrate just how loud you have to yell 7805 when it’s 5 feet tall and 3 feet from your car. Good times.
March 31st, 2006 at 12:18 pm
there’s an industrial park in san francisco that one of the professors at my alma mater (California College of the Arts) did the signage. 7 foot tall 3-d helvetica letters planted into the ground. i read his explanation for it once. and his statement was basically: who wouldn’t want to see a lowercase helvetica “a” at 5 feet tall. and i couldn’t argue with that logic.
March 31st, 2006 at 3:34 pm
I seriously feel like I should be busting through that sign on my way to the field during my high school football game! I’ve seen better, not much better, but better. LOL!
March 31st, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Clint, You are going to send me a slightly larger version for our BA collection, aren’t you? Cropped down to the B & A, it will loose some of the drama, but it will still be a nice addition.
March 31st, 2006 at 9:46 pm
As far as BA photos go, it is nice to see one where the A is bigger than the B. Adrian’s ego likey. I always wanted it to be alphabetical, but “A Be Design Group” just didn’t have as good of a ring to it…
March 31st, 2006 at 10:30 pm
Adrian, I knew you would like that. That BA can join the ranks of the CUBA, Kansas one.
April 1st, 2006 at 2:16 pm
Thanks for the laughs.
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Bennett, the larger version will be on its way. Adrian, next time, I’ll shoot it with a more drastic perspective… highlighting the often second-fiddle “A’s” dominance.