Opportunity: Customer needs a monument sign that draws attention to his restaurant. It’s a small 1950s style truck stop diner, and it needs a sign that accurately reflects the diner’s ambiance.

 

Challenge: This sign must jump out of the parking lot to say, “Here we are, come on in and eat,” in a style reminiscent of the TV show Happy Days. 

 

Solution: Wrap your head around some classic ’50s style design disciplines and create a monument sign with all the retro features that every diner sign had back in the day.

 

So, we don’t get many requests to design a retro style sign. Where do we start? How do we mentally step back into days of milk shakes, burgers, hot rods and cruising the main drag with your favorite girl by your side?  Imagine it’s a Saturday night and the diner is hoppin’, the juke box is boppin’ and the diner is packed with patrons and lots of giddy school girls in poodle skirts. That’s what you should be wrapping your brain around if you want to design a ’50s style retro sign. 

 

Example 1

So where do you start? 

Where do you find examples of  ’50s type of architecture and graphics? Of course it’s the internet, but I also like to rummage through my collection of old magazines from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. Contained within are a plethora of magazine ads that contain insight into the discipline of design back in the day. Just as there are rules for balance, layout, negative space and color in today’s modern sign design, there were slightly different disciplines applied to advertising design back then. Lots of solid dark shapes with reverse type and usually a photo of someone enjoying the product being advertised. Arrows, twinkles, liver shapes and starbursts seem to dominate the advertising field.

 

Design around the concept

Aside from the usual city sign codes, landlord restrictions and budget, the design process starts with a concept. If you determine the sign should have a ’50s style swooping arrow, then your design should evolve around it. If it’s a cartoon graphic of a huge burger with neon highlighting the bun, burger, tomato and lettuce, then you would design around that theme. Don’t make the mistake of designing like a 21st century artist; you will struggle when it comes to converting it to a retro look. The ’50s were all about big, bold, in-your-face monument signs that screamed out to the world “COME HERE AND EAT—NOW.”  

 

For this example we are going to start with the traditional big arrow pointing at the restaurant. For inspiration, let’s go to the web and look at some old vintage restaurant signs. Notice the fonts used and how they were placed back then. In some instances the name of the restaurant was not the focal point of the sign. In some instances the words EAT HERE or DINER or BURGERS was considered a wiser use of the sign’s real estate than the restaurant name. How strange that in today’s world of sign design we have wandered away from this tried and true principle of outdoor advertising. Think about it; if you are traveling the interstate and you are hungry, the name of some obscure roadside diner may not do much for you. However, a huge sign that says EAT HERE takes the message to its most simplistic element and that’s what ’50s sign design is all about.

 

Example 2

Work around the shape

Again, we go back to the design examples you found and study cabinet shapes and architectural elements of the signs. (See Example 1) I have incorporated the arrow, a retro shape for the body of the sign and the overall dimensions I will work within. I am using a common retro font that fits the era and colors that do the same. In this example, I am working with general shapes only until I am comfortable with the shape and balance of the sign and its text layout. I then added specifics such as neon, hand lettering and starbursts and finalize the presentation illustration. (See Example 2) 

 

Fabrication ideas

For a more authentic look, the sign cabinet can be distressed and top coated with a flat clear giving the sign a look of being old and weathered. When you plan on giving the sign this treatment, remember to leave surface imperfections in place. Don’t over-prep the sign as you would for any modern sign. Leave the weld dimples in place, minor dings and dents are ok; they add character. Avoid digital prints and cut film at all costs for obvious reasons. You will find that hand lettering under the neon actually lasts longer than the film and is necessary for any dark sign face application as film will cook in the heat of the summer sun; 1 Shot lettering enamel works like a charm.  

 

Don’t be afraid to offer up a sign design with a retro feel. If you do your homework, you will find it’s no more difficult than any other sign layout and it makes a nice portfolio piece. Good luck, and if you have any questions on retro design please feel free to email me.