Decades ago, DC was full of hand-painted signs pointing customers toward various retail establishments. They were eye-­catching and distinctive, but they were also expensive, required regular ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A trip to Sokolowski's University Inn is steeped in the past - for the most part. The 1920s James Beard Award-winning restaurant in Tremont is as old-school as it gets. There's a ...

Dan Kamba and Chuck Wilmarth are debating how to spell Oscar Mayer wiener. The “i” should be before the “e,” says Kamba, co-owner of Southwest Signs in the Clearing neighborhood, but Wilmarth, the ...

With a swift and steady hand, Ruben Marcilla is painting a 3-foot-tall “T.” The “T” is white, and Marcilla is cutting crisp lines around it in teal. When he’s done he moves on to “H,” then “E” and an ...

“That’s How They Get Ya” by Alex Sheldon at Match & Kerosene, part of Signs Galore! at KO Gallery (All images by the author for Hyperallergic) Installation view of Signs Galore! at KO Gallery ...

Even in an age of emoji, when people revel in communicating online using a shared set of colorful icons, it makes sense that there are still those who are able to eke out a living painting signs for ...

The man behind many of Chicago's most recognizable hand-painted signs doesn't call his trade a job. Ches Perry says his custom-made artworks are “just a hobby,” even after more than 45 years designing ...

In fact, Lee’s works should be the first thing you see. “I do all the hand painted signs for McMenamins hotels and restaurants,” he said. “Pretty much any one you go, the signs are something that ...

Hidden on the walls of old buildings scattered across Louisville are fading remnants of the city’s past. They’re called “ghost signs,” and they’re typically hand-painted advertisements of bygone ...

You probably don't know his name, but the work of Shawn Gilheeney is all around you in Rhode Island, summoning you into restaurants. He is an artist and the creative force behind many business signs, ...