Designage: The Art of the Decorative Sign [Paperback]

Arnold Schwartzman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

Storefront signs have long been a charming and respected commercial art form. The first book to look at sign design in a popular format, Designage presents over 300 examples of vintage and contemporary signs from around the world. Graphically ingenious and imaginative, they proclaim a variety of services and products, often using a visual pun or wordplay. Designage covers a wide range of styles -- Roman, Victorian, Gothic, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, to name a few -- and an even wider range of materials, including tile, wood, iron-work, neon, brass, and enamel. This is a valuable reference for graphic designers and architects, as well as a delightful visual trip down international lanes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The traditional craft of making signs is an early form of commercial art and 'Designage: The Art of the Decorative Sign' is a compendium of some of the most eccentric examples of this often undervalued graphic art form. While the book's quaint title suggests a catalog of contemporary examples ('signage' being a modern generic architectural term), the book focuses predominantly on the late 19th and early 20th century decorative storefront, wall bulletin and public signs in the United Kingdom, Europe and with a sprinkling from the United States. 'Designage' is divided into sections categorized by materials used, each with a brief introduction, including Mosaic, Metal, Tile & Brick, Glass & Neon, Paint & Wood and Stone & Brick encompassing a wide range of lettering styles and forms from the Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras. -- Communication Arts

About the Author

Arnold Schwartzman is an award-winning graphic designer and filmmaker, is the author of the highly praised Phono-Graphics . He claims that it was his fascination with shop signs that encouraged him to read when he was a child. Born in England, today he lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811819620
• ISBN-13: 978-0811819626
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,955,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Visual Sampler of Historic Signage, August 25, 2004

By 

B. MOOGK "Benjamin Moogk" (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designage: The Art of the Decorative Sign (Paperback)

Perfect for set designers and graphic designers who want to evoke a particular historic age from 1800 to 1940. Hundreds of colour photographs that capture not only the details of the letterforms but the texture of the material used to make the signs. With the painted signs, the flaking, fading, peeling and brushstrokes can bee seen. The book has been a source of ideas for redrawing letters to give that logotype just the right feeling and I have been encouraged to photograph any historic signs that I come across.