Sign Initiatives

Five days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March.  These are from the Services & Financial gallery. More tomorrow. Kodak / A.S.Ashby by casillero

14 Mar 2010

Six days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March.  These are from the Household & Furniture gallery. The images being featured in this countdown to launch are all those that feature on the postcard series which will be available to buy from Friday, 19th March. More […]

13 Mar 2010

One week to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Travel & Transport gallery. The images being featured in this countdown to launch are all those that feature on the postcard series which will be available to buy from Friday, 19th March. More […]

11 Mar 2010

Eight days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Shoes & Clothing gallery. More tomorrow.

10 Mar 2010

Nine days to launch…

Another video and image highlight as we count down to the launch of the archive on 19th March. These are from the Food & Drink gallery. More tomorrow.

10 Mar 2010

Ten days to launch…

With ten days until the archive opens I thought it would be worth picking out some highlights of the project so far.  I’ll do one each day until announcing the archive is open for business on Friday, 19th March. First up is this great photo of the Puck Match sign in Leeds and, below, another […]

8 Mar 2010

Preserve NZ

The latest contributions to the Preserve project in New Zealand have just been uploaded including this great photo of the famous Kings Cross ‘Scales, Weights & Weighing Machines’ sign taken by Sam Hardacre.  I’ve been in touch with Mark who runs the project and will write more about him and his work soon. In the […]

2 Mar 2010

February Favourites

Every so often I have a dig around in the Ghostsigns Flickr group to see what new arrivals have landed since my last visit. Leaving it for two months meant that over yesterday and today I’ve made lots of great discoveries.  As yet they’re not all due to be included in the archive but I […]

26 Feb 2010

Draft Chapter (Food & Drink)

I’d love to get your feedback on a draft chapter for a possible book to accompany the archive. If this gets published then it will help raise funds to support the ongoing work of the History of Advertising Trust in this area. As usual please leave comments below or get in touch. NB. The images […]

8 Jan 2010

Standard Fireworks (RIP)

Photo by robo2004 Destruction and demolition are no strangers to ghostsigns, as the expanding list of ‘obituaries’ documents. Recently news has reached me of one loss and another potentially on the horizon.  These show why the work on the archive is important in preserving the last survivors of this lost art/craft form. First up is this […]

22 Dec 2009

100 Contributors

100 photographers have now added their pictures to the forthcoming archive using this form. The 100th person to do so was Terry Cliss, known as casillero on Flickr, and one of his images is this one for a fantastic sign in Frome. Contributors to date: addedentry akvinby7 Albert S. Bite Alex Dennis Alquin Antony J […]

11 Dec 2009

Ghostsigns (Most Wanted)

Here are six Flickr galleries of signs not yet ready for inclusion in the Ghostsigns Archive.  The archive is set to launch in January 2010. To date there have been almost 3,000 photos added to the Flickr group from over 300 photographers. Many of these have also been confirmed as gifts to the History of […]

26 Nov 2009

Trades & Hospitality

I’ve been a little tied up with changing jobs and planning a wedding but am now back to blogging and pushing the archive forwards again. First up is the final montage in the current series, this time celebrating signs from two categories, Trades, Builders, Plumbers, Handymen and Hotels, Cafes, Restaurants.  These have been combined under […]

22 Oct 2009

The Archive, Phase 2

[The following blog post was written in August 2009 and signified the second phase of the effort to create a Ghostsigns Archive. This has been realised with the archive opening for business on 19th Mrch 2010. Visit this page for more information.] Commit your photos to the Ghostsigns Archive. Just under five months ago I set […]

8 Aug 2009

Ghostsigns and the long tail…

I’ve been doing a bit of work on the archive and recording the number of photos contributed by each photographer involved.  (These are from of an edited set of about 1,500 selected from the c.2,500 so far in the Flickr group.) The graph above plots each photographer along the bottom and the number of photos […]

8 Aug 2009

Latest Locations & Some Missing

Following the previous mapping of the archive postcodes, here’s an update representing the c.600 signs catalogued for the archive across the key categories being worked on. There are also quite a few that are still waiting on location information, specifically street names and postcodes. These are listed below (alphabetical by county). If anyone can help […]

19 Jul 2009

Media & Shops

This montage is again a little bit of a mixed bag featuring signs from the Media, Cinema & Entertainment and Shops & Retail categories.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting […]

3 Jul 2009

Odds & Sods

This montage is a little bit of a mixed bag featuring signs from the Razors & Stationery and Pets & Feed categories which also include some for paint and coal companies.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep […]

23 Jun 2009

Chemists & Health

Some great signs in the category of Chemists, Medical & Health.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs […]

20 Jun 2009

Services & Financial

Some great signs in the category of Services, Banks & Financial.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs […]

20 Jun 2009

Ghostsigns (two years on)

So Wednesday marked the end of the second year in the life of this blog/website and I’m still quite amazed at how far things have come in such a short space of time. Last year I marked the first birthday with a video montage of some of my favourite signs collected. This year I’m offering […]

19 Jun 2009

Household & Furniture

Some great signs in the category of Household & Furniture.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs from […]

3 Jun 2009

Travel & Transport

Some great signs in the category of Travel & Transport.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs from the UK or Ireland then please […]

27 May 2009

Shoes & Clothing

Slightly less material in the Shoes & Clothing category.  See more images in the Flickr group being used to set up the Ghost Signs Archive. Here’s a little montage featuring some of the most interesting signs. Thanks again to everyone contributing their images, keep them coming! If you have any interesting ghost signs from the UK or Ireland then please get […]

21 May 2009