Video

The Boro’ Bill Posting Company and Their Surviving Ghost Signs

Sharing research to date into what was once one of the major outdoor contractors leasing sites to advertisers for painted wall signs.

14 Dec 2020

F.W. Woolworth Co. and the Winston-Salem Sit-Ins

Absolutely fascinating investigation uncovering the historical connections between two glass signs for F.W. Woolworth Co. and the Winston-Salem sit-ins that played a major role in the American Civil Rights movement. (Watch on www.pbs.org here.) Hat tip to Meredith at the Pre-Vinylite Society for spotting this, and to PBS for creating the documentary.

30 Nov 2018

Early Graphic Communications in Cave Paintings

Thanks to Derek for alerting me to this video which explores some of the earliest known forms of graphic communications and symbolism, building on previous posts here on the blog. Here is the TED blurb, and the speaker has a book, The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of the World’s Oldest Symbols (also available on […]

6 Dec 2016

R.N. Cattle & Son in Harvey Gould’s Soho

This fascinating video about Soho features longtime resident Harvey Gould talking about the people and places that he remembers from the area. At 10:48 he discusses the painted wooden sign for R.N. Cattle & Son in Portland Mews. He then heads up the mews itself to reveal the ghost of cricket stumps once painted onto […]

21 Dec 2014

London Shop Fronts on London Live

Following last week’s post about Shopfrontelegy, here’s a short film from the Secret London section of new TV station London Live. It’s based on the work of Emily Webber who writes the London Shop Fronts blog.

6 Aug 2014

Cassannet: A Dubonnet-Inspired Typeface

This film is promoting the typeface Cassannet, inspired by the iconic Dubonnet triptych found on numerous ghost signs across France. The campaign was originally designed for the brand by the artist Cassandre and this typeface has been designed by Atipo in Spain. Thank you to Jess over on the University of Wolverhampton Visual Communication blog for passing this […]

24 Nov 2013

Global Ghostsigns for the 2014 Calendar

The 2014 Ghostsigns Calendar has had some amazing material submitted, all of which is now available to view and like (i.e. vote for) on the Ghostsigns Facebook Page. There are 103 photos in all, from 11 different countries, proof that ghostsigns are a global phenomenon. Browsing through them I am struggling to decide on my […]

10 Nov 2013

Sign Painters: The movie, the book and the resurgence

The Sign Painter Movie is now on tour with dates booked in until November, including Scotland and New Zealand for those outside the film’s USA base. I was treated to a preview screening and also got my hands on the book that accompanies the film. This was immensely exciting following my tracking of the project […]

28 Jul 2013

Born and Raised from David A Smith, John Mayer and Danny Cooke

This has left me speechless. Sublime. Ridiculous. Unbelievable. Thank you to David, John and Danny for bringing the story of this piece of work to life through film. An incredible follow up to the last one.

19 May 2013

Horn Please and the Wonderful World of India’s Hand-Painted Trucks

Horn Please is a short film by directors Shantanu Suman and Istling Mirche, all about the bright and colourful hand-painted trucks that fuel India‘s massive goods transportation system. It is an insightful and captivating expose of this fascinating cultural phenomenon, touching on the history of truck painting in India, the significance of the designs and the […]

16 May 2013

It’s Alive: Gilding with Ken Davis

Ken Davis – It’s Alive from Taylor Morgan on Vimeo. Hope you enjoy this short film about the gilder Ken Davis and his piece on glass for Empire 7 Studios in San Jose, California. Find more video content on Ghostsigns.

28 Nov 2012

Sign painter tributes from Colossal Media and the Sign Painter Movie

This was new to me today, the first film from Colossal Media and a tribute to the team at Sky High Murals who execute their huge hand-painted advertising murals in the USA. Nice. (Read more Colossal Media posts.) Another tribute comes in book with the publication of ‘Sign Painters’ by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon. This […]

31 Oct 2012

Creating the cover for Hand Painted Signs of Kratie

Today, after three weeks of checking back on an almost daily basis, I caught Kratie signpainter Chouk Rachana at work on the cover for my forthcoming book, ‘Hand Painted Signs of Kratie’. It has taken a bit of back and forth to get towards a common understanding of what I’m looking for and I think […]

7 Aug 2012

The International Walldog Mural & Sign Art Museum

Walldog is the nickname given to those that once roamed the USA painting signs and slogans on brick walls, roadside barns and any other surface capable of providing a canvass for their advertising art. The International Walldog Mural & Sign Art Museum is a celebration of their work, located in Pontiac, Illinois, The city also houses a […]

31 Jul 2012

American Roadside sign art from Bill Martin

Bennie Frazier’s retro fashion store in Sweetwater, Texas, is an unlikely home for a collection of original artworks from Bill Martin, late resident of the same town. These depict the colourful roadside signs that once characterised American highways, often using neon and sometimes as big as the buildings they were positioned on. These were referred […]

22 Jul 2012

Derek McDonald film and interview

Another signpainter profiled on film, this time Derek McDonald of Golden West Sign Arts, one of the craftsman who worked on this year’s ‘Declaration of Independence’ campaign for Jack Daniel’s. More from Derek in this extended article from Oakland North. Is it just me or do there seem to be more and more of these […]

19 Jul 2012

Dusty Signs doing it the old way in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Lovely video about Dusty Signs‘ Dan Madsen, picked up on Typedeck where there is more information and a gallery of Dan’s images. Dan also showcases his work on Flickr and there is a detailed interview with him on the Type Archive site [Link since expired].

14 Jul 2012

Letter-press and type setting in El Salvador

Sadly google translate doesn’t work on video yet but I used it to get the following approximation of the description of this film.  If any Spanish speakers can add anything to this after watching then please write in  the comments or get in touch. This is a short documentary, a byproduct of a study that […]

13 Jul 2012

Flamboyant calligraphy from Luca Barcellona & Francesca Biasetton

In a slight departure from painted lettering here is a film by Marco Puccini showcasing some flamboyant examples of inked lettering using a variety of calligraphy tools.  While on the subject, it is also worth checking out this film profiling master calligrapher Paul Antonio on the Guardian.

6 Jul 2012

Unusual Hovis Ghost Sign in New TV Commercial

This new TV commercial features a ghostsign at around 00:56.  It is unusual because it is advertising the farm as a supplier to Hovis, rather than the well know bakers being supplied by Hovis.  To what extent this is authentic I can’t say.  It seems unlikely that Hovis would have used this as a form […]

5 Jul 2012

Keepers of the Craft film profiles Starr Studios in Dallas

Also, forthcoming, are the Signpainter Movie and another called Faded Paint. I really enjoy these films and the things I learn from them.  They evidence pockets of activity around the world and how the craft is indeed being ‘kept’ by these protagonists.  Keep it up! [Thanks to Traditional Sign Maker Magazine for the link.]

18 Jun 2012

Film director Danny Cooke profiles David A Smith, an artist and master craftsman of exceptional talent

This fantastic short documentary by Danny Cooke pays homage to the extraordinary work of David A Smith who plies his trade in Torquay on the Devon coast.  David’s website refers to him as a “traditional ornamental glass artist”but it is clear from this film that his talents extend far beyond glass work.I caught up with the […]

8 Jun 2012

RSPA health and safety posters, original mid-20th Century artworks found

Fascinating discovery at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, video here, images here.

31 May 2012

Is this the easiest hand lettering technique possible?

Geraldine discovered this lovely little film from British Pathe, a ‘how to’ guide for a simple block lettering form.  It even doubles as a secret code…

10 Apr 2012