The Art of Handmade Signage

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This project is a visual survey of hand-made commercial signage in Louisiana photographed over the last two decades. The work celebrates entrepreneurialism at its most elemental phase—the micro-business. In lieu of more costly plastic, printed, or metal signage, proprietors often turn to local (many self-taught) illustrators to execute texts and images necessary to promote their businesses. Cinder block, tin, or wooden buildings routinely serve as ready canvases. 

 

Many micro-business operate without benefit of website, social media, wifi, city "incubators," or conventional investments. As a practical matter, owners utilize their structures and vehicles to beckon street traffic. Signage with vibrant color pallets, bold images, and personal slogans are employed on any available surface.  

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Statistically, nearly 50% of all start-ups in the US fail in the first year and 90% within 5 years. Their graphic designs, illustrations, and typography disappear along with the shuttered businesses. With each closure, walls are painted over, signage discarded, and a new enterprise follows. Many of the images in this survey no longer exist—ephemeral reminders of both optimism and economics.

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The beauty of solo enterprise, start-ups, and micro-businesses is that they spring up with regularity. In a world of franchised landscapes, the handmade sign illustrates a humanity and the enduring dream of all entrepreneurs.

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This work was made possible in part by a grant from the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development.​