DESTINATION

Furthering on from my idea of extreme emotions as destinations to make my signage for, a few came to mind.

Out of this list I was really drawn to

ROCK BOTTOM

CLOUD NINE

I feel that these 2 'destinations' accurately represent the extremes of emotion.

Rock Bottom - this term is often used to describe the depths of depression, the lowest of the low, with rock bottom meaning you can't get any lower and can only go up from there. Images used to depict this often mirror that of Hell.

The etymology of the phrase isn't directly traceable, with the phrase originally being used to describe hitting 'bedrock' when building foundations, and later in advertising to show best price.

Cloud Nine - this term is used to describe the feeling of being 'on top of the world' in a heavenly, dream like place with no worries or cares. There is a parralel with imagery used to depict Heaven.

The etymology of this phrase is also unknown, with Cloud 9 originally describing a type of fluffy cloud that was seen as the best or most attractive. Some even suggest that it's routes are in Buddhism, one reaches Cloud 9 when they reach true enlightenment.

My intention is to eventually create 2 signs, one to each destination pointing in different directions.

LAS VEGAS

The Las Vegas sign is an iconic landmark. People actually queue to have photo's taken here. I really love the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic and design of the piece. It is classic, timeless, colourful, iconic and has been copied many times.

It was designed in 1959 by Betty Willis, having been comissioned by a local salesman Ted Rogich. She was female in a male dominated industry, which at the time was unheard of. She designed the piece whilst working for Western Neon. She also created several iconic Las Vegas Neon signs.

She said of the sign -

"Most people are surprised when they find out a woman designed the sign. It was a man's business back then. It wasn't a woman's field because when you work with neon signs, you have to not only design them, but you have to learn the nuts and bolts of how neon, light and electricity work. You have to learn about pressure points and weight and wattage of lamps. You work with engineers as well as artists. Most women back then weren't interested in such technical stuff."

Excerpt from article about Betty Willis and the Las Vegas sign.

I have always had a love for neon signage and the Las Vegas sign in general, so to find out the history of the sign really inspired me.

FUN FACT

"The sign, like most of the Strip, sits in Paradise and is located roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the actual city limits of Las Vegas."

The sign resides in a part of Las Vegas named Paradise. This ties in to my idea of fictional places as destinations. Paradise being the ultimate destination of tranquility and joy.

INSPIRATION

I had an idea in the back of my mind that I was actually resisting.

WHAT? - Signage

WHERE? - At a fictional destination for example - Cloud Nine (being the metaphorical destination of ultimate happiness)

WHY? - I resisted because my background for the past 6/7 years has been in the manufacture of signs, both employed and self employed. For some reason I thought that I should be creating something completely different and new but I felt this constant pull towards this idea

I looked into welcome signs, in this country and USA. UK signs are regulated heavily and have to use particular colours, font, even spacing. I know this because I worked for the UK's leading road sign manufacturer for a while. It is so heavily regulated that there is NO scope for creativity or error in any way. However I do like the uniformity and simplicity of UK road signs, it's just not my style.

However, in America, they seem to have creative license over their road signs. In particular the Welcome signs of cities or states can be huge and ornate art installations themselves. The most famous one being the Las Vegas sign! Consider me inspired.