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.
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