Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
It is hard to find even a small area without some sort of sign. Even the small dirt road that leads up to my parents’ shanty house is speckled with “No Trespassing” and Deer-Crossing warnings. However, for those not in the Sign Manufacturing industry, we often take them for granted. No thought at all about the many factors that go into designing, creating, and installing the multitude of signs we are confronted with on a day to day basis.
I am a recent addition to this industry, coming from a background of hospitality and sales, and the more I learn about the sign industry, the more I find myself fascinated with all the little nuances of the signage that surrounds me. I recently had the production of braille signs explained to me, and how far it has come in recent years. I can remember being a child, well before the days of 3-D printing, and needing to feel every little bump on the elevator, or ATM, with nary a thought about how those little raised dots were placed.
When we think of important jobs, very few people would probably put sign-manufacturing in an essential career, but I would argue that signs are an integral part to our society. How else would we know the safe speed at which we should travel on a sharp curve in the road, or where to locate a bathroom when we oh-so-desperately need one? Signs of all shapes, colors, sizes, dimensions and materials help guide us in our day-to-day lives, even if we are unaware of them doing so.
I know it sounds cheesy, but on behalf of the (now former) ignorant masses, I want to sincerely thank you all for doing what you do. I am sure if the rest of the population would echo my sentiments if their eyes were opened to the world that I am now privy to. Next time I am frantically searching for the closest restroom, I will be thinking of you.