Friday Five: Your Weekly Sign News Roundup

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The Tennessee Department of Transportation hopes its new sign campaign will make drivers more focused and alert. (The Tennessean)

Friday, May 18, 2012 – Highway Fatality Signs Alert Motorists to the Dangers of Distracted and Unsafe Driving The Tennessee Department of Transportation has started a jarring new highway billboard campaign that reports the annual roadway fatalities in the state. The signs, which are updated each day, have reported 352 deaths on Tennessee roads in 2012. Distracted driving, driving under the influence, speeding, and driving without seatbelts are the most common factors in the majority of these fatal accidents. The billboards also intermittently display motorcycle fatalities, which total at 38 this year. The numbers may be gruesome, but officials are confident that the billboards will function as a wake-up call to complacent drivers. In 2012 alone, highway fatalities have risen a shocking 13% from the previous year, a number that TDOT hopes to combat with the startling new campaign.

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Alabama Department of Transportation Grants Temporary Tornado Shelter Signs in DeKalb County

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One of the signs designed by DeKalb locals to warn residents of the impending tornado.  

DeKalb County schools Superintendent Charles Warren witnessed the devastating impact of the tornado that touched down in the rural region April 27, 2011. In the weeks prior to the disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stepped in and funded 75% of the construction cost of a tornado shelter at the centrally located Plainview High School. Despite the existence of shelter that houses over six hundred people, thirty-three individuals died in the disaster, because they couldn’t find their way to the shelter.

Over a year after the tragedy, word of another potentially destructive tornado reached DeKalb. Warren and other local government officials hoped to take proactive strides to keep residents safe. They began petitioning the Alabama State Department of Transportation to install tornado warning and shelter signs on state roads so that citizens would know where to go in the event of a serious twister.

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OSHA Introduces Seven New Hazardous Material Icons

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hazardous material symbols

OSHA has introduced seven new hazardous material symbols as part of their revised HazCom Act. (Wired Magazine, May 2012)

May 15, 2012 — This spring, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will implementing changes to the Hazard Communication Act. The revised act now forces all US manufactureres to abide by a new Globally Harmonized System for labeling chemicals. In the past, the Environmental Protection Agency gave manufacturers only two warning labels to choose from — a skull and crossbones, indicative of acute toxicity, and a flame symbol to alert handlers of highly flammable material. OSHA, which deals with countless unique workplace injuries every day, has chosen to recognize the numerous other dangers not currently addressed by the binary warning system.

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Friday Five: Sign Theft, Safety, and Language

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Did Caltrans employees steal signs like this one?

Former Caltrans employees accused of stealing signs Five former employees of the California Department of Transportation are being held in the Monterey County Jail on $1 million bail. Their crime? Claiming overtime, and stealing highway signs. This is not funny. At all. And especially not the fact that the bail price is unusually high for Monterey County. “We take this very seriously,” says Caltran. After all, the diabolical thieves certainly stole the signs to start their own commercial empire. “When you drive down the highway, you don’t realize how big they are.” Indeed.

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Antique Technique: Properly Dating Your Signs

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Lest you venture into Amish country, signs like this probably carry more historical than practical value.

Humans are a perceptive species, with the ability to process data at an incredible speed. Each day, we are bombarded with information, the majority of which comes from various types of signage. Advertisements, street signs, and business signs are just a few of the different inputs that people absorb each day. Hence, the ability to evaluate and discern the validity and era of the signs we are confronted with is a valuable skill. For example, a sign that reads “Carriage Parking Here” is probably a bit dated and can be disregarded. But what if you’re confronted with content that’s a bit more vague? A sign that says “Warning: Carriages Cannot See Pedestrians” is harder to place along a timeline, especially when posted near a store that rents carriages.

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Friday Five: Billboards, Skateboards, and the Occasional Kitten

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Friday, May 4, 2012 –

One of Growing in Grace International’s billboards in Ontario, Canada.
(Aaron Lynett / National Post)

International Religious Sect Erects Apocalyptic Billboards The end is nigh — or perhaps just a very different sort of beginning. Members of the international religious sect known as Growing in Grace prophecize that come June 30, their Armageddon will arrive — and they want the world to know. Followers of Jose Luis De Jesus, the leader of the organization, believe that they will be granted superpowers in this new era, as currency fails and governments fall. Their symbol of faith, the number 666, is a means to spread their message. Growing in Grace posted numerous billboards in the Ontario area, with plans to expand its informative campaign throughout other regions of the US and Europe where sect members gather. The billboards, which read “666: Number of Wisdom” feature a photograph of Jose Luis De Jesus saluting passersby. Despite the onslaught of media surrounding Jesus’s prediction, critics of religious sects claim the organization’s setting of a deadline is indicative of its imminent demise (and not the sort of demise they’re planning on).

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New Brooklyn Nets Logo Pays Homage to NYC Subway Signage System

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The redesigned logos for the Brooklyn Nets were revealed on Monday.

May 1, 2012 –

The Brooklyn Nets basketball team unveiled a brand new logo this week to accompany their relocation to Barclays Center for the 2012-2013 season. The logo, which was revealed in two complimentary formats, takes a minimalist approach with its black and white coloring and simple, stylized lettering. Partial team owner and rapper Jay-Z headed the design crew for the new emblem, christening it the new “shield of Brooklyn.”

Russian hip-hop mogul Mikhail Prokhorov, the majority owner of the Nets, reportedly encouraged the reimagining over a year ago in anticipation of the interstate move. The team, once eponymously titled the New Jersey Nets, expressed in a press conference Monday that the hip logo was a way to symbolize the athletes’ proud absorption of their new Brooklyn heritage. Their migration is a momentous occasion for New York City’s most populous borough, which hasn’t seen a major league sports franchise since the Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1957.

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Friday Five: Poisoned Trees and Effective Billboards

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Friday, April 27, 2012 –


One of the billboards posted with Konias’ photo, which eventually led to his arrest.

Billboards Aid in the Capture of a Wanted Man Billboards displaying a photograph of 22-year-old Kenneth Konias Jr. were posted by authorities, with instructions to call the FBI with any information – and the billboards worked. Konias, who worked as an armored guard for Garda Cash Logistics in Pittsburgh, allegedly shot and killed his fellow guard Michael Haines, before fleeing the scene of the crime with around two million dollars in cash. The “Wanted” billboards, which were posted along highways and major streets, eventually aided in Konias’s capture in Pompano Beach, Florida.

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Orange You Glad You Can Wear that Neon Sweatband Again?

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It’s the best kind of Tic-Tac, the signature shade of Halloween, and now the official color of 2012. Pantone, the reigning authority on color and color systems, has taken a wacky turn with 2012’s color of the year: Tangerine Tango. While 2011’s “honeysuckle” was a demure rose pink, there is nothing bashful about this year’s fiery choice. SmartSign had decided to pay homage to the show-stopping shade by highlighting our orange offerings.

Pumpkin Candy Kitchen Mat

Whether you’re a spook fanatic or you’re just in it for the treats, it’s never too early to start prepping for Hallow’s Eve. Our Holiday mats at XpressMats make great gifts for fellow trick-or-treating enthusiasts. Even beyond the ghoulish celebration, nothing says warmth and welcome like an orange pumpkin-printed mat in the foyer. Even better, with the Pantone seal of approval for 2012, you’ll just be en vogue with your bold color choices. Nobody needs to know about the candy corn you bought in December to satisfy your Halloween hunger.

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Special Friday Five: Digital and Life-Size Sign Edition

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Athlete Johanly Garcia, featured on a billboard as part of the BSA’s Boston Scholar Athlete program.

Friday, April 20, 2012 –

Boston Public School Athletes Featured on Billboards The Boston Scholar Athlete program just launched a billboard campaign to spread the word about its work in nineteen of the city’s public schools. A total of fifteen billboards featuring photographs of the scholarship program’s participants went up around Boston this past week. The program has established learning centers for athletes called Zones, which are intended to help the students accomplish more academically and receive tutoring and SAT preparation. Its billboards have already drawn lots of attention to the organization — and its participants. Johanly Garcia, a volleyball player whose photo was on one of the larger billboards, said she’s been approached by classmates telling her she’s “famous” since the launch of BSA’s campaign.

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