Greg Gossel’s Work Explores Link Between Signage and Art

Greg Gossel looks at signs differently than you and I. He sees signs as puzzle pieces to
be woven together into complex compositions. He sees signs as cultural hieroglyphs to be fused, combined and abstracted with other elements.

Gossel, a Minneapolis, MN-based graphic designer, has always been captivated by typography and pop culture. Layering elements, such as found objects, photographs, billboard scraps and signage, allows Gossel to create a unique context for the items.

The actual creation process comprises using a grid as the underlying structure. He then places found objects and street advertisements that have been torn, painted and otherwise modified onto the piece. This induces a weathered, decaying effect. Gossel says the fashion advertisements that feature “once flawless” supermodels join the billboards and other pop-culture items, all “helpless to the effects of time.”
I’m reminded of recent Paris Metro station renovations that revealed layers of postings and advertisements when decades-old walls were torn down (photos of which are posted here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150097602410574.393204.10150091109350574&type=1).
It just seems natural that any archeological “dig” through modern-day artifacts would reveal layer after layer of advertising and signage. Gossel’s compositions seem to juxtopose current typographic and fashion trends with the discarded look of time and use. His work is even more evidence of how signs, and sign design, have crept into our collective consciousness and helped define the look of the modern era.
The influence of signage on current art trends seem to be growing, with no indication of letting up.

In that sense, maybe Gossel does look at signs exactly the way you and I do. It’s about time that the tail wags the dog for awhile!

Gossel’s work has been shown in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Milan and London.

A couple of other billboards I’ve photographed, one in Baltimore and another in Cincinnati, underscore trendy designs that blur that line between art and signage.

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