Custom-sign fabricators understand that their handiwork doesn’t merely identify a business, public space or institution. They serve as cultural touchstones. When you’re reading an article from a travel magazine or website that describes a destination, you’re likely to see signs in the vista. When a sporting-event broadcast returns from a commercial break, you’re likely to a segment begin with an iconic local sign. Signs don’t just educate and inform, they identify.
Bill Lindeke, an author for Minnpost.com, a reader-supported, nonprofit website that covers Minnesota (the Upper Midwest is one of the strongest bastions of public radio, so it stands to reason this model would be transferred to cyberspace there), describes his warn affection for the Twin Cities’ historic signage in an October 30 article. He recounts his favorite "lost" Minneapolis sign, which once stood atop the Washburn-Crosby flour mill in downtown Minneapolis. It simply said "Eventually", which referenced a Gold Medal Flour slogan, but kind of captures Minnesotan’s optimism, cheeriness and can-do resolve — as if to say, "We’re on our way to being a world-class city, we’re getting there, ya, you betcha."
He further discusses efforts to restore iconic local signs, such as the Pillsbury’s Best sign standing just above where the Mississippi River flows by Minneapolis, and how LEDs are facilitating the process of bringing local icons back to life.
I don’t want to steal Bill’s words; he captures these vital slices of Twin Cities history beautifully. Please read his full treatise yourself. But, it’s always gratifying when someone from the general press recognizes signs’ importance.