Skip to content

Ghostsigns

Fading painted signs with Sam Roberts

  • Home
  • Tours
  • Blog
  • Book
  • Archive
  • NE Signs

Inspired by Signs

Artistic and other interpretations of ghost signs.

Ghost Signs & Light Capsules in Winnipeg

Ghost signs & light capsules in Winnipeg are the focus of Writing on the Wall, a short film about the city and the work that has been done to document and preserve them.

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Destinations, Sign Folk, Sign Initiatives, Sign Making, Sign Preservation, Signs in Media

London Street Level by Robert Brownjohn

I recently (28 October) hosted ‘Font Sunday’ on Twitter with the theme of ‘fading fonts’ to mark the changing of the clocks and the fading … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections

Fonts Inspired by Ghost (and other) Signs

Earlier this year I was lucky to attend the launch of Lost & Foundry, a collection of fonts created and published by Fontsmith in collaboration … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Preservation

Commit Some Nuisance for Bankside

One of the ‘bonus’ stops on my Bankside Ghostsigns Walk is a pair of signs on the back The Borough Welsh Congregational Chapel (Doyce Street … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs

Now Open: The Grand Exhibition of the Pre-Vinylite Society

The Grand Exhibition of the Pre-Vinylite Society is now showing for four days at the Bargehouse, behind the OXO Tower on London’s South Bank. Visitors … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections, Sign Initiatives, Sign Stories

Light Capsules is Back (for one night only)

Tomorrow, Thursday 16 August, Craig Winslow is bringing his Light Capsules project back to London for a ‘one night only’ special reboot of the 100-year-old … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs

Social Decay from Andrei Lacatusu

Digital artist Andrei Lacatusu has created Social Decay, a series of images depicting a possible future of washed-up digital companies and their derelict signs. They … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections, Sign Initiatives

The Grand Exhibition of the Society of Sign Painters

The following article is re-posted from the original on Better Letters. This August we’ll be opening a very special sign painting exhibition within the public-facing … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections, Sign Destinations, Sign Folk, Sign Initiatives, Sign Making, Sign Stories

The Dioramas of Northall by Job Weessies

Job Weessies is a Dutch model maker and, after some time working on railway models, he has moved into working with card and on creating … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs

The Shopfronts of ‘Paris Re-Tale’

After publishing the wonderful photos of one-time Paris sign business E. Gautier, I was alerted to this project and the above video where the sign … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections, Sign Destinations

Roy Reed’s Reconstructions

Roy Reed is a prolific collector and researcher of ghost signs, and uses his skills as a designer to decipher them. I’ve featured his work … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections, Sign Folk, Sign Initiatives

Michelle Heron’s Fantastic Fascias

Michelle Heron is a London-based painter with a paticular fascination for old shops and shop fronts. Her paintings depict iconic fascias, many of which have … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections, Sign Initiatives

E. Gautier’s Beautiful Paris Ghost Signs

Independently of each other I have been sent photos of this beautiful Paris ghost signs by Wim Dammers and book contributor Leisa Clements. It is … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Folk, Signs of Note

Numbers 3-7 Stoke Newington Church Street

On one of my walking tours back in 2014 guests had the opportunity to see this reveal of a newsagent and tobacconists’ sign at No.5 … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Stories

‘London Sign by Sign’ by Marco Bazelmans

Back in May, Marco Bazelmans contacted me about a project he was working on as part of his communication design studies in Aachen, Germany. The … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Collections, Sign Folk, Signs in Media

Cars and Ghost Signs by Tom Pawlesh

Tom Pawlesh got in touch and shared his cool collection of images composed by juxtaposing ghostsigns with a variety of classic cars. He has currently … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Folk

Light Capsules from Craig Winslow

Craig Winslow is an experiential designer who has recently turned his gaze towards ghostsigns, and the creative possibilities offered by applying his expertise in light … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Folk, Sign Initiatives, Sign Preservation

‘Phantoms’ by Michelle Madsen of the Poetry Takeaway

The Poetry Takeaway is a fun, interactive rapid poetry unit, and I was lucky enough to get one written for me a couple of weeks … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs
E.Mono Shop Front

E.Mono in North London

Back in 2011 an old 1920s shop fascia was revealed on Kentish Town High Street. The nature of the E.Mono business remains a mystery but … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Preservation, Sign Stories, Signs of Note
Fading sign painted on a wall advertising Dr King

Dr King: The Story of a Melbourne Ghostsign by Nick Gadd

This Melbourne ghostsign is a recent reveal and was captured by Nick Gadd, the writer behind Melbourne Circle. Nick’s research into the sign was recently … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Stories, Signs in Media, Signs of Note
Brimay Safety Matches Ghost Sign

Ghosting with Ghost Signs: An Experiment in Risography

One of the things I most enjoy about my work on ghostsigns is getting involved with student projects using the signs as a springboard into … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs

Faux Ghostsigns for Coca-Cola’s London HQ

Ghostsigns for Coca-Cola are found all over the USA and other parts of the world, although I know of only one in the UK. However, … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Making
Montage of vintage signs from Scotland

Scotland in Detail: Vintage Signs from Dave Cowan

This fabulous montage of Scottish ghostsigns was created by Dave Cowan of Scotland in Detail. It is available as a print from his store and … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Folk
RE Ringer General Merchandise store front

Moving Walls to Save a Ghost Sign

In an effort to save this fading and rusting shop front, Beth and Tony Walls moved the entire building 150ft to allow for a highway … Read more

Categories Inspired by Signs, Sign Initiatives, Sign Preservation
Post navigation
Older posts
Page1 Page2 Page3 Next →

Welcome

Hi, I'm Sam. I hope you enjoy learning about fading painted signs on this site. Please get in touch (sam@ghostsigns.co.uk) with discoveries and questions.

Support Me

Become a Patron!

Follow Me

Blog Topics

  • Signs of Note
  • Sign Stories
  • Sign Collections
  • Sign Initiatives
  • Sign Preservation
  • Sign Destinations
  • Sign Folk
  • Sign Making
  • Signs in Media
  • Inspired by Signs

Share This

Share

Around the World with Ghostsigns

Around the World with Ghostsigns...  Australia |  Austria |  Bangladesh |  Belgium |  Cambodia |  Canada |  China |  Denmark |  Egypt |  El Salvador |  France |  Gambia |  Germany |  Guatemala |  Hong Kong |  Hungary |  India |  Ireland |  Italy |  Jamaica |  Kenya |  Mexico |  Netherlands |  New Zealand |  Nicaragua |  Norway |  Poland |  Portugal |  Scotland |  Singapore |  South Africa |  Spain |  UK |  Ukraine |  USA |  Wales

© 2020 Ghostsigns / Sam Roberts