Expresso Latte Comin Right Up

The drink has many names. Some call is Joe, some call it black gold. Some call it mojo, plasma, and java. This drink is, of course, Coffee. Though slighted in the past for being a contributor to insomnia, weight gain, and cellulite; coffee has been discovered to lower the regular drinkers chance of developing Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and varying types of cancers. In light of this we have chosen our Arch Coffee Cup Address Plaque as our featured sign of the week.

This plaque is ideal for small, burgeoning café owners looking to add a little extra something to their overall product. Small café’s, as it turns out, import an estimated $12 billion worth of coffee beans annually to about 24,000 stores. We would love to make a coffee sign for each and every one of these owners (despite logistics); but we will settle for making one perfect sign for YOU.

As always our Signs are Made in the USA with American labor and American materials.

A Lasting Image of Justice

There has been a lot of hullaballoo about the death penalty in light of the Troy Davis execution (or murder, depending on your point of view). This commotion, centered on the Davis case, has escalated to the moral stratosphere adding fuel to death penalty abolitionist’s outrage. Arguing pro death penalty is  very tricky  to do without offending anyone. So I’m not even going to try. Here’s my opinion—people should suffer accordingly for their wrongdoings whether it’s a whoopin’ on the tush for disrespecting their mother or a needle in the vein for disrespecting the sovereignty of life.

The most basic argument in favor of the death penalty is deterrence. Deterrence works by letting would-be murderers know that if they should be found guilty of certain crimes, then their own lives are forfeit. It’s impossible to gather accurate statistical evidence on whether deterrence works; however, it is my sentiment that it does. Here’s why. Continue reading →

The English Colonial

The colonial approach to architecture is as uniquely unified as it is varied. What on Earth does that mean? Let me explain. Colonial homes are unified in that they generally share the same basic appearance. To a modern eye that appearance would be “old” (among others). A basic rule of thumb is if a house looks old, really really old, then it’s probably a colonial. Beyond that are many differing styles, influenced by the heritage of the architects. These varying styles are what we will examine today.

The first recognized colonial era houses emerged in the early 1700’s as a direct result of early American prosperity. Although these structures vary greatly in details, they all share the same two discerning features. 1. They have many, many windows. 2. They have broad walls, and are imposing in appearance. That’s it—after all, it was a simpler time. Now let’s get into the stylistic details. Continue reading →

Neutraface Vertical House Numbers

Richard Neutra (1892 – 1970) is considered one of the most important architects of the modernist impression. His most famous works include: the Lovell house, the Gettysburg cyclorama (A turn-stile based panorama of the civil war battle), the Rice house, and the Von Sternberg house. The Von Sternberg house is of special importance because novelist/ philosopher Ayn Rand formerly owned the residence. According to Rand’s biographer, she bought the house in the 1940’s for $24,000 and sold it for $175,000. Not a bad investment, if you ask me. (Kind of like investing in their product. Big props if you know who they are.)

The Neutraface font, which is featured on our Neutraface Vertical Numbers plaque, takes many stylistic cues from both Neutra and Modernism. This influence is best seen through Neutraface’s numbers.

The numbers for this font have a very polar and unique style depending on which specific number is in question. Certain numbers have hard and sharp, crisp and firm lines; these are 3,4,5, and 7. They all share a very stern and formidable appearance. On the other hand; 2,6,8,9 and 0 all share a very rounded, almost plump look to them; especially 8. This styling difference contributes to making this font look very unique and eye catching—something all signs should strive to achieve.

This sign is also available in a horizontal format, so, as always with Atlas Signs and Plaques—you have options.

Groovy Baby

Here at Atlas Signs and Plaques our business is signs. We make signs so that people can understand an idea (even if it is as simple as indicating an address) without the need to verbally express it. As such, we are interested in all kinds of signs: big or small, grand or infantile. The sign I’m looking at today is a very, very famous one. You’ve seen it in your high school history books. You’ve seen it on cars, posters, vans, and billboards. If you lived in the late 60’s then you saw it everywhere. I’m talking of course, about the peace sign.  The history of the peace sign can be traced back to 1958 during the acceleration of worldwide nuclear arms.

The peace sign was created by Gerald Herbert Holton on February 21, 1958. Holton was a dedicated peacemaker who, disgusted by the USA’s usage of atomic weapons in WWII, and the proliferation of worldwide nuclear weapons, joined the Direct Action against Nuclear War Committee (DAC) —an initiative dedicated to containing worldwide nuclear strength. Holton (who was a gifted designer) created the symbol for the DAC with a duality of connotations in mind

His first message was to relay the hopelessness of mankind’s continued existence should nuclear weapons adopt regular usage. To convey this message, Holton says: “I drew myself, the representative of an individual in despair, with hands outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of [an inverted] Goya’s peasant before firing squad”. Continue reading →