Vernacular Spectacular
Design, Memory, and the Mission of NY Sign Museum

Protecting the visual memory of New York’s streets, one sign at a time.

What makes a sign quintessentially New York, and what do our old signs tell us about who we are as New Yorkers? This talk dives into the city’s vernacular signage tradition, from hand-painted storefronts to neon spectaculars, tracing how design, craft, and identity intersect in the urban landscape. Drawing from the work of the New York Sign Museum, David Barnett of Noble Signs, will examine how signs act as both design artifacts and vessels of collective memory, preserving the human stories, neighborhoods, and visual language that give the city its soul.

In an age of homogenized branding, this talk makes a case for why saving old signs isn’t just about nostalgia, but about reclaiming ownership of our city’s shared visual history. Goal is to show how codifying and preserving the New York style is a mission that can both lift design as well create positive change at the local level.

Event Series: Design Spotlight
These events are design talks or conversations that feature designers or creative teams sharing top of mind or breakout work.

Tickets
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