A Sign of the Times

“I don’t know, I think I always just had it in me, it just needed the right moment to get out.” These inspirational words from one local business owner spread like wild fire to neighbouring shops as local businesses have opted to forgo expensive professionally made signs for something more “handcrafted”. A simple scrap of paper, a black sharpie, and for added finesse some duct tape (fun fact: not actually useful on ducts) are all the supplies needed.

Where graphically designed and professionally printed signs once lined the iconic street of Talbot, many business owners are skipping the hassle and erecting their own handmade notices and banners. Each new addition adopts a laissez faire attitude about their business image, imposing instead a glimpse into the true character of the business owner – no ableist Comic Sans snobs in the Railway City!  It can be said that as these visionaries post their hand-crafted signs they are truly “letting it all hang out”.

While some may argue that personal signs have been around since the Commodore 64 introduced the printer peripheral;  The 80’s were decorated with well thought-out signs complete with perforated edges, bold-faced fonts, and clip art (another lost art St. Thomasians have always embraced). These efforts are lining retail counters with temptations of sales and the perks of member discount cards. But what has taken St. Thomas by storm feels different than the sloth normally associated with such endeavors, it is also more than a nostalgic nod to shop owners from 3 decades ago, it feels as if these intrepid adventurers are harkening back to a rogue time where the only supplies available were rudimentary graphic design material such as sticks and stones.

At this time we can only ask what does this all mean – what is the collective sub-conscious of these business owners trying to say?  Is it a desperate attempt to connect with clients that have abandoned social media? An unconscious pursuit to disrupt capitalism and stick it to the man? Or merely the stunted creativity of people whose art teachers spent more time drinking than teaching? Only time will tell. For now, we can simply collect photos of these masterpieces, document them for posterity, and watch as the phenomenon grows.

Updates to follow.

Captured at a local Tim Horton's Drive-Thru