No Standing
I can’t say exactly when I became obsessed with street signs. It probably doesn’t matter. It just started and steadily grew.
Over time, I’ve come to see signs as culturally interesting objects. More than utilitarian instructions, I think signs are mirrors of our culture and environment. In many instances they reflect our history and values. Occasionally, some signs, can in their own right, ascend to the status of art.
Although purely subjective, below are a few Melbourne signs, that have caught my interest in recent months. In broadly differing regards, these are all signs that I think are more than just signs.
Bikes Need Exercise Too
One of the very simplest of signs, at the height of the recent lockdown, took on a new meaning to me. Frustrated at not getting out for a good run on my bike, I started to think of the many bicycles that were languishing in apartments, sheds and garages, all over the city. In that context this sign take on a public welfare aspect. Its an call to action: ‘Please walk your bike’. Make sure it gets out and is well exercised. Like any person or animal, its the very minimum your bike needs to keep healthy and happy.
Ticket Holders Only – you animals!
This is a sign that made me double take outside the gates to Port Melbourne Cricket Ground. It’s no surprise that they don’t want animals, but it’s the first and only time that I’ve seen an all-inclusive, ‘no cats’ and ‘no dogs’ policy in operation. I applaud the even-handedness but I am perplexed that this was viewed to be an issue. Has anyone ever really brought their cat to the cricket? Perhaps they have.
Stop – with the children already
I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the drama of this very simple sign that just grabs attention. Square, simple lines reinforce the no-nonsense message. Red is the classic danger colour as we all know and the simplicity and directness of the message lends the text an almost dramatic theatre. If this sign came with sound, I’m sure it would be the much parodied, ‘Da, Daa, Daaaa!’ that accompanies all dramatic reveals.
Beware of Snakes
When you come from a cold northern country with very few snakes (none deadly), this sign fair grabs your attention. Snakes for goodness sake! Despite being a serious warning, this crazy snake has a cartoonish quality to it. I like the way they have balanced a serious message with a vibrant, fun sign. It has great colour and fun of it. The very subtle inclusion of just two google eyes, is enough to give this serious message, just an air of light-hearted comedy. Its a serious message, but we don’t want to scare the tourists too much.
Shoe Repairs – history & longevity
As someone interested in history, I am drawn to this old sign for its sense of time passed. I love that it used to be bright, but is now faded. I love that, like an old pair of shoes, it has now degraded and cracked. I love that something about ‘repair and maintenance’ has succumbed to the passage of neglect and decay. Shoes don’t last forever, neither do human lives and neither does human endeavour.
Stop with the children already
This sign’s not remarkable of itself but it belongs to type I’ve seen all over Melbourne, the ‘adapted sign’. It’s where someone with a marker and an issue modifies everyday signs to deliver an altogether different message. Personally, I’ve got nothing against children or families, but this one caught my attention and got me thinking about the issue. I’ve seen a fair few adapted signs and some are pretty funny. Some are political, a fair few are plain silly and many are very rude. Too rude for here; this being just about the tamest one I can post.
End Roadwork
This is another simple one. A warning, a promise a campaign slogan? It’s hard to tell for sure. Is the ‘End’ that it hails, actual or aspirational? Who would not want to live in a world that has seen an end to roadworks? It sounds amazing, but I know it’s an impossible dream. However, even if it’s just an end to works on that single street only, and not the promised utopia, I’ll take that. Who can argue this is not a good news sign?
Sausages, Scots and God
Being a Scot and relatively new to Australia, I love this sign. I am not overtly religious, but culturally we just don’t have a Sausage Sizzle and barbeque culture in the UK and it really interests me. I think this is quintessentially Australian. I also love that the church is trying different ways to get people to come along. Good luck to all who attend and happy sizzling.
Watch Your Step
There’s a lot of fear in this modern world of ours and this sign to me, reads like an abject threat. I love its simplicity, but also the boldness of the warning, ‘Watch Your Step’. In bold yellow, it carries both an actual and implied level of threat. The silly side of me likes to think of it as a menacing warning, from some street-thug. “You had better Watch Your Step Buddy!”
Meatballs
There are some signs – some words even – that just can’t be ignored. When you see them, you’re compelled to take note. Such a sign resides on Little Collins St. It is nothing short of mesmerising, almost hypnotic. Not because I’m mad on meatballs, it’s the unadulterated simplicity of the word ‘MEATBALLS’ in clean red, capital font. It’s a knock- out and perhaps the most effective sign I’ve seen to date.
Hitting the Skids
I saw this grouping on the footbridge over the Southbank and I’m drawn to its noisy cacophony of colour and shapes. It’s an explosion of warnings signs, all concentrated at an obvious problem area. Who could fail to miss that they need to slow down and watch out for skidding at this treacherous spot? Despite the serious aspect to the warnings, I love the vibrancy and the colours of the various images, all telling the same story through different expressions. One sign has obviously not been enough for this problem area and I love the layers of warning that have been built up here.
Beware the Motor Car
This one also appeals to a sense of history. Back to a time when Little Bourke Street Lane had motor cars on it. The term ‘motor cars’ is of itself a clue to the vintage. The lane has been pedestrianised for many years, so it goes back a fair way since this was valid. I love its mood of dramatic theatre. The use of the word ‘beware’ is so old school. ‘Be aware’ that’s a very sensible instruction, but ‘Beware’ , suddenly that invokes additional feelings of drama, as well as danger and fright.
Forgive
This last one is not so much a sign as it is street art. I saw it under a bridge up at Parkville near the main university campus and it totally caught my attention. I like that it’s sentiment is just so matter of fact. Just the plain definition of a word. That’s all. It’s such a powerful and challanging concept and yet here it’s presented so simply. There is so much anger and hurt in our world that for me, just to be reminded of this word and its meaning is an incredibly powerful thing. It’s not even saying that we have to, or should forgive. Just for us to know that the word and the concept is there. A conscious choice and an infinitely powerful action. People have the power to forgive if they choose to. Anything, big things and small. It certainly got me thinking.
These are just a handful of signs that have caught my interest around the city. In some respects, the geek in me has started ‘collecting’ them and I’m going to keep searching.
I think there’s a lot to learn from looking for the signs around us. They come in all shapes, colours and sizes. I like the way they spark thought and bring different ideas and feelings to the surface. I like their vibrancy. I like understanding them and even wilfully misinterpreting a few.
In this respect signs are a portal into deeper ideas and feeling. If you get the chance, try and read the signs around you. They have much to teach us.
