Even in an age of emoji, when people revel in communicating online using a shared set of colorful icons, it makes sense that there are still those who are able to eke out a living painting signs for ...

For 73 years, Rey Giese painted the Valley of Heart’s Delight in letters, numbers and company logos. A skilled artisan whose craft was earned by years of apprenticeship, working as a journeyman and ...

Dan Kamba and Chuck Wilmarth are debating how to spell Oscar Mayer wiener. The “i” should be before the “e,” says Kamba, co-owner of Southwest Signs in the Clearing neighborhood, but Wilmarth, the ...

Decades ago, DC was full of hand-painted signs pointing customers toward various retail establishments. They were eye-­catching and distinctive, but they were also expensive, required regular ...

With a swift and steady hand, Ruben Marcilla is painting a 3-foot-tall “T.” The “T” is white, and Marcilla is cutting crisp lines around it in teal. When he’s done he moves on to “H,” then “E” and an ...

Meredith Kasabian and Josh Luke are the wife-and-husband team behind Best Dressed Signs. Luke started the hand-painted sign business in his native California – inspiring the company’s classy name by ...

CHICAGO — Dan Kamba and Chuck Wilmarth are debating how to spell Oscar Mayer wiener. The “i” should be before the “e,” says Kamba, co-owner of Southwest Signs in Chicago, but Wilmarth, the other ...

Before he sets to work, before the first of what will be a thousand brushstrokes, each one fluid and articulated and occupying the space between artwork and industry, the sign painter wants you to ...

There are many ways that shop owners can display their pride for their business. One of them is sweeping the sidewalk on a daily basis – a respectable old world habit that somehow died years ago.

Emilio Carrillo’s mural of Latin American countries on the wall of an apartment building in Pico-Union. (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic) Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series on ...