We began this week with a lesson on the history of sign making. Oh, what a rich legacy American sign making holds. The outstanding American sign was at once purposeful and artistic - even poetic. It announced the personality of a shop or an inn even before one entered - bidding the customer welcome, or the weary traveler rest. All was made clear through picturesque words and images that inspired imaginations.
We had a group discussion on the general use of signs and their function in early American society such as attract attention or provide clarity to those who could not read or as a means of simple advertisement. We talked about how many inns and taverns had colorful and descriptive names. And we discussed trades of the early 19th century to get the creative juices flowing for our assignment.
Class activity - we sketched out a sign for an imaginary business, encouraging colorful and descriptive names/wording. They sketched the shape of their sign to most appeal to others and added symbols and pictures.
