Honorable Mention
For In School
For In School
Presented by KAA Design
Signotology
by Danny Baxter
Artist Statement
Signs form an important part of the urban fabric and the architecture they adorn. Often overlooked—or sometimes denigrated—signs are a record of human use; a demonstration of how buildings learn. At best signs are considered public sculptures, landmarks and icons of neighborhoods and cities, even when the businesses they demarcate have long since gone. Worse still are the signs which have been fully destroyed, replaced by memories and stitched together photographs, celebrated too late for their preservation. Signs that are saved or are lucky enough to be neglected until their appreciation inevitably stand as cultural ornamentation; as the culture changes, so too do the signs evolve. In this series, I have taken the signs from their urban context and transformed them into two-dimensional representations of their supergraphic status in Los Angeles.
Signs form an important part of the urban fabric and the architecture they adorn. Often overlooked—or sometimes denigrated—signs are a record of human use; a demonstration of how buildings learn. At best signs are considered public sculptures, landmarks and icons of neighborhoods and cities, even when the businesses they demarcate have long since gone. Worse still are the signs which have been fully destroyed, replaced by memories and stitched together photographs, celebrated too late for their preservation. Signs that are saved or are lucky enough to be neglected until their appreciation inevitably stand as cultural ornamentation; as the culture changes, so too do the signs evolve. In this series, I have taken the signs from their urban context and transformed them into two-dimensional representations of their supergraphic status in Los Angeles.
Vermont Plaza
915 Vermont Ave
Koreatown in Los Angeles, CA
Gaylord Apartments
3355 Wilshire Blvd
Koreatown in Los Angeles, CA
Pan Pacific Auditorium
ca. 1960’s (Gone)
7600 Beverly Blvd
Fairfax in Los Angeles, CA
Musso & Frank Grill
6667 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA
Canter’s Deli
419 N Fairfax Ave
Fairfax in Los Angeles, CA
Langer’s Deli
704 S Alvarado St
Westlake in Los Angeles, CA
Dear John’s11208 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA
The Hat491 N Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA
Chips
11908 Hawthorne Blvd
Hawthorne, CA
Tam O’Shanter
2980 Los Feliz Blvd
Atwater Village in Los Angeles, CA
Disneyland Entrance Marquee
ca. 1960’s (Gone)
Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA
Chung’s Appliance
2948 W 7th St
Koreatown in Los Angeles, CA
El Royale Apartments
450 N Rossmore Ave
Hancock Park in Los Angeles, CA
Ojai Apartments
1929 Whitley Ave
Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, CA
Bendix Building1206 Maple Ave
Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Schwartz Bakery on Fairfax
433 N Fairfax Ave
Fairfax in Los Angeles, CA
Bob’s Market Liquor
10000 National Blvd
Palms in Los Angeles, CA
The Sun Dial Palms
3455 Jasmine Ave
Palms in Los Angeles, CA
Helms Bakery
3225 Helms Ave
Helms Bakery District near Culver City, CA
Westlake Theater
636 S Alvarado St
Westlake in Los Angeles, CA
The Artist
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Danny Baxter: Since coming to Los Angeles from the desert, Danny has worked in exhibit design, experience design, and illustration. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from University of Arizona and is currently pursuing his MFA in Applied Arts at the California Institute of the Arts.
You can find more of his work at @signotology
The Category
The ‘In School’ Category was open to student work. All submissions were designed by students. The concept behind the category came from the museum’s apprection of design in every day life.
The ‘In School’ Category was open to student work. All submissions were designed by students. The concept behind the category came from the museum’s apprection of design in every day life.
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