Friday, April 27, 2007

Time to die Yellow Signs

I have come to forcast the downfall of what was the "big thing" in advertising a few years ago: Yellow Signs (or any version of them!)
A few years ago the idea of yellow signs (and their flourescent counterparts) surged around the area as a great way to advertise your business, attract attention, and make people read a bright sign in hopes of making them crash their moving cars. Ok so i may have made that last one up. But needless to say, peeople loved this bright way of diverting attention from on-coming cars and other businesses.
I am stating now that this form of advertising has reached and passed its peak. In a country where we are trying to clean up our cities and make them more green, natural is the new yellow. I was reminded of this just the other day when driving downtown I saw three yellow and one black/ugly/flourescent signs on ONE business' property. FOUR SIGNS!!!! It was more than hard to look at. It was just plain ugly. Have these businesses sunk so far into the idea that people want to see advertising that they've decided to hide their buildings with the yellow signs? I do believe that there was a garden under the signs, but you wouldn't notice it at all due to the glare of yellow. Plus it can't be good to have cement blocks in a garden!
Its time for a change. I LIKE seeing oncoming traffic as I drive or try to pull out of parking lots. I LIKE being able to see buildings and not have to look at big yellow boards taunting me with their messages of what I 'need'. I don't want a new watch. I don't need half price shredders. I don't care if I get one can of tuna for the price of two, or something like that.
I look forward to seeing less of these signs as people realize that direct, in your face advertising is coming to an end. I hope that people can voice this opinion to see less yellow and more green (and i don't mean green signs, you geeks). How about you take a minute and think, ponder, pull hair about a prettier way of letting people know that they should buy that arm chair they can't live without.
Just watch this blog. I'll tell you how in the future. Until then, let's take down the yellow signs. We could probably build a house for a needy family with all that wasted materials.

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