The Holiday Inn Sign
It probably goes without mentioning, but since that first family summer road trip to Florida in the 70s, riding in the back of my mom's wood panel Chevy station wagon, I have loved motel signs - the tacky, economically driven folk art of the American roadside.
Sure, there are many other accomplished examples of motel signage, but none have ever matched the sheer brilliance and classic design of the Holiday Inn sign of the 70s.
My parents would vouch for this - I used to bounce up and down in the back seat, squealing with laughter and joy whenever that sign came into view, for I knew that soon we would pull into the Holiday Inn parking lot and be graced by that towering "[explosion of] color, optimism, and razzle-dazzle, " as Andrew Nelson so aptly wrote.
No toy, movie, or church illuminated my imagination as much as that daft sign, and to this day it saddens me to see the God awful, boxy, bland signage of modern Holiday Inns by the roadside that just scream 80s forest green complacency and conservatism. Thanks to Andrew Nelson at Salon, I know I'm not alone.
Comments
Best Western motels had a similarly cheesy sign, if I remember correctly. Only, they were obviously trying to copy the Holiday Inn signs. We used to have a BW on the highway leading into my hometown, and whenever we'd been gone for a day, a weekend, or occasionally longer, I knew I could always count on seeing that big tacky sign as we drew closer to home.
Posted by: Bob at April 29, 2002 11:47 PM
For some reason, I was partial to the bowling alley near my house growing up. The letters would light up in order: B-O-W-L and then BOWL would flash several times. It was awesome.
You know, one of my design teachers used to keep "creative" and "uncreative" bulletin boards onto which he would tack photographs of signs/logos that were "creative" and "uncreative," respectively. I always argued that some of the "uncreative" ones were the best.
Posted by: Mo at April 30, 2002 3:15 PM
