Graffiti and Hand-Written Signs Part 2

6 min read
Share on Twitter, LinkedIn

About The Author

Katrín Svana Eyþórsdóttir is a media artist and designer from Iceland. You can follow her on twitter. More about Katrín Eyþórsdóttir ↬

Email Newsletter

Weekly tips on front-end & UX.
Trusted by 200,000+ folks.

The topic of this gallery is Graffiti and Hand-Written signs, i.e. signs that incorporates unique, individual artistic expression to communicate the meaning and the purpose of the sign. Please notice: each photo has a certain license, provided in the description of the photo. Before using the images for private or commercial projects, make sure that the license allows you to do so. Also, you can click on the photos for a larger preview.

This gallery presents the collection of photos submitted for the World Of Signage Photo Contest by the readers of Smashing Magazine. We received over 2,500+ photos from our readers across the globe, and present a selection of the most interesting photos in the overview below.

Please feel free to take a look at other submissions as well (links to other galleries are listed in the end of this gallery).

Graffiti and Hand-Written Signs

Enter the Cafe

Enter the Cafe [ large preview ]
“Cute hand made sign pointing to the entrance of a cosy cute cafe in Melbourne.” Licensed: Copyright Mary Pho 2010. Photo taken by Mary Pho from Australia.

Grunge Numbers

Grunge Numbers [ large preview ]
“Weathered poster showcasing numbers in various sizes and fonts, Seattle, WA.” Photo taken by Derek Hollister from USA.

68, Zibo, Shandong, China

68, Zibo, Shandong, China [ large preview ]
“The number 68 painted on the side of a building in China.” Photo taken by Shelby Karns from Mexico.

Bar wall showing offers

Bar wall showing offers [ large preview ]
“Instead of putting a floor display up in front of the Icelandic cafe, it decided to paint its own wall.” Photo taken by Caroline Baumann from Germany.

EL CHE

EL CHE [ large preview ]
”“EL CHE” ama su pose-ESPERA-Que lo pase no bien más bien VIP.” Photo taken by Dulce Mariana Ayala Bárcenas from Querétaro, México.

Scaffolders

Scaffolders [ large preview ]
“Dali Street China.” Photo taken by Nama Saya Manu from France.

Jailed if caught urinating

Jailed if caught urinating [ large preview ]
“I took this photo of a sign just outside a mall in Iloilo. The sign also says that only dogs urinate there.” Photo taken by Febrina Tanghal from Philippines.

Lucky paint

Lucky paint [ large preview ]
“An advert for a painter called Lucky.” License: All rights reserved. Photo taken by Gareth Shapiro from England.

Basura

Basura [ large preview ]
“Hand-painted littering sign at Chicano Park (San Diego).” Photo taken by Eduardo Garcia from USA.

Be an ASSFOAMer now!

Be an ASSFOAMer now! [ large preview ]
“Mattress-reseller’s building facade in Ghana.” Licensed: Creative Commons (by-nc-nd 3.0). Photo taken by Olli Toivonen from Finland.

Leave Lane Alane

Leave Lane Alane [ large preview ]
“Say no to development on Ottago lane.” Photo taken by Shalmali Patkar from United Kingdom.

Tacos on a Hot Day

Tacos on a Hot Day [ large preview ]
“Texture is too often an unconsidered element in typography. The was a great sign that had character, as well as characterized the atmosphere of the tacoria.” Licensed: © Tatsuma Watson. Photo taken by Tatsuma Watson from USA.

The heart

The heart [ large preview ]
“Photo taken in The Exclusion Zone of Novosibirsk Hydropower Station.” Photo taken by Maria Demina from Russia.

Excellent question

Excellent question [ large preview ]
“Taken in quincy illinois on a january morning.” Photo taken by kymberlie birkenkamp from USA.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy [ large preview ]
“My mom had this sign made of my Vietnamese name at the Lunar New Year festival.” Photo taken by Diane Hua from USA.

I’m on Vacation

I’m on Vacation [ large preview ]
“Notice to everyone on the beach that I was on vacation.” Photo taken by Kat Harris from USA.

Lasciare Libero Il Wendeplatz

Lasciare Libero Il Wendeplatz [ large preview ]
“A funny picture shot near Imperia, Italy.” License: GPL. Photo taken by Christoph Martens from Germany.

AllBathers

AllBathers [ large preview ]
“A 40+ year old hand painted sign in the change room at our pool. Perfectly crafted and executed.” Photo taken by Clint Turcotte from Canada.

Opposing Type

Opposing Type [ large preview ]
"A rare opportunity where I found a juxtaposition of tranquil typography and exciting graffiti." Licensed: ©Tatsuma Watson. Photo taken by Tatsuma Watsonfrom USA.

Pear danish street sticker

Pear danish street sticker [ large preview ]
“The text in the picture - translated directly to english says ‘pear(as the fruit) danish’ it is a slangword we use in danish when we are 100 percent danish - it’s about racism and intregration and how racist’s want’s newcomer’s to adapt danish culture, religion and society. Squeeze a muslim in a pear - and you get a dane out of him.” Licensed: © Attribution-NonCommercial License. Photo taken by Nanette Gaborit from Denmark.

Thank you!

Thanks to all participants for taking their time for preparing and sending submissions for the contest and creating a unique and diversified gallery presented above. We truly appreciate and respect your efforts and your time, folks!

Further Galleries

You may want to take a look at other contest galleries, too: