Neon Signage

ネオンサイン / 1912–1990s / revival / Style / Signage and Display

The commercial sign style of bent glass tubes glowing as letters and pictures. Hong Kong's street-spanning character signs and Las Vegas's escalating light wars built each city's nighttime visual language.

Neon Signage — Neon on Stanley Street, Hong Kong (CC BY 2.0) · © VasenkaPhotography
Neon on Stanley Street, Hong Kong (CC BY 2.0) · CC BY 2.0 · © VasenkaPhotography
Neon Signage — Neon on Temple Street, Kowloon (CC BY 2.0) · © VasenkaPhotography
Neon on Temple Street, Kowloon (CC BY 2.0) · CC BY 2.0 · © VasenkaPhotography
Neon Signage — Hong Kong at night (CC0)
Hong Kong at night (CC0) · CC0

At a glance

Visual cues

  • Lines of bent glass tube
  • Glowing letters on the night sky
  • Signs projecting over the road
  • Blinking and chasing motion

Best used for

  • Making a sign that announces a shop's position from far down a night street
  • Staging the excitement of an entertainment district in colored light and motion

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Dictionary entry

Type
Letterforms drawn in one continuous tube, complex characters kept from thickening
Composition
Project over the sidewalk, deciding the upward viewing angles first
Material
Gas and coating chosen per color, blinking chased in one direction
Caution
Substituting neon look LED tape loses the depth and bloom of glass tube, and the imitation gives itself away the moment you stand close.
Further study
Hong Kong's neon masters / the Neon Museum, Las Vegas / LED replacement and preservation

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Cite this entry

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https://indexstyle.org/styles/neon-signage
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[Neon Signage — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/neon-signage)
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<a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/neon-signage">Neon Signage — IndexStyle</a>

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