clients. The first priority of a good, functional sign is to get noticed, to“ get people through the door.” He also says that the sign must be appropriate, and one that both sign artist and the client are proud of. It should also enrich the public environment by being something interesting for people to look at. Most codes are passed because of signs that are poorly created.
A well-made and effective sign is the best use of advertising dollars. Decisions regarding the elements of good design are simple: 1. Will it have a pictorial or graphic? 2. What style of type will be used? 3. What will be the shape of the sign? 4. Lastly to be considered— what color? Gary remarks that the individual personality of each of the shops in Brown County can be depicted on a sign with five words or less.
Gary’ s signs brought Kin Hubbard’ s characters— Abe Martin and neighbors— to the public thoroughfare. Entering Nashville, people are greeted by a welcome sign with Old Abe sitting on a barbed wire fence. Using Hubbard’ s black and white cartoons to get started, Gary created the colorful, life-size and to scale figures of Abe and“ friends” that people the sidewalks throughout Nashville.
Others traveling through Brown County have noticed Gary’ s work. An architect and developer from Minnesota contacted him about producing signage for a miniature golf course at the Mall of the America. These pieces were built in Gary’ s studio and delivered to Minnesota. Another significant client that was introduced to Gary’ s work in Brown County was the town of Rising Sun, Indiana. The addition of a casino on the Ohio River
gave this municipality the opportunity to renew its image. Gary designed and built a“ Welcome to Rising Sun” sign that measured 20 feet long. It was carved, sand-blasted, and had an event board with changeable type. As his practice, Gary built scale miniature models of these pieces.
After receiving several design awards, in the mid-70s he was invited to attend a meeting of the“ Letterheads” in Oklahoma. The Letterheads is a group of sign makers and decorative artists dedicated to passing down traditional sign making skills, such as lettering, striping, carving, gold leafing, and often glass art. In 1998, he spearheaded a national convention of the Letterheads in Bloomington.
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You see Anderson’ s signs all along the streets of Nashville.
May / June 2014 • Our Brown County 17