For as long as there have been roads and businesses, there have been signs. However, the earliest forms of signage are very different from today’s digital signs. In this article, we will examine the journey of modern signage by travelling from rudimentary wayfinding signs to digital LED displays.
Pre-Digital Signage
Wayfinding Signage
Although digital signage is a relatively recent invention in the span of human history, signage itself is not new. Thousands of years ago, humans started creating rudimentary signs to help each other find their way.
There are clear examples of directional signage being used in the Roman Empire. Roads had existed since the Bronze Age, yet the Romans expanded on the concept significantly. They created a vast network of roads, tunnels, viaducts, and bridges across their vast territories, stretching from Portugal to Constantinople.
This allowed for easier and more efficient movement of armies, people, and goods. The Roman road system was so large and successful that we still reference it today; for example, “All roads lead to Rome.”
The Romans placed mile markers at regular intervals along the roads, indicating the distance to Rome. Even after the fall of the Roman Empire, these early, basic signs were still used.
Other wayfinding signs were placed at crossroads during the Middle Ages. In the centuries that followed, wayfinding signage continued to point travellers in the right direction.
The late 1800s saw the arrival of the automobile. Previously, road signage had been less imperative because horse-powered travel was so slow. Once people began moving faster, however, they needed better signage.
As early as 1899, the American Automobile Association began placing signs on busy roads to guide drivers to their destinations. Meanwhile, the Congress of International Touring Organizations began considering standards for road signage in the early 1900s. In 1909, nine European governments decided on four standardized pictorial road symbol signs.
Commercial Signage
Ancient Roman and Greek societies also used signage to mark taverns, inns, blacksmiths, and other establishments within their cities. Different symbols referred to different types of businesses.
In the 1400s, English law required innkeepers, landlords, and tavern owners to exhibit signs outside their premises. Similar legislation existed in Europe throughout the Middle Ages. By the 1700s, most businesses used signage to indicate their name and industry and to advertise their services.
Signage for Advertising
Advertising signage began to boom during the Industrial Revolution. As more businesses started to open up shop, so did the number (and variety) of signs increase.
Shopkeepers painted boards with their business name and logo to improve visibility and let passersby know what was available inside. Additional signs announced their services.
In the 20th century, advertising signage changed dramatically. Outdoor advertising signs were painted onto billboards or hung up on buildings in cities. Large format printed advertising signs were commonplace by the middle of the century.
Neon Signs
Georges Claude revealed neon signage to the world at the Paris Motor Show in 1910. He discovered that passing an electrical current through a rarefied gas in a tube created a glowing effect.
By the 1920s, neon signs were heavily in use, especially in the United States and Western Europe. It remained the most popular form of the electrical sign until the 1960s, when cheaper forms of illuminated signage started to become available.
The Arrival of Digital Signage
The term “digital signage” didn’t actually exist before 1992. It was inspired by the video walls used in UK shopping centres. These displays played VHS and DVD content on CRT monitors (the tube televisions predating flat panel TVs).
Digital signage usually falls into three categories: LED, LCD, and media players.
LED Digital Signage
LED signs use light-emitting diodes to display a message. This technology has been around since the 1920s, but the use of LED screens for advertising didn’t start until the 1960s. In 1962, Nick Holonyak, Jr. developed the LED light bulb, which uses small diodes to emit images on a screen.
LED signs continued to develop in complexity. Eventually, they would come to feature an intricate matrix of individual LED lights (pixels) that form bright, clear, and colourful images, text, and videos.
These can be seen from far away, making them a fantastic option for businesses (even today!). Modern organizations still prefer LED signage because they attract attention and display information quickly and effectively.
LED signage uses software to display customized messages. This means that modern LED signs (like those supplied by New Style Signs) offer incredible creative flexibility.
They can display pictures, animations, colour changes, and more. You can showcase products, provide business information, and dazzle potential customers with a brilliant and beautiful display.
LCD Screens
LCD screens use liquid crystals to display media. Richard Williams, an RCA researcher, discovered the electro-optic characteristics of these liquid crystals in 1962. Two years later, in 1964, George H. Heilmeier made the same discovery and invented the LCD screen.
Like LED signage, LCD screens use software to convey digital information and advertising messages.
Media Players
Media players communicate with servers to display content using the Internet. These allow for more advanced messaging and can handle various media formats. Perhaps, most importantly, the content was easy to manage, control, and update. Information and displays could be updated simply in real-time.
The Future of Digital Signage
Digital signage continues to change and evolve. As new technology arises, new types of signs are starting to appear throughout the world. For instance, interactive displays featuring touchscreen technology are becoming more common.
Transparent OLED displays are an example of exciting new signage technology. We’ll likely start to see more holographic displays in the future as well.
Custom LED Signs in Toronto
Modern digital signs, with their bright and brilliant lights, provide organizations with incredible visibility and advertising opportunities. Custom LED signs, in particular, are extremely eye-catching.
They’re also durable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective. LED signage from New Style Signs broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, marketing your business while you sleep and attracting new customers.
To learn more about LED signage, call New Style Signs at 866-591-6938 or contact us here.
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