During my recent trip to New York, I was reminded how much I love neon signs. There was a time when the dominant glow of these signs served as a friendly beacon welcoming passers-by to stop in for a bite, a drink, or a warm place to stay. Now they are mostly relegated to old dive bars, seedy motels, or vintage-revival restaurant concepts.

Here in Atlanta, there are still a few areas of town dotted with these luminous tubes — usually establishments that fit into one of those above categories. It's definitely a reversing trend.

I'm not sure what exactly we've moved away from neon. Perhaps it's cost (with now-standard back-lit lightboxes being much cheaper), or versatility (full-color and complex artwork can be printed on lightboxes), or simply a matter of taste (not a great complement in the modern suburban strip mall).

In any case, it's refreshing to see the lively glow of these signs when out on a nice night. The neon sign gives an eerily warm feeling that can't quite be replicated in the cheap lightboxes so prevalent these days.

Back to Blog