Future so bright: A history of neon signage

              The Historic
Dimension Series
A student publication series by the UNCG Department of Interior Architecture
Future So Bright:
A History of Neon Signage
Torrey Orlopp 	 	 	 	 Fall 2017
If you’ve ever taken
a trip down the main
street of your favorite
big city, you begin to notice all the sights
and sounds that make it unique. One
important feature is certainly present on this
street, one that may go overlooked: neon
signage. Neon signs are a second layer of
a place; the first being the local, character-defining
architecture that lets you know
where you are and why it is important.
The history of neon signage is a unique
one, touching many facets of American life
and popular culture. From the dawn of its
first official use in the 1910’s, neon signage
has evolved from an item of wonder to a
community place-making object, developing
brand identity, associated with glamour.
Falling out of popularity in the 1970’s
to 1990’s as a symbol of commercialism,
corruption, and greed, neon signage almost
completely vanquished. Cities across
the country actually implemented local
ordinances to have neon signage removed
from local businesses.
Over the last 40 years, particularly in the
2000’s and 2010’s, neon signage experienced
a resurgence of popularity, due to its
tangibility in a world that seems to advertise
in such a digital, removed way. This brief
provides an overview of how neon signage
was and is still created and the process of
crafting neon signage as a labor-intensive
art. The history of neon signage is rich, filled
with ever-changing uses and trends from
decade to decade.
The Birth of Neon
Even before the discovery of neon as a
chemical element, the theory of neon sig-nage
dates back to 1675--before the age of
electricity--thanks to observations by French
astronomer Jean Picard. Picard observed
a faint glow in a mercury barometer tube
after the tube was shaken, which later was
dubbed “barometric light.” This faint glow,
while not understood at the time, was due to
static electricity. Later, as scientists began to
understand the principles of electricity, this
phenomenon was investigated further.
In 1855, the Geissler tube was invented,
named after German glassblower and
physicist, Heinrich Geissler. The Geissler
tube is an early gas discharge tube used
to demonstrate the principles of electrical
glow discharge; it was the first of its kind.
This tube essentially is a sealed, partially
evacuated glass cylinder of various
shapes, with a metal electrode at each end,
containing rarefied gasses such as neon,
argon, air, mercury, or other conductive
gasses.
When a high voltage is applied to the
electrodes, an electrical current flows
through the glass tube, causing the
dissociation of electrons from the gas
molecules. As a result, these gas molecules
and electrons move at a different energy
level and create ions. When the electrons
recombine with the ions, the gas emits light
by fluorescence. The color of light emitted
is characteristic of the gas within the tube
(argon, neon, etc.).
“The
blaze of
crimson
light from
the tube
told its
own story
and was
a sight to
dwell upon
and never
forget.”
- M.W.
Travers
(Bothell,
2014, p. 1)
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Fig. 3: 1930’s classic Harley Davidson neon sign sport-ing
the phrase “Ride A Winner!”
Geissler tubes were used in early 20th century scientific
research as high voltage indicators; when a Geissler tube
was brought near a source of high voltage alternating
current such as a Tesla Coil or a Ruhmkorff Coil, it would
light up even without contact with the circuit.
In 1898, neon gas was first discovered by William
Ramsay and M.W. Travers in London. Ramsay chilled
a sample of air until it became a liquid, then warmed
the liquid and captured the gases as they boiled off (this
process is known as fractional distillation). The gases
oxygen and nitrogen had already been identified at the
time, but the remaining unknown gases were isolated
in their order of abundance over a six-week period.
The elements discovered as a result of this experiment
were argon, krypton, and neon, and then later, using
the same experiment, xenon was discovered as well. As
an isolated element, electrically-excited gaseous neon
emitted a brilliant red-orange color. M.W. Travers wrote
about neon: “The blaze of crimson light from the tube
told its own story and was a sight to dwell upon and
never forget” (Bothell, 2014, p. 1).
Neon is largely a rare gaseous element, present in the
atmosphere to the extent of 1 part in 65,000 of air. It
is obtained by liquefaction of air and separated from
the other gases by fractional distillation, as noted from
Ramsay & Travers’ experiment. In 1902, the French
engineer, chemist, and inventor George Claude was the
first person to apply an electrical discharge to a sealed
tube of neon gas. This process created the first neon
lamp, which was displayed to the public on December
11, 1910 in Paris, France. In 1923, Claude and his French
company, Claude Neon, introduced neon gas signs to
the United States, by selling two signs to a Packard car
dealership in Los Angeles. After the first sale of these
two “Packard” neon signs, neon lighting quickly became
popular in outdoor advertising, as they were visible both
night and day.
Neon signs today are still constructed using the same
historic methods. Essentially, hollow glass tubes that
have been filled with neon or other gases are bent into
the shape of leters or other decorative sign types. To
shape the tubes, the glass is heated by lit gas and forced
air. The tubes are scored while cold with a file and
snapped apart while hot.
Several compositions of glass are used, depending on the
country and supplier; commonly, the two types known
are ‘soft’ (lead, soda-lime, and barium glass) and ‘hard’
(borosilicate glass). Depending on the composition,
the working range of glass is from 1600 degrees to 2200
degrees Fahrenheit.
When the tubing is finished, it must be processed,
a procedure that varies from country to country.
Processing in the United States is called “bombarding,”
which means the tube is partially evacuated of air, then
short-circuited with a high voltage current until the tube
reaches 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The tube is evacuated
again, and then backfilled with argon or neon to a
specific pressure, then sealed of.
When a high-voltage electrical current is passed through
the gas, the tube emits a light. Neon produces a brilliant
red-orange light, but other elements can produce a range
of over 150 different colors. Other elements commonly
used in “neon” signage include hydrogen (red), helium
(yellow), carbon dioxide (white), and mercury (blue).
The phosphor spectrum of coated tubes produces almost
any variety of pastel colors while the mercury spectrum
is rich in ultraviolet light.
A History So Bright (1930’s-1940’s)
George Claude monopolized the market for neon
signage after securing a U.S. patent on his neon sign
product. The first neon signs purchased in the United
States were by Earle C. Anthony, who purchased two
“Packard” car dealership signs that literally stopped
trafic. The United States became immediately enamored
with neon signs, leading to a large demand for them
by small and large businesses vying to compete for
Fig. 2: Yoni Melgar, neon glass artist, shown bending
glass tubes at high temperatures to form a new neon
sign.
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Fig. 4: 1930’s Coca-Cola sign.
Fig. 5: 1940’s Roeser’s Bakery sign in Chicago. Roeser’s
Bakery was built in 1890’s this is an example of neon
signage installed onto older historic buildings to
“modernize” them.
advertising and to stay on trend.
Claude Neon and its patented neon signage sold
permissions and allowed franchises to develop in
various geographic regions of the United States. By 1931,
the value of the neon sign industry was $16.9 million, of
which a significant percentage was paid to Claude Neon
via franchise arrangements. However, in 1932, Claude
Neon’s principle patent expired, allowing an even
greater expansion of the production of neon signage in
the United States.
This period of great expansion of neon signage led to
greater creativity in what manufacturers could produce.
Even throughout the struggle of the Great Depression,
the latter half of the 1930’s allowed for neon signage
to be explored, with new techniques of design and
animation developed. Douglas Leigh, a then-famous
lighting and advertising executive, was a pioneer in
outdoor advertising. Leigh took Claude’s neon signage a
step further by conceiving and creating the “Times Square
Spectacular,” incorporating neon signage and lighting
displays. Leigh hoped to reinvent this area of New York
City, which at the time had a reputation as a “seedy”
neighborhood with the onset of the Great Depression.
With the influence of Leigh, other major cities
throughout the Unites States began to incorporate
elaborate displays of neon signage in their city centers.
Many international events incorporated neon signage
displays, including the Chicago Century of Progress
Exposition (1933-1934) and the New York World’s
Fair (1939), which used neon signage as architectural
features. Neon signage was literally being used
to reinvent city centers that had become a lot like
Times Square: seedy, crime-infested, and falling into
disrepair. The cities most famously incorporating neon
signage from the 1930’s into the 1940’s were Las Vegas,
Shanghai, Miami, Havana, and Hong Kong. They have
had a lasting visual identity associated with neon ever
since.
During the Second World War (1939-1945), new neon
sign installations were essentially put on hold due to the
high amount of trade workers sent to fight. When WWII
ended, neon signage creation resumed. Many soldiers
coming back from the war were actually educated in
how to manufacture neon signage as a way to bring
them back into the general workforce.
Despite this second-wave of neon signage production,
wartime industry had brought plastic and acrylic into
the spotlight as cheaper and more favorable alternatives
to labor-intensive neon. As early as 1949, a Signs of the
Times article asked, “What Will Plastic’s Place Be in the
Signs of the Future?” A year later, Business Week ran a
story about how “fruitful and painless” the switch from
neon to plastic had been for two Ohio companies.
Plastic and acrylic were much more cost-effective,
requiring less labor and skill to create commercial
signage. Corporate chains tended to favor acrylic
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and plastic because signs that were to be replicated
many times could be more efficiently produced with
screened graphics on vacuum-formed acrylic sheets.
Despite this affordability and the big-money push for
change, the disappearance of neon from sign design was
surprisingly gradual. Many companies with existing
neon signage chose to maintain the signs they had,
rather than to start fresh with acrylic or plastic.
Brands & Advertisement (1950’s-1960’s)
Neon signage truly defined the identity of various
buildings, companies, and cities. Author Tom Wolfe
once wrote that Las Vegas is “the only town in the world
whose skyline is made up of neither buildings, like New
York, nor of trees, like Wilbraham, Massachusetts, but
signs.” Being a low-maintenance, long-lifespan product,
neon wasn’t limited to just big brand and expensive
billboards. Small businesses used them as well to tell
outsiders that they were open or closed, or even what
services they could offer. Neon window signs became
standard material for barber shops, restaurants, and
bars. Many beer companies began producing neon signs
for the bars they distributed to in order to advertise their
beer more efectively. Beer companies that originally
caught on to this trend were Pabst and Schlitz, which
made them more popular at the time than Miller and
Budweiser, developing them from small, regional brands
into internationally recognized brands.
Las Vegas’ famous “Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas
Nevada” sign is a prime example of neon signage
defining the identity of a place. The sign was designed
by Las Vegas native Bety Willis, a graphic designer,
and was used as a way to catch tourists passing through
Nevada from Los Angeles, California. The sign was
designed in 1959 and placed in an unincorporated area
of Clark County outside of the Las Vegas city limits.
YESCO (Young Electric Sign Company) constructed the
sign, like many other large neon projects in the United
States at the time, and still maintains it today. The sign
is in the Googie modernist style incorporating popular
elements of the late 1950’s, such as the star atop an
oblong, rounded rectangle, which is seen in most of
the city’s motels built at the time. The Welcome sign
is both a sign and an architectural fixture to the city of
Las Vegas, defining a place, a style, a time period, and a
culture.
Neon on the Decline (1960’s-1990’s)
The public’s love for neon signs fell out of favor quickly
as their atitude and the advertising changed. Several
factors led to the decline of neon. Fluorescent back-lit
acrylic and plastic became a cheaper alternatives to neon
signage, as they were less labor intensive and easier to
produce. Television became more mainstream, resulting
in a huge shift in advertising to the public as television
commercials became more cost-efficient while reaching
a larger audience than street and billboard signage.
Finally, neon signage became associated with negative
aspects of cities such as “red-light districts,” loan offices,
pawn shops, and other questionable businesses. The
neon industry also felt somewhat creatively depleted,
as the major big-money influencers were moving to
televised advertising and other cheaper alternatives.
Common neon signs tended to feel repetitive and
lacking in identity such as the typical “open” sign and
“checks cashed” sign, adding to the Generica wave
of identity loss in cities across America during the
later half of the 20th century due to the overuse of
Fig. 7: Original “Las Vegas” sign from 1959.
Fig. 6: 1950’s diner sign in Muskegon, Michigan.
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monotonous building types, typical restaurants, and
businesses. Many of these common signs are still seen in
small businesses around America today, but often times
they are manufactured abroad rather than domestically.
Interestingly enough, some cities were so fed up
with neon signage that they adopted ordinances to
remove them entirely. In 1990 in Naples, Florida, for
example, the city banned all neon signage from all
commercial properties to move away from their seedy
association and rebrand themselves as a destination
city. Colorado Springs, Colorado, effectively banned
the implementation of new neon signage in the 90’s,
but allowed for businesses with existing signs to be
maintained. As businesses remodeled or changed hands,
however, the signs were removed along with them;
as of 2017, there are very few neon signs in Colorado
Springs. Marieta, Georgia’s Historical Board of Review
banned all neon signs from its historical buildings and
storefronts, which made for some controversial cases
over historic buildings that featured these signs.
In 2006, Albuqurque, New Mexico, implemented an
ordinance to remove all neon signage from their city.
This ordinance was met with great opposition due to
the historic “Route 66” sign scheduled for removal. The
sign is a famous landmark to the town and is visited
by thousands of tourists per year, generating much
tourism from travelers passing through. The sign was
ultimately permited to remain in the city, but most
other neon signs were forced to be removed. This leads
to the hard question of whether or not neon signs are
an architectural element worth keeping on historic
buildings, if they are stand-alone objects that should be
preserved on a case-by-case basis, or if they all should
be categorized together and allowed to remain or not
remain based on a city’s preferences.
Raleigh, North Carolina established a unified
development ordinance in 2013, which sought to remove
neon signage and other incongruous types of signage
on commercial buildings. A Historically Designated
Landmark, the original Krispy Kreme Donuts sign,
located in the historic Oakwood neighborhood, was
grandfathered in under section 7.3.13.F.1 through section
7.3.13.F.3 under the Raleigh City Code. Other examples
of protected neon signs originating in North Carolina
include the Arby’s Cowboy Hat neon sign and the Mecca
Restaurant in Raleigh.
Although most cities do not still have these anti-neon
ordinances today, it is interesting that so many
implemented them to combat the negative associations
with neon. In fact, many cities are now embracing neon
as a unique method of place-making and branding. See
figure 10 and 11 for neon signage used in downtown
Nashville, Tennessee.
A Slow Rise Back to Fame
After falling out of favor up until the 1990’s, neon
signage has made a comeback in the world of art and
culture, particularly with the Millennial generation.
Neon signs have become a popular form of home
accessories, found on websites like Etsy and Pinterest.
Many modern artists are using neon signage and
iconography in their work. Additionally, many modern
musicians have used neon in their branding, album
cover art, and live performance design.
One particular and popular modern user of neon is
Korean artist Jung Lee, who uses neon-type installations
juxtaposed in rural, natural setings. In her two series
“Day and Night” and “Aporia” (meaning “coming to
a dead end” in Greek), Lee has used neon words with
strong romantic and philosophical meaning, installed
Fig. 9: Krispy Kreme’s famous original neon sign in the
Oakwood neighborhood of Raleigh, NC.
Fig. 8: 1930’s classic Schlitz Beer neon sign.
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in remote locations where one wouldn’t normally
see advertising or signage. Similar to Jung Lee, the
photographer and Artist known as JR created the
popular music group Arcade Fire’s cover art for their
2017 album Everything Now, which features a neon sign
reading “EVERYTHING NOW” imposed on a billboard
of a mountain, which aligns with its background.
The Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada,
featured many neon signs at their 2016-2017 festival
dates. Artist Olivia Steele designed a neon sign reading
“everything you need is inside of you” which was
installed at the 2017 Burning Man festival, backed by
over 100 supporters on Kickstarter. Steele previously
featured her neon work at three prior Burning Man
festivals, where it was a huge hit with both art and
philosophy lovers alike.
This renewed fascination with neon signage among
a younger audience has allowed for a new wave of
minimalistic creativity to convey thoughts on life, love,
and the American dream. At the Frieze Art Fair of New
York City in 2017, numerous neon signs with simple yet
philosophical statements were present, including one by
an anonymous artist reading “Be afraid of the enormity
of the possible.”
Conclusion
Although many cities still have anti-neon ordinances,
neon signs are still popular in cities like Las Vegas and
Austin, Texas, as character-defining architectural and
advertising features. Neon signage has been cited as a
type of advertising that feels very real and connected to
its audience, as it is more tangible than LED, fluorescent,
and televised methods of advertising. In a world of
products being pushed on users almost constantly, there
is something comforting and real about a buzzing sign
letting you know a little shop is open, or that you’re on
an important street where a part of history remains. The
Fig. 10: Jack’s Bar-b-que neon sign in Nashville, TN Fig. 11: The Stage Broadway neon sign in Nashville, TN
future of neon is as bright as its past, leaving the doors
open to more creative endeavors of art, architecture, and
advertising by future generations of young creatives.
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signs/
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1992355
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ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1154384
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Retrieved September 14, 2017, from htps://www.
scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-neon-lights-work/
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neon makes a comeback. Retrieved September 14, 2017,
from htps://www.cbsnews.com/news/neon-signs-austin-
texas/
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Fig. 13: JR’s cover art for Arcade Fire’s album Everything
Now, 2017.
Fig. 12: Olivia Steele’s “Everything you need is inside of
you” sign at Burning Man 2017.
Ribbat, C. (2013) Flickering Light: a history of neon.
London. Reaktion Books.
Treu, M. (2012). Signs, Streets, and Storefronts. A
history of architecture and graphics along America’s
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Image Credits
Fig 1. Image from htp://www.theroosevelthotel.com/
things-to-do, image of Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
Fig 2. Image from www.wired.com of artist Yoni Melgar
bending glass tubes for a new neon sign.
Fig 3. Image from Collectors Weekly. Vintage 1930’s
Harley Davidson neon sign. 2012.
Fig 4. Image from www.wallpaperup.com, classic 1930’s
Coca-Cola neon sign.
Fig 5. Image from www.forgotenchicago.com/articles/
neonlicht, Roeser’s Bakery in Chicago shown with
addition of 1940’s neon sign.
Fig 6. Image from Water Winter Wonderland of diner
sign in Muskegon, Michigan. 2015.
Fig 7. Image from the Neon Museum of Las Vegas. 2013.
Fig 8. Image from VintageNeonSigns.net, classic 1930’s
Schlitz Beer neon sign.
Fig 9. Image from Threadbenders Design Studio. Krispy
Kreme Sign in Oakwood neighborhood, Raleigh, N.C.
Fig 10. Jack’s Bar-b-que neon sign, photo courtesy of Jo
R. Leimenstoll, 2017.
Fig 11. The Stage Broadway neon sign, photo courtesy of
Jo R. Leimenstoll, 2017.
Fig 12. Olivia Steele’s “Everything you need is inside
of you” image taken from her kickstarter page: https://
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1286462453/everything-you-
need-is-inside-you-burning-man-2017
Fig 13. JR’s cover art for Arcade Fire’s Album
“Everything Now” retrieved from htp://www.phaidon.
com/agenda/art/articles/2017/june/06/jr-does-the-cover-of-
the-new-arcade-fire-album/
Acknowledgements
The author expresses special thanks to Deb Slatkin
at Neon Works of Charlotte, North Carolina, for
providing information on the production and art of
neon signage in modern practice.
The Historic Dimension Series is a collection of briefs prepared
by UNCG students under the direction of Professor Jo Ramsay
Leimenstoll. For information on other topics in the series please
visit the website at go.uncg.edu/hds