Neon Signs of St. Louis

A set of postcards that explore St. Louis through its neon signs.

Course: Word and Image II
Date: Fall 2019
Goal: To create a postcard set that tells a narrative about a specific aspect of St. Louis for the 200th anniversary of the city. Each postcard should be able to stand on it’s own, as well as work within the group to form a cohesive set.

Spending a lot of time on the Delmar Loop which is full of diners, bowling alleys, and theaters which have intricate neon signs, I decided to research the history of signage in St. Louis and found an article that discussed what was possibly the first appearance of neon signage, at the St. Louis world fair in 1904.

For this project I researched and photographed neon signs around St. Louis. Each postcard focuses on a different St. Louis locale and its neon sign. I designed the back of each card using colors pulled from my photographs, illustrated elements inspired by the signage, and information about each place. I also designed packaging and illustrated a stamp set to go with the postcards and help tell the narrative of neon’s history in St. Louis.