Northwest Film Forum

As recently as the 1980s, storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards and even street signs were all hand-lettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the techno-fueled promise of "quicker and cheaper." The resulting proliferation of computer-designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into our landscape. Fortunately, there is a growing trend to seek out traditional sign painters and a renaissance in the trade.

In 2010, filmmakers Faythe Levine and Sam Macon began documenting these dedicated practitioners, their time-honored methods and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship. Sign Painters, the first anecdotal history of the craft, features the stories of more than two dozen sign painters working in cities throughout the United States. The documentary (and accompanying book) profiles sign painters young and old, from the new vanguard working solo, to collaborative shops such as San Francisco’s New Bohemia Signs and New York’s/Colossal Media’s Sky High Murals.