Some photos are not only about what's inside the frame but also about what's outside of it. They ask you to let your imagination loose and fill in the gaps yourself.
To show you how fun this task can be, we at Bored Panda put together a collection of images with very specific signs, clearly suggesting that they have interesting backstories behind them.
I mean, if a cafe warns you that its syrups aren't hand sanitizers, there must've been something that made them do it.
Continue scrolling to check out the list and upvote your favorite entries—let's see which pictures prompt the most vivid interpretations!
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Seen At A Local Fest
Hikers Are Warned
However, if you want to make a sign for your garage sale or even business, you need to consider more than just getting your point across.
Adrian Geach, who has been a signwriter since 1980, told Bored Panda in a previous interview that, "a good sign should be eye-catching, easy to understand and not too wordy with enough negative space around the text or logo, and have a good color scheme."
Geach lives in Wales but can take his brushes anywhere to work on a project. He left school at 16 to undertake a five-year signwriting apprenticeship and said he was lucky enough to be taught by three master craftsmen steeped in the skills of a brush and a pot of paint.
After learning the trade, Geach set up a signmakers business specializing in exhibition and display graphics and embraced the new vinyl and large format technology that was just coming to the forefront.
No Bears?
This Sign On My Parents' Road
My Local Library Has This Sign On Their Drop-Off Slot
When in the woods, I tend to yell "I am not a deer," but for different reasons.
Adrian has been successfully involved in all areas of signage and graphics for decades but not that long ago, he went back to his roots and now concentrates on traditional signwriting.
With the current resurgence of interest in signwriting and hand-rendered work, he utilizes his skills to offer clients a more personal, unique, environmentally friendly, and organic signage solution using old-fashioned materials and techniques.
"A sign might only be looked at for a few seconds so it needs to leave an impression within this time frame, hence the less is more approach," he said.
"There are many factors to take into account when designing a sign but the most important thing is to make sure it doesn't get lost in its surroundings," Geach revealed.
Sign Recently Erected In My Neighborhood
Do Not Walk On Rocks
Nice To See Some Pushback On Insane Parents From My Local Sports Complex
So many parents absolutely rely on sports as a college savings plan for their kids, and by the time the kid is ready for college, they are burned out on sports. College is supposed to be about education, lest we forget.
A Sign At A Windmill Restoration Site In Mykonos, Greece
Similarly, writing about signs that raise more questions than they provide answers, my colleague Jonas had a talk about common signage mistakes with Lisa McLendon who is the William Allen White Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications and the coordinator of the Bremner Editing Center at the University of Kansas.
"Don’t carve an error in stone. It’s embarrassing and expensive to fix. Proofreading before you produce, whether it’s stone or not, is absolutely necessary," McLendon said that we should take the time to look over our work before making any permanent decisions.
Lisa also noted that the font that we choose for our sign is incredibly important. "Choose your font with readability in mind. It should be clear and readable at a distance; you don’t want to make people puzzle through a swirly script," she said.
Blursed Worker
A Sign Outside A Off Strip Casino In Las Vegas. Talk About Pulling A Ferris
In My Local Church
Don't
For another Bored Panda piece about editing, proofreading, and kerning—the spacing between letters—McLendon said that word placement, typeface, and kerning are also crucial for effective, professional-looking logos and layouts.
"If it's just a few words, all-caps is fine, but it’s harder for people to read longer blocks of text in all caps. It’s also harder for people to read italic or highly stylized type, or type along a curve instead of a line,” Lisa then explained.
Found In My High School. I Would Not Like To Know What Necessitated This
The Fact That This Sign Is Necessary
Sign Posted In Every Booth At A Thai Restaurant In Fargo
How Many Karens Does It Take To Make A Sign Like This?
LOTS of folks. SOme people will find anything to complain about.
Load More Replies...Germans were way ahead of this. Its steins with lids took care of bugs and, more especially from bird droppings, an inevitable occurrence at beer gardens. Germans-st...a4aeec.jpg
Sadly necessary for the hard of thinking who don't get that the 'outside' has 'outside issues'
Ask for a cup with a cover, and keep an eye on your food. When you’re finished eating, cover your plate with a napkin and set your silverware over it so it won’t blow away. My husband is in pest control and has told me there’s only so much a restaurant with outdoor seating can do about this. The odd ant, bee, or fly will still manage to get through any barrier, chemical or otherwise. It’s just going to happen, and pest control measures can only reduce the volume of bugs getting through.
I know people who will argue against that sign 🤐 It's not fun eating with those types of people
Yes! I worked as a server, and the restaurant had patio dining, and people would be like bug here, but this, fly in my beer. Luckily, I had a decent manager, at least when it came to things like this, and he would just say, hey, dine outside at your own risk. Their are bugs outside!! Eat inside if you don't want to mess wiht it
Reminds me of an old joke. Three men, one from Edinburgh, one from Aberdeen and one from Glasgow are all drinking outside together when a fly lands in each of their drinks. The man from Edinburgh tosses away his drink. The man from Aberdeen tosses out the fly and keeps drinking. The man from Glasgow pulls out the fly and shakes it shouting "spit it out ya wee bastard."
An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman walk into a pub and order a pint of beer each. Right after they’ve been served, three flies come and each of them land in one of the glasses. The Englishman looks disgusted, pushes his beer aside and calls for another one. The Scotsman doesn’t look too pleased either, but he takes out the fly and takes a big sip of beer. The Irishman looks most irritated of all, reaches into his glass, pinches the fly in between two fingers while yelling: “spit it out, you bastard, spit it out!”
Imagine being wasted to the point where you don't even care about the bugs
But how can you have outside eating areas and not have mind control over bugs?
LOL you're in Upland, and the only thing you can find to complain about is the bugs???
This Upland Brewing is in Indiana. Upland does not border the city of San Bernardino, anyway.
Load More Replies...For food, sure just pick it out. For beer, the restaurant should just replace the drink. It’s no one’s fault and better to have a happy customer. If it happens often enough, start serving in cups with lids for outdoor seating.
Furthermore, Lisa pointed out that we should look at all the ways in which our words could be misread or read out of order if they’re circled or stacked on top of one another.
If the kerning happens to be too tight, some of the letters could merge into different symbols and result in some (hilariously) embarrassing misreadings.
One example of this is writing the word ‘FLICKERING’ in all caps. If the kerning is too tight, the 'L' and the 'I' merge into a 'U' and you get... That's right.
No Danish
Home. Sweet Home
This Smoke Shop's Sign
House For Sale
Of course, you can always get a professional to do it. In fact, for the past few years, many places have been witnessing the revival of the handpainted sign.
Fed up with the chain culture that is slowly making all the streets look the same, city shops are trying to stand out with custom designs.
It's estimated that there are about 300 full-time signwriters working in the UK alone.
Behind Every Warning Label There's A Story
If You Only See Two Signs About A Raccoon Room Today, Make It These Two
This Sign Has Been Stolen Too Many Times I Guess
Stopped At A Gas Station And Saw This Sign On The Entrance Door
I high school, our track uniforms had pockets on the inside of the shorts, in the front. Many a McDonald's meal was paid for with shorts money.
And it's not just the experienced painters who may have obtained a now obsolete City & Guilds qualification. There's also a young generation interested in all things bespoke.
One of them, signwriting enthusiast Sam Roberts, told The Guardian, "This is a generation that has grown up with computers at the heart of their work and who are seeking to engage with the physical processes that go into producing letter forms."
Whatever you choose, have fun! As you can see, signs don't have to be boring.
I’ve Never Seen A Hotel Pool Sign So Blunt Before
Wonder How Many Times It Happened
There's a "road" near our place that GPS directs unsuspecting visitors down. If you want puddles, kanga tracks and mud, then you're welcome!
Blursed Rules
You Have To Wonder What Happened To Make This Sign On Your Door A Necessity
What Happened 64 Days Ago?
No Belly Laughs
When A Cat Runs To The Fridge Every Time It Opens, A Sign Is Necessary
Love this one. Even though this is a repost, still never gets old XD
There's A Story Behind Every Sign Like This
A Great Sign I Found At Auckland Zoo
The Fact They Even Needed To Put This Sign Up
When cemeteries were planned out in the 18/1900s they were designed as park areas to hang out, have a picnic and such.
Every Warning Label Has Its Story
Behind Every Sign There's A Story
I'm so glad they made this sign! I have seen many oreo cookie monsters roaming the aisles and they're a real pain in the butt to deal with.
There's A Story Behind Every Warning
Someone Must've Made A Terrible Mistake
Gas Booster...what an interesting energy drink. Propulsion, perhaps?
When You Thought You Look Cool But You Look Like A Garbage Can
Environmental Storytelling
That Happens Enough To Need A Sign
Is It Saying I Should Help The Hitchhikers?
Mistakes Were Made
What Happened Here
Important Hand Washing Rules To Follow
There Has To Be A Story Behind This
If We’re Doing Small-Town Bar Bathroom Signs, Here’s One I Saw Recently
There's A Story Behind Every Sign
What Happened Here
Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Bar outside Boston, the Hyde Park Pub - sign in the bathroom "If you are caught doing drugs in here you will be BANNED FOR LIFE" - not we will call the police, that wouldn't resonate...BANNED FOR LIFE...impactful.
My friend owns an eye glasses store. On the mirrored wall is a sign that says : 'this is a mirror '. Apparently people have walked into it before.
Bar outside Boston, the Hyde Park Pub - sign in the bathroom "If you are caught doing drugs in here you will be BANNED FOR LIFE" - not we will call the police, that wouldn't resonate...BANNED FOR LIFE...impactful.
My friend owns an eye glasses store. On the mirrored wall is a sign that says : 'this is a mirror '. Apparently people have walked into it before.