Do you believe in signs? They’re everywhere! Keep your eyes and your mind wide open, and I promise, you will find some incredible, perhaps even life-changing, signs.
No, I’m not talking about signs from the universe. I’m talking about literal signs. From street signs to emergency exit signs to signs that will teach you about sign language, we’ve gathered some of the most brilliant, hilarious and wholesome signs from around the world down below.
Be sure to upvote all of your favorite signs, and let us know in the comments what the most significant sign you’ve ever seen was. Keep reading to also find an interview we were lucky enough to receive from Tim Harrelson, CEO of The Sign Chef. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more signs that might teach you something new, you can find Bored Panda’s last list celebrating signs right here. It’s a good sign that you clicked on this article, I can just feel it!
This post may include affiliate links.
This Sign Is Outside My Local Church, Think It's A Good Day To Share It
This Sign Outside A Local Shelter
Iām Convinced To Learn Fencing
Signs are an unavoidable part of our lives. We need them to get from one place to another when driving in the car, to advertise events and information, to learn the daily specials at our favorite restaurant, to know whether to push or pull a door to avoid making a fool of ourselves and to know if our car will get towed for parking in that spot that looks suspiciously available. Signs are all around us. And while most of them look similar to one another, sometimes they are made by great designers who ensure that they stand out and get their point across in the most effective way.
To learn more about the importance of great signage, we reached out to Tim Harrelson, CEO of the South Carolina based company The Sign Chef. “Between the physical world and the online world, the competition for attention is at an all time high,” Tim told Bored Panda. “Simultaneously, attention spans seem to be at an all time low. Our senses are constantly being bombarded! Moving forward, organizations need to be strategic in how the content is displayed on their signs.”
Sign At The Local Veterinary Hospital
Sign At Local Burger Restaurant
There's something similar in the packaging of a small dairy farm in my area. Very cool.
Sign Outside A Dallas Comic Book Shop This Morning
We also asked Tim how the process of designing signs works for him and his company. “Most graphic designers start with the size of the sign - then the lettering & graphics are added. Think backwards," he explained. "A more strategic approach can be taken by having the design reverse engineered for maximum impact. This design strategy starts with the viewing distance. How far away does your target audience need to be able to read the sign?”
“Once the distance is measured, a Letter Sizing Calculator can be used to scientifically determine the very best letter sizes,” Tim continued. “As an example, what is the best letter size if the viewing distance is 110 feet? When you type 110 feet into the calculator, you’ll instantly see 22 inches is recommended for maximum impact - easy.”
I Adopted 2 Miles Of The Pacific Coast Highway Last Year. Iāve Gone Out Almost Every Day And Iāve Picked Up Over 100 Bags Worth Of Trash
Today my adoption signs were finally installed
A Sign I Stumbled Upon
This Brewery Has A Sign In The Bathroom That Offers A Backup Plan In Case Your Date Isn't Going So Well
We also asked Tim what the most important factors to consider are when designing a sign. “The legibility of the message is the single most important factor. Of equal importance is the message itself. What is the core message people need to grasp in an instant?”
All We Need Is Love
What if your neighbor is spreading conspiracy theories and is a white supremacist terrorist? I really wish it were easier to tolerate the intolerant.
My Uber Driver Offered A Conversation āMenuā For His Ride
Local Starbucks Does 'Sign Of The Week' For Sign Language
Next, we asked Tim if he’s ever been able to create any particularly exciting or special signs. “We recently created the World’s Largest Dibond Sign Display for Mahopac High School in New York,” he shared with pride. In his email, Tim attached a photo of the impressive sign that looks easily over 15 feet tall, featuring the school’s logo of a massive M with an arrow across it. He also shared a beautiful retro, flashing neon sign to go on Route 66 advertising Eufloria dispensary in Oklahoma.
This Sign Moves The "N" When They Are Closed
The Sign At My Son's Little League Field
This New Zealand Remembrance Plaque In Flanders
If you’re in need of a beautiful sign, be sure to check out The Sign Chef’s website right here. They are experts are creating anything from yard signs to neon signs, so they can certainly make you something that would be worthy of a spot on this list!
My Favorite Bookstore Has A Cat. They Now Have A Sign For The Cat
There's this jewelry store with signs that reads "pets welcome, people tolerated" and "super friendly dog in premises".
This Plaque At The Dog Park Commemorating A Park Record
In My Hometown, There Is A Skate Shop Next To A Butcher, They Made A Single Sign. Steak On One Side, Skate On The Other (Nantes, France)
We hope you’re enjoying these clever and fascinating signs from around the world. If you’re a graphic designer, perhaps you’re even gaining some inspiration! Keep upvoting your favorite signs, and then let us know in the comments if you’ve ever seen a sign that really stuck with you. Then if your appetite for signs still isn’t satiated after finishing this list, you can find our last article on the same topic right here.
At Oakland Zoo They Have Signs So Their Wolves Wouldn't Get Scared
The Bathroom At My Doctor's Office Has A Discreet Way For Victims Of Abuse, Violence, Or Human Trafficking To Get Help
Police In Chester Vermont Have A Special Speed Limit Sign For Christmas. Legend Has It If You Go 69 MpH It Says Both 'Naughty' And 'Nice'
All My Old Casting Spots Have No Trespassing Signs, So This Was A Breath Of Fresh Air
I Got A Warning For Leaving My Laptop Unattended In The Library
This Sign Was Written For Deer
Autism Sign At The History Of Miami Museum
A Buffet Restaurant's Sign
This Sign Explains Why Feeding Ducks Bread Isn't A Good Idea
It tried to feed some ducks with lettuce and corn. Initially they had come a-waddling, but saw the 'healthy treat' I was offering, and they turned away in disgust.
This Emergency Exit Sign
UV Index Sign
In What Might Be The Oldest Known āBeware Of Dogā Sign
This is an amazingly preserved tile mosaic from Pompeii which features an image of a dog and the words “cave canem” which loosely translates to “caveat” (beware) and “canine” (dog).
The Local Blood Bank Have These Signs To Show How Much Blood They Have
Anti-Pollution Sign By A Lake In Evergreen, Colorado
Today I Stopped In Woodville, New Zealand. They Have A Sign Pointing To All The Other Woodville's And Their Distance
I love how someone scratched off the incorrect apostrophe's on the Australian and UK signs
Michael Pederson Installs Miniature Signs In Unassuming Locations, The Recent One Tracks The Lifespan Of A Solitary Weed Poking Through A Sidewalk Crack
A tiny wooden ladder leans against a sign that marks the number of days the plant has been growing.
This Sign In A Cafe Educating Us On The Nuances Of Pastries And Politicians
This Historic Sign In My Hotel Explains How To Use Electricity In Case You Had Never Used It Before
Jim back in the day "electric light gives you autism and it's not very manly"
Sign In The New Orleans Airport Bathroom
Ok, never had crayfish. Are they spicy or nasty or something? Cuz if they are spicy like the paqui ghost pepper tortilla chips, washing once ain't enough.Trust me on this.
This Sign At A Local Nature Preserve Has The Words Inverted So You Can Read It In The Water
A Sign With A Map Of Houses Numbers And Streets
This Sign At My University With The Number For The Library Police
Road Signs In Vilnius, Lithuania
The Way The Sun Has Weathered This Sign So It Looks Like It's Heavy Metal Style
This Interplanetary Street Sign
This Sign At My Local Pharmacy Teaches How To Do A Basic Waltz
The Signs In These Botanical Gardens Have Springs So The Signs Move With The Growth Of The Tree
My Bathroom Sign. It Has Been In My Family Since The 40's
This Sign Of Hobo Symbols At Railroad Museum
Moss Growing On A Sign, But Only The Parts That Illuminate
This Sign At The Mirror Lakes, NZ, Is Actually Mirrored The Right Way Up In The Lake
A Black Stop Sign
This Library Hung A Dewey Decimal Reference Sign For āEverything You Want To Know, But Donāt Really Want To Askā
The Snowflakes On The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Sign Are Made Out Of Airplanes
This Sign Is Translated For Dogs
This Sign At My Park Teaching ASL Signs For The Playground
My City Has Public Defibrillation Stations And The Sign For It Looks Like A Video Game Health Bar
Some Roads In Australia Are So Long And Boring They Have Trivia Signs To Keep Drivers Alert
Although I'm a proud Aussie, I have to acknowledge that the USA did this first. The signs were sponsored by a company called Burma Shave and were usually little riddles or jokes. That was in the 60s.
I've Always Wondered How These Signs Get Painted. It Turns Out It's Just Talented Freehand
This Pet Store Won't Sell Bunnies Until After Easter
Can't sell bunnies in Queensland, Australia. All rabbits prohibited. Even magicians not allowed one to pull out of a hat. Hefty penalties.
Sign I Found In Bali, Downstairs For Fire, Up For Tsunami
Why don't they just direct the water to go upstairs and put the fire out?
This Sign About Mental Health
These Gender Neutral Bathroom Signs
We Would Be No Longer At The Top Of The Food Chain
This Sign I Found In Michigan
This General Store Sign Showing That There Is Actually A Difference Between Jelly And Jam
This Sign In My Local Grocery Store Warning That Lemonade Stands Are Illegal In Minnesota
This Library Sign Is Metal Made To Look Like Open Books
Someone Spotted This Sign In The Bathroom At Alan Turing Institute
Free Coffee In Exchange For Some Rubbish
This "Get Fit" Parking Lot Sign
A Push/Pull Sign On The Door Of A Glasses Shop
If people read that out loud they might distract any cats within earshot
I Saw This Sign On A Dog Walk Today
20 years ago I planted 30 White European Birch trees around my home. Now they are 75-100' and give marvelous shade in the summer.
This Sign In Front Of The Busiest Subway On My Universityās Campus
Video Game Store Sign Shaped Like NES Controller
A Wet Floor Warning Sign
I Saw This Social Distancing Sign Today In Sydney
This Sign At An Illinois Rest Stop Encouraging People Not To Bully Someone For Wearing A Mask
The Sign Paint Near My House Is Starting To Peel Which Has Resulted In The Town Names Looking Like Theyāre In A Cool Font
A City In Arizona Made The Local McDonald's Change Their Sign To Turquoise So As To Better Fit In With The Aesthetics Of The Town
College Has These Signs On The Cafeteria Tables, It Flips To Red If You Don't Want Strangers Sitting At Your Table
This New Sign In A Nearby Town
At Sinai Hospital In Baltimore, On Saturday, The Elevator Automatically Stops On All Floors
This Pro-Bike Sign
How Every Parking Sign Should Be
Thought This Yoga Sign Was Pretty Clever
To be honest I initially thought it was yoga for well-endowed male dogs.
Coffee Shop Sign Representing The Owner
Movie Theater Tells You If There's A Scene Near The End Of The Movie
This Sign Has An Accurate Picture Of Water Refraction
This Taxi Has A No Durian Sign
This Sign Was Posted In January 2020 At A Local Church. And Then 2020 Happened
The Underground Station Signs Near PlayStation Headquarters In Oxford Circus Have Been Changed For The Launch Of The PS5
The Way This Sign Gradually Floats Up On My Espresso Machine When The Drip Tray Fills
This Sign Has Been Up For Over 10 Years In My Minneapolis Neighborhood, Still Relevant
Sign Marking The Location Of The First Car Fatality In The US
Not trying to be acidic. Poor Mr. Bliss. His death does not teach any motorist any lesson. Since Mr. Bliss, millions more have been struck by automobiles and died senselessly.
A Street Sign Telling You To Ignore GPS
This Sign Feels Like The Start Of A Video Game
This Gas Station Sign Has The Price Of Coffee
What Does This Sign Even Mean?
Film Studio Sign Made By Compressing Metal Bars
This Weird Road Sign
No Smoking Sign Now Include Vape And Marijuana
This Cemetery Has A Very Targeted Sign
The Sign Stands For Blind Tiger But Both Letters "I" Are Missing Because The Tiger Has No Eyes
This Sign Is A Self-Referential Recursive Advertisement
This Restaurant Uses Shadows To Show Men And Women Restrooms
This Zipper Check Sign On The Backside Of The Door Of A Hotelās Lobby Bathroom
I'm not sure, but it occurs to me that on open fly is mostly a men thing... How much in a hurry you can be to not zip up your pants after the part of the business that might require hurrying? And additionally I dare to assume, that also there was no washing of hands either - otherwise there'd be time to contemplate your business and might even having a look in the mirror.
This Shop Has Mirrored Its Sign To Take Advantage Of The Popular Christmas Window Display In The Shop Opposite
This looks like something Jimmy Pesto would do to spite Bob (Bob's Burgers)
This Is The Classiest, Most Luxurious Wet Floor Sign I've Ever Seen
Sign At The Biggest Shopping Mall In Russia, Showing All The Stores That Have Left The Country In Recent Months
Sign For A Restaurant
A Bench I Pass Sometimes But Have Only Noticed The Sign Today. As No One Was Sitting There
We have 'friendship benches'. They are painted in yellow and purple. If you sit on a 'friendship bench' it's an invitation for others to come up and chat.
Encountered A 68.99 Sign
The 69s and 420s are stolen so often, this was the solution/compromise. Sadly, I have friends who would likely still steal a 68.99 or a 419.99 -_-
This Lowercase Stop Sign
"Beware Of Qigong" Sign
Cannabis Has Been Legalized In Canada Last Week, No Smoking Signs Have Been Replaced
Interesting Sign
Tell that to my squirrels....they love the suet I leave out for birds....they love my tulip bulbs, they love the food I leave out for my raccoon buddies or possum buddies....they love to dig in my yard for hidden goodies... they love anything they can stuff in their little grubby mouths and run up a tree with.
Norwegian Road Sign Saying "Over The Speed Limit?"
The Fire Danger Rating Signs We Have All Around Australia
They Got Release Dates For Stop Signs Out Here In Akron, Ohio
My Favorite Coffee House Is Kawa Coffee In Colorado Springs. I've Seen This Sign A Thousand Times But Never Noticed From The Inside It Spells Awake
This Jamaica Sign
I Found A Blue Stop Sign. That Is All
"here's an easy way to keep it in mind. imagine... a stop sign. When you see a stop sign you STOP right? stop signs are red. so imagine a blue stop sign instead. simple, right?" -Sans Undertale
āWe I.D.ā Sign Y2Ks 20 Years After The New Millennium
Sign That Only Works With Its Shadow
The Local Sandwich Shop Sign Was Returned After It Was Stolen 20-Years-Ago
Street Sign Near Me
This āAnimal Tracksā Wall Sign In My Airbnb
This Oddly Specific Speed Limit Sign
Train Station's Sign In The Welsh Town Of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Has Phonetic Spelling To Assist Travelers With Pronunciation
All done just to make the place a tourist attraction, the long version was put together from from a combination of towns names / parishes in order to get the longest name / longest railway station name back in 1869. Most of my walking / kayaking was done in North Wales when I was a shade younger than I am now, tis a beautiful place. ā¤ļø
Interesting Sign At My Local Asian Market
why is open carry worse than concealed carry? Not many firearms where I am, I thought concealed carrying would be worse though? Or is that why the sign is weird?
The Grocery Store I Go To Lists Pringles As Meaningfully Distinct From Salty Snacks And Chips In Their Aisle Signs
Do I Trust The Sign Or The Sensor?
Our Neighbor Bought This Giant Sign Instead Of Turning The Light Off
They wanted to make sure people got the message that they were anti-Hallowe'en, and not just out for the evening.
I Saw The 12mph Speed Limit Sign, But Never The 9 1/2mph Sign
Sign At My Local Burger Joint
I wonder why people don't want to work there. I have my suspicions.
A Little Chuckle For You
BP, why make the list so long, we all know you are going to cut this down to around 50. Make THREE lists and post on different weeks. Some of the higher number ones are probably pretty amazing, but in a few hours they won't be visible
I really like that idea, also there are probably only a handful who go down the entire list and vote, this the last entries have less of a chance of being in top 30.
Load More Replies... BP, why make the list so long, we all know you are going to cut this down to around 50. Make THREE lists and post on different weeks. Some of the higher number ones are probably pretty amazing, but in a few hours they won't be visible
I really like that idea, also there are probably only a handful who go down the entire list and vote, this the last entries have less of a chance of being in top 30.
Load More Replies... 