"Ominous Signs" is a fun Instagram page that shares all sorts of weird and entertaining signs and writings found in public spaces. The account is all about discovering quirky messages on buildings, odd billboards, strange graffiti on fences, and confusing road signs. Every post on the page gives you a little taste of the surprising and amusing things you can find around you, making you want to keep an eye out for them in your own daily life.
Even though it's not a huge page, "Ominous Signs" has a cool, casual vibe that makes it enjoyable for anyone who stumbles upon it. There's no fluff, just a bunch of interesting and funny signs that'll make you laugh, scratch your head, or both.
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Bored Panda interviewed Lee Glanville, the owner of "Ominous Signs" Instagram page, and asked him about his inspiration for the page. Glanville said, "I saw a few signs online that had a threatening energy to them and thought it would be funny to collect them into one place." He added that he likes signs that suggest "an authority figure is threatening you," as there is something funny about that.
Should be written in a few languages, like a Rosetta stone, just in case.
And someone in a future civilisation will claim this is proof of previous a civilisation. And the rest will tell them they are nuts /s
Load More Replies... I know where this is! The waste from the world‘s first nuclear reactor (Chicago Pile 1) is buried near that marker along with other waste from the Manhattan Project. The reason why it’s there is that the land used to be part of the Argonne National Laboratory. It’s a nature preserve now and it’s open to the public, hence why the warning markers were installed.
And it also has the highest waterfall in DuPage County. All of about 5 ft.
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If I found I was standing on radioactive soil, I wouldn't be excavating - I'd be evacuating. (Probably in several senses.)
I thought that was just wear and tear. My husband was born in 1940 and I'll bet his knees look like that inside
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*checks her butt* Nope, no radioactivity. Apparently I have a gas furnace.
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Considering how chipped this marker is already, there is a good chance nobody will be able to read it eventually. Someone is going to dig.
Should be prefaced with: if you are close enough to read this..
Since it is the center point, you are already dead but you don't know it...
I cheer the person who chipped out "No". Thank you, whoever you are, random person who cared for strangers.
If this the centre and there are six corners, my brain is in knots trying to work how many sides there are and what the shape is called?
Ok you know there’s gotta some good $hit buried around there for them to go to that much trouble! They wouldn’t bother if it were truly just some radioactive c**p that might give you cancer, especially if it’s our government!
Lee also shared that he has a particular fondness for the "children drive slowly" sign and believes that children should not be driving at all. He said, "Personally, I don’t think they should be driving at all." When asked about how he sources the images for his page, Glanville said, "I find most of them online and credit where possible, but people can and do submit images as well."
The sign that generated the most engagement and sparked the most interesting discussions among his followers, according to the page owner, is the "please do not smile at strangers" sign in a train station. He believes that most people would rather be left alone during their commute. When asked about the future of the "Ominous Signs" Instagram page, Lee said that he is currently only focused on posting on Instagram. However, he mentioned that he has another project, an illustration account, that you Pandas, might want to check out as well.
In summary, Glanville's inspiration for "Ominous Signs" was the humorous and threatening nature of certain signs. He particularly likes signs that suggest an authority figure is threatening you, and he finds the "children drive slowly" sign particularly amusing. Lee sources the images for his page online and from submissions by his followers. The "please do not smile at strangers" sign in a train station generated the most engagement among his followers.
I like it… kindness goes a long way, even if you’re smiling at a murderous ghost :)
Note: this post originally had 66 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
One of my faves was from Getaway magazine, a local mag which collected odd signs. The sign said, "Maak toe die bleddie hek!" (Close the bloody gate!)
One of my faves was from Getaway magazine, a local mag which collected odd signs. The sign said, "Maak toe die bleddie hek!" (Close the bloody gate!)
