By Paul Goldfinger, Editor. Blogfinger.net. Re-post from 2019.
I am interested in how people communicate, and signs can be very revealing—or not.
It always amazes me how businesses choose names that give the reader no idea what they are about.
If you just came to town from New Zealand and you were dreaming about an American hamburger with fries, consider this sign:
Ft. Myers “Five Guys”. Blogfinger photo ©
But the winner, my favorite down here in Fla for accurate signage, is a breakfast and lunch place that tells you exactly what they are about:
Go here for eggs.
There are two runners up. One I like for accuracy is “Bagel, Bagel—So Good We Named It Twice.”
And along a main road in this town is “Grab and Go.” I don’t know if that is a short order brothel or what. If you take it seriously, you could go in there, grab the cashier, slide your card, and leave with a coffee.
I guess my favorite ambiguous name at the Jersey Shore is: “Meat ‘n More.” You will have to go there to find out what more they have.
The most bizarre communicators are music groups. Take for example Pink Martini, the Chiffons, Hot Soup, or the Rolling Stones. Then there’s that group with the funny name called Yo-Yo Ma. Imagine that.
And finally we have our winner in the precision category: “The Boston Symphony Orchestra.”
Here’s “Pink Martini ” with their song “Hey Eugene.”
Add to the fun. Tom Costantino photographed this Manhattan restaurant—a fine entry in our quest for signs that make sense in a world of mixed-up messaging.
Tom said, “After a long day of sightseeing in NYC with the kids, we were all hungry and a little cranky – decided to eat at the next nice place that we saw. We turned the corner to find this excellent restaurant.”
Thanks Tom
What could be clearer? Internet photo submitted by T. Costantino.