This gallery presents the collection of photos submitted for the World Of Signage Photo Contest by the readers of Smashing Magazine. We received over 2,500+ photos from our readers across the globe, and present a selection of the most interesting photos in the overview below.
The topic of this gallery is Public and State Building signs, i.e. signs demostrating and facilitating access to an assortment of public and government buildings. Please notice: each photo has a certain license, provided in the description of the photo. Before using the images for private or commercial projects, make sure that the license allows you to do so. Also, you can click on the photos for a larger preview.
Please feel free to take a look at other submissions as well (links to other galleries are listed in the end of this gallery).
Public buildings (Museum signs, Library signs, Court signs…)
Dundee Sheriff Court
Dundee Sheriff Court [ large preview ]
“The sign outside Dundee Sheriff Court.” Photo taken by Aled Evans from UK.
Art Deco Elevators
Art Deco Elevators [ large preview ]
“Elevator Signs at Empire State Building in New York City.” Photo taken by Sylvain Martel from Canada.
18th century traffic sign
18th century traffic sign [ large preview ]
“Vintage traffic sign on a Wall in town of Glarus (Switzerland).” Licensed: Free. Photo taken by Hansjoerg Schneider from Switzerland.
One Way Do Not Enter
One Way Do Not Enter [ large preview ]
“Directional Signage.” Photo taken by James Willney from USA.
Air Filling
Air Filling [ large preview ]
“The photo was taken at the docks in Aalborg near some abandoned factories.” Photo taken by Peter Steen Høgenhaug from Denmark.
Attention
Attention [ large preview ]
“The photo was taken at the docks in Aalborg near some abandoned factories.” Photo taken by Peter Steen Høgenhaug from Denmark.
Melasse
Melasse [ large preview ]
“The photo was taken at the docks in Aalborg near some abandoned factories.” Photo taken by Peter Steen Høgenhaug from Denmark.
Post office
Post office [ large preview ]
“Hand painted post office signage on brick.” Licensed: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic. Photo taken by Justin D Goring from United Kingdom.
Accsessible Payphone
Accsessible Payphone [ large preview ]
“World’s friendliest payphone in Santorini, Greece.” Licensed: Not Applicable. Photo taken by SuAnne Hall from USA.
Boda Boda
Boda Boda [ large preview ]
“Boda Boda Motocycle Taxi Stop, Kampala, Uganda.” Licensed: cc by-nd. Photo taken by Daniel Izod from England.
MG road
MG road [ large preview ]
“A very old road sign, created during Britain’s reign over India.” Licensed: Copyright. Photo taken by Aamir Kapasi from India.
Sign at Outside of Al Husain Shrine
Sign at Outside of Al Husain Shrine [ large preview ]
“This photo has been taken from the outside area of Al Husain Shrine located at the middle of Cairo City in Egypt. The funny thing is in the sign is spelling mistake: ‘ No LADES in the DOOR. instead of writing “Ladies are Not Allowed in From this Door”. Usually Egyptians are wel-known for making funny errors in English.” Licensed: © Common. Photo taken by Murtaza Patel from Egypt.
Learn gothic calligraphy you suckers
Learn gothic calligraphy you suckers [ large preview ]
“Border between 1st and 9th District (Bezirk) of Vienna.” Photo taken by Miodrag Kojadinovic from Serbia.
Straight outta compton
Straight outta compton [ large preview ]
“Lettering outside a residential home.” Photo taken by Sonia Sanassy from UK.
House Number One
House Number One [ large preview ]
“Signage of house number 1 at Kapitan Moy Street, Marikina City.” Photo taken by Erick Cusi from Philippines.
Beirut street
Beirut street [ large preview ]
“Vintage street signage.” Photo taken by Ramy Sader from Lebanon.
Building number
Building number [ large preview ]
“The number of a building shot at night with no flash, no tripod.” Photo taken by Ramy Sader from Lebanon.
Reichstag Building
Reichstag Building [ large preview ]
“A cool garden signage looking down in the Reichstag in Berlin Germany.” Photo taken by Adam Eggert from USA.
Under the Highway
Under the Highway [ large preview ]
“A sign, placed under a Highway-bridge. It contains the number of the Highway.” Photo taken by Roman Dachsberger from Austria.
Portland Modern Development
Portland Modern Development [ large preview ]
“Developing modern textures and buildings in a city full of history.” Licensed: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Photo taken by Scott Richardson from USA.
Berlin Mauer Wall
Berlin Mauer Wall [ large preview ]
“Berlin Mauer Wall.” Photo taken by Olariu Dragos from Romania.
I am Within
I am Within [ large preview ]
“An urban ruin in Genova, Italy.” Photo taken by Jelena Porovic from Canada.
HighPaving
HighPaving [ large preview ]
“Which came first? The street sign or the pavement?” Photo taken by Mark Holland from UK.
The Core
The Core [ large preview ]
“Taken in my first visit to NYC in January 2009.” Photo taken by Maria Florencia Carrera from Argentina.
Thank you!
Thanks to all participants for taking their time for preparing and sending submissions for the contest and creating a unique and diversified gallery presented above. We truly appreciate and respect your efforts and your time, folks!
Further Galleries
You may want to take a look at other contest galleries, too:
- Abstract and Weird Signs 1
- Abstract and Weird Signs 2
- Advertising and Promotional Signs 1
- Advertising and Promotional Signs 2
- Corporate Logos and Branding Signs
- “Forbidden” Signs 1
- “Forbidden” Signs 2
- Funny, Clever and Original Signs 1
- Funny, Clever and Original Signs 2
- Funny, Clever and Original Signs 3
- Graffiti and Hand-Written Signs 1
- Graffiti and Hand-Written Signs 2
- Hotel, Restaurant and Diner Signs 1
- Hotel, Restaurant and Diner Signs 2
- Hotel, Restaurant and Diner Signs 3
- Information and Instructional Signs 1
- Information and Instructional Signs 2
- Library Signs
- Monument and Memorial Signs
- Museum Signs 1
- Museum Signs 2
- Public and State Building Signs 1
- Public and State Building Signs 2
- Road and Street Signs 1
- Road and Street Signs 2
- Road and Street Signs 3
- Road and Street Signs 4
- Road and Street Signs 5
- School and Park Signs
- Shop and Store Signs 1
- Shop and Store Signs 2
- Shop and Store Signs 3
- Street Wayfinding Signs 1
- Street Wayfinding Signs 2
- Street Wayfinding Signs 3
- Street Wayfinding Signs 4
- Train and Airport Signs 1
- Train and Airport Signs 2
- Underground and Metro Signs
- Warning and Danger Signs 1
- Warning and Danger Signs 2
- Warning and Danger Signs 3
- Warning and Danger Signs 4
- Warning and Danger Signs 5
- Wayfinding in Buildings Signs 1
- Wayfinding in Buildings Signs 2
- WC and Restroom Signs 1
- WC and Restroom Signs 2
- Welcome Signs
- Other photos 1
- Other photos 2