What makes a sign quintessentially New York, and what do our old signs tell us about who we are as New Yorkers? This talk dives into the city’s vernacular signage tradition, from hand-painted storefronts to neon spectaculars, tracing how design, craft, and identity intersect in the urban landscape. Drawing from the work of the New York Sign Museum, David Barnett of Noble Signs, will examine how signs act as both design artifacts and vessels of collective memory, preserving the human stories, neighborhoods, and visual language that give the city its soul.

In an age of homogenized branding, this talk makes a case for why saving old signs isn’t just about nostalgia; its also reclaiming ownership of our city’s shared visual history. Codifying and preserving the New York style is a mission that can both lift design as well as create positive change at the local level.

This talk is taking place on one of MAD’s Free First Thursday Evenings. Arrive at 5 pm and enjoy free admission to the Museum before the talk! Advance registration is recommended. 

About the speaker

David Barnett is the co-founder of Noble Signs and the director of the New York Sign Museum, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and celebrating the city’s rich signage traditions. With over a decade of experience designing hand-painted signs in classic New York styles, Barnett has become a leading advocate for the preservation of vernacular signage and the human stories embedded in the city’s visual landscape. Through the museum, he documents, studies, and shares these signs, emphasizing their role as both design artifacts and vessels of collective memory. His work bridges craft, design history, and cultural preservation, highlighting the ways handmade signage shapes the identity and soul of New York City