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Road signs featuring the 2002 Winter Games are being replaced. The artist behind those innovative new signs said his creations harken back to a much-loved older style.
Ever since before the 2002 Games, the state has jumped at the opportunity to use that event to market Utah tourism.
Today marks a new era. On the Mirror Lake Highway at the Wyoming state line, the governor helped unveil the first of 31 new "Welcome to Utah" signs.
Dave Meikle, a Salt Lake-based painter and graphic artist, is the guy who came up with the new designs which are similar to tourism posters from the 1930s. "They had some very specific ideas of what scenes they wanted, and then I took the scenes and refined them," said Meikle.
In all, Meikle developed seven designs that will be going up soon at all major road entrances. Each has a specific theme: the Wasatch Mountains, Golden Spike National Monument, a skier, a dinosaur, Delicate Arches in Arches National Park, Lake Powell and Zion National Park; which ties in with the nearest marquee destination.
Meikle painted landscapes reminiscent of the style of the great Maynard Dixon.
For the road signs, he started with a photo, then made a drawing and then fleshed it all out using his graphic design skills on a computer. He said, "You start with a photograph, but then I do a drawing, and I break the photograph down into very simplified shapes. Then I draw each shape individually and scan that and then use the computer to layer it, and then I color it in the computer."
Nearly 20 million vehicles will pass by the signs each year, earning him a unique distinction as one of the most, widely seen Utah artists in history. He said, "As a designer, you always create art to be seen in that context, billboards and signs and that kind of stuff."
He also said he's really excited about the project. The new signs will cost about $250,000. They are expected to all be installed by May.
What happens to the old signs? They are going on eBay! They'll sell for $100 to $200, maybe more.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com
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