William Cottiss
P-03 / Case study Index of work

Marshfield Inn & Motel signs

Design to built object. I owned the whole project, from taking the old signs apart to setting the remade ones back on the roadside.

The old roadside signs for the Marshfield Inn & Motel had weathered down to bare posts and rotted script. I took them apart, traced and recreated the lettering, sourced the materials, cut the new letters by hand with a jigsaw, primed and finished them, set new posts, and reinstalled the signs on the roadside.

RoleDesign, fabrication, and install
MethodsTraced, cut, and rebuilt by hand
Facets
  • typography
  • design-to-built-object
  • fabrication
P-03.1 / From salvage to reinstall 11 plates
The original hand-painted sign, close up.
The original hand-painted sign, close up.
The original at the roadside before the remake.
The original at the roadside before the remake.
The old sign in the shop, its letters coming off.
The old sign in the shop, its letters coming off.
The letters pulled and laid out. MOTEL was intact; the script had rotted.
The letters pulled and laid out. MOTEL was intact; the script had rotted.
A measured drawing, traced to scale from the original.
A measured drawing, traced to scale from the original.
Cut letters, a template, and the coarse sanding disc on the bench.
Cut letters, a template, and the coarse sanding disc on the bench.
The recreated lettering on the new sign board.
The recreated lettering on the new sign board.
The new MOTEL letters, cut.
The new MOTEL letters, cut.
The recreated letters, cut and primed.
The recreated letters, cut and primed.
New posts set in the ground.
New posts set in the ground.
The remade sign installed, back on the roadside.
The remade sign installed, back on the roadside.