Brushes With History

Our 66th Quarterly Limited Edition for the Spring of 2025 is “The Chicago Look,” Edition which explores a chapter of American design and typographic history through the lens of a single, highly influential — and sadly now-defunct — enterprise.

The Beverly Sign Co. put Chicago at the center of the mid-century sign-painting map with its “panelized” compositions, novel typographic treatments, and bold colors. This style came to be known as “The Chicago Look.” Watch the film below for lots more about the history and techniques behind the look. 

Chicago’s own Heart & Bone Signs, with collaborator Bob Behounek, have created two covers in the style of Beverly’s pencil sketches, featuring the original mock-ups’ distinctive diagonal “strike-thru” indicating the colors of the signs to the clients and the sign-painters (known as “Wall Dogs”).

These note books are a new size for us; a handy 6" × 8." The 64 pages are graph-ruled in “Non-Repro Blue,” a particular shade that is still used in the graphic arts industry to be easily removed from photostats or scans of black-and-white artwork. As usual, the inside covers are full of historical information, illustrations, and wise-cracking.

Time to Sign Up

Year-long subscribers to our Quarterly Limited Editions are also receiving a 2.25" “Wall Dogs Forever” pin-back button and a postcard of the finished sign (now proudly hanging at Field Notes HQ) honoring the sign designers and sign painters who created the Chicago Look. Subscribers also receive free USA shipping on all their subscription shipments, 10% off while shopping at this site, and lots of other benefits, including our sincere thanks.

By the way, the first shipment of a subscription (or renewal) comes in a custom-designed box. For 2025, that box is by artist Landis Blair.

The Beverly Story and Archives

We have a limited number of first editions of The Golden Era of Sign Design available for sale. Researched, written, and designed by Kelsey and Andrew McClennan of Heart & Bone Signs, and published by Heavy Pages Press, the book contains over 100 original drawings from the Beverly Sign Co archives, plus interviews and a comprehensive history of the company and its artists and painters.

Trust us, your design- or type-reference library needs this book. They’re $85 each and USA shipping is free. As usual, active subscribers save 10% on this item. Note: The book will ship separately from the rest of your order.