Ghost signs elicit a broad range of analytical responses: from investigations into modernity and everyday life, to explorations of lettering and the practicalities of painting styles and conservation techniques – and more recently, of digital placemaking and amateur archival practices. (ResearchGate)

Madison Avenue’s culture of marketing in magazines, radio and television, and printed billboards in vivid colour and precise fonts, offered brands consistency removed from the hands of local painters. The world had changed, and ghost signs began to fade. (Financial Times)

Although many fans of Ghost Signs believe in keeping the fading originals as they are, repainting the signs signifies that people care about the area and its appearance. This, versus the neglect, which might be implied by fading ghost signs, can create a different view from those that see them, like visitors and potential investors such as future residents or business owners. (about sign)