04/10/2026
Advertising on vehicles is nothing new.
My grandfather was an avid photographer long before I entered the signage industry, he loved photographing vehicles around the inner suburbs of Melbourne, especially those with signage.
Smart business operators even back in the early 1900’s recognised the value of a moving billboard - their work vehicles - to promote their company.
Signage methods have evolved over the years from brushwork, to cut vinyl, to print, and many sign companies have fallen by the wayside because they didn’t keep up with the delivery methods.
Those company operators saw their skills with the brush as what they were selling, and when methods moved on they were left wondering what happened.
The smart sign companies, and there are some that are around 100 years old, saw the ability to deliver a message to the public as their skill.
The method changed but the thinking didn’t.
The rules of attracting the eye and delivering a message across will never change.
Some of the images here have more information than what I would suggest for today’s vehicles.
But in light of the era, traffic moving slower, less visual stimulation and limited ways to find extra information, I think it’s an acceptable way to showcase their company information.
The required elements for vehicle signage has not changed over time.
First it needs to attract attention, second, it needs to tell the name of the company, and third it needs to tell what the company does.
Nowadays the extra information is available on Google or websites which removes the need for web addresses and phone numbers if the elements mentioned are memorable.
East Brunswick, Carlton, Newmarket, and Oakleigh are all thriving suburbs of Melbourne and it’s great to see the part that vehicle signage has had in the promotion of local companies.
I am very grateful for this hobby and for my Auntie Pearl who has preserved these image for decades.
