A Twentieth-Century Billboard from Sketch to Street

Today’s billboards share a legacy of creative talent and innovation with their predecessors. While vinyl wraps dominate modern displays, advancements in materials and technology have expanded the potential for spectacular advertisements. As it does today, past billboard advertising relied heavily on the skills of creative teams and installation crews. However, the processes were analog, not digital. The physical demand of creating billboard displays without giant printers, computer-assisted graphic design, or lightweight panels meant that production could take many more weeks than it does now.

In the late 1960s or so, Hills Brothers Coffee embarked on an ad campaign featuring dinosaurs, cavemen, and the tagline “GOOD strong coffee.” What follows is a step-by-step photographic journey of one of the campaign’s billboard advertisements, from sketch to installation.

The artist projects his concept art onto a fresh sheet of paper and traces a formal design drawing from it.

The formal design plan includes specifications for building the design. In this case, many elements will be cut out of wood and mounted as stand-offs from the billboard face. The artist has identified each plywood panel and provided instructions on how to cut them on the design sheet. The lettering at the top of the display will be installed as extensions.

Members of the billboard creation team lay up paper the full size of the billboard making it ready to receive the design.  

One person projects the original sketch onto the full-size billboard paper while others trace the design. Once the team has traced the design, the paper is returned to a technician, who uses an electronic perforation machine to create a pounce pattern.

Once the pounce pattern is complete, it goes to the layout crew.

The layout crew transfers the design using the pounce pattern. In this photo, they transfer the design to plywood panels that team members will cut and paint to create the final outdoor advertising display.

The billboard construction crew checks wooden cutouts for accuracy before assembling and reinforcing them in sections.

Workers assemble the reinforced cutout sections and paint them with primer.

The shop team moves the primed sections into position. Once in position, they transfer the painting design to the assembled sections with a pounce pattern. Painters detail the design in pencil and use a reference drawing to complete the painting.  

These two men are pouncing the painting pattern onto the cutout assembly.

While every billboard production plant had its system, companies often assigned painters tasks depending on skill and experience. Helpers prepared panels, pounced patterns, and sometimes helped with lettering or other easy painting tasks. Junior painters executed lettering and simple pictures. Senior painters painted the most complex pictures but were expected to do all the other tasks if necessary. The company assigned a senior painter to this job.

The senior painter in this image has a small-scale sketch nearby for reference.

Multiple painters often worked on a single billboard display. This job was physically divided into sections and painted at the company’s facility, but that wasn’t always the case.

The painted sections are ready for the crew to move and install at the billboard site.

Installers prepare supports for the letter extensions.

The crew positions the extensions on the billboard before installing a panelized billboard face.

The billboard face serves as a background for the cutout assembly. Attachment points dot the face panels.

The installation crew places painted cutouts and fastens them to the billboard. This assembly technique creates the illusion of depth and adds interest to the display.

The crew uses a crane to position the final billboard element, a giant Hills Bros Coffee can mounted in front of the previously installed cutouts.
One final inspection and the installation is done!

This pictorial record documents the creation of a twentieth-century billboard and illustrates the remarkable craftsmanship and dedication of the people involved. Each step, from the initial sketch to the final installation, required meticulous attention to detail, coordination, and collaborative effort.

As modern technology advances, it’s important to appreciate the rich history and foundational techniques that paved the way for today’s billboard advertising designs. The legacy of these pre-digital masterpieces continues to inspire and inform the outdoor advertising industry. It is the legacy upon which Meadow Outdoor Advertising has built its commitment to quality, excellence, and customer service.

Images are from the Duke University Libraries Digital Collections.

If you are interested in advertising on one of our billboards call us at 800-221-4114 or email us at meadow@meadowoutdoor.com!