The Unsung Ranger Behind the U.S. Forest Service’s Iconic Signs
Career ranger Virgil “Bus” Carrell had no design training, but “really gave a damn,” say experts, about his lasting legacy.
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MOST AMERICANS HAVEN’T HEARD THE name Virgil “Bus” Carrell. But drive across the country and you’ll see Carrell’s work. And if you’ve entered a national forest, driven to a natural monument, or crossed the Continental Divide, you’ve probably even pulled over and snapped a selfie next to one of his creations. Those quirky brown-and-cream trapezoids, with the retro typeface that welcomes you to a U.S. Forest Service-managed site, are his legacy. Over the last half-century, those signs have become not only instantly recognizable, but iconic.
“Whoever designed these signs really gave a damn,” says designer Charles Spencer Anderson, whose influential Minneapolis-based firm specializes in identity development. “I don’t know if they had a sense of history when they designed these things, but it appears they understood the gravity of the assignment.”
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https://www.atlasobscura.com/article...-signs-history