Iconic Purple Directional Signs Being Replaced

[LittleBuford]

The road signs are not attributable to cheapness. I think they’re more attributable to the fact that Disney is determined to attract folks with a lot of cash and has fixed on the stereotype that theming, bright colors, and entertainment architecture aren’t “classy.” As with the resort makeovers, it’s an absurdly misguided attempt to make WDW “fashionable.” Like so many other problems, it’s born of the fact that management has no notion of the very specific needs of the Disney brand and is instead versed only in general, one-size-fits-all “business principles.”

I would say that Disney’s aesthetic choices have always been responsive to the tastes of the day. Note the very ’70s font here, for example:

I don’t fault them for updating their new signs to better accord with today’s fashions. I just happen to prefer the ’90s aesthetic (and not everyone does) and to dislike the fact that the new colour scheme reminds me of British motorway signage.

 

[MisterPenguin]

 

[lazyboy97o]

And as regards tasteful - there has never been a single moment in their collective history when anyone who mattered thought anything about any of the Disney parks was “tasteful.” Quite the contrary, they have always been held up as glaring examples of a distinctly American “tastelessness.”

This is not true. They have been regarded as tasteless by some but the how and why isn’t even consistent.

 

[LittleBuford]

Does anyone know what the signs looked like in the ’70s and ’80s?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Does anyone know what the signs looked like in the ’70s and ’80s?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Does anyone know what the signs looked like in the ’70s and ’80s?

 

[peter11435]

It does look like the purple in the old sign is getting bleached out by the sun.
View attachment 677425

These signs are periodically replaced as necessary. Name changes, additions, damage; and age. They are not all the same age and are certainly not all in need of replacing. That is a particularly bad one pictured, most do not look like this and have years of useful life left.

 

[CntrlFlPete]

Does anyone know what the signs looked like in the ’70s and ’80s?

from what I recall, you just needed to know to make a left after the third hill of orange trees.

 

[Disstevefan1]

These signs are periodically replaced as necessary. Name changes, additions, damage; and age. They are not all the same age and are certainly not all in need of replacing. That is a particularly bad one pictured, most do not look like this and have years of useful life left.

Hey, I don’t want them to spend money when they don’t need to either. Who knows? Maybe one of the executives nephews is in the sign business and got the big money contract to replace the signs whether they needed it or not and uncle gets some cash on the side from the nephew.

 

[UNCgolf]

Does anyone know what the signs looked like in the ’70s and ’80s?

I'm not sure but maybe just standard Florida attraction signs? I have a vague memory of seeing photos of brown signs.

There wasn't anywhere near as much there at that point, though. Just the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, River Country, and a few hotels (plus the golf courses). It wasn't close to the massive complex that exists now.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

It does look like the purple in the old sign is getting bleached out by the sun.
View attachment 677425

Then they could’ve redone the faded ones instead of replacing all of them. Not every sign on property looks like that one. So some might say they look like the 90’s…I’m experiencing the 2020’s…I’ll take the 90’s

 

[correcaminos]

I'm not sure but maybe just standard Florida attraction signs? I seem to have a vague memory of seeing photos of brown signs.

There wasn't anywhere near as much there at that point, though. Just the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, River Country, and a few hotels (plus the golf courses). It wasn't close to the massive complex that exists now.

They were brown road side signs and green state signs depending. Definitely not as many as now but they really didn't stand out. There are quite a few if you google Disney brown road signs.

https://www.retrowdw.com/podcast/podcast-episode-21-listeners-choice-qa/attachment/welcome-to-wdw-original-sign/

Even some signs from not long ago show the green from a few miles out

Arriving @ Walt Disney World - A look at some signs along the way (Guest Photos) - The Geek's Blog @ disneygeek.com

Mark is back with another set of pictures from his July 2016 trip to Walt Disney World. This time around he shares some signs seen along the way from the

blog.disneygeek.com

 

[Sir_Cliff]

And as regards tasteful - there has never been a single moment in their collective history when anyone who mattered thought anything about any of the Disney parks was “tasteful.” Quite the contrary, they have always been held up as glaring examples of a distinctly American “tastelessness.” Trying to make them “tasteful” is a fool’s errand. At least when Eisner tried to make the parks “fashionable” - I don’t think he ever really reached for “tasteful” - he did so by getting interesting architects to design interesting things, not by futilely ripping away theming.

I understand that for some people themed entertainment will always be considered tasteless, but I would think of this in the same way Walt Disney had to explain that Disneyland wouldn't be like the amusement parks people were used to. At least within the sphere of themed entertainment, Disney was always the subtle, detailed, and tasteful version compared to, say, Las Vegas or roadside attractions. If Disney built an Egypt-themed hotel, for example, you would hope it would be to the Luxor what Disneyland was to a run-of-the-mill amusement park in its day.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Does anyone know what the signs looked like in the ’70s and ’80s?

They were brown

 

[correcaminos]

View attachment 677517

Totally laughing but I recognize these though not on any types of... ahem.... medication

 

[eddie104]

Yes, I agree.

With some of the new rooms and perhaps the new road signs, I think they are trying to more more tasteful rather than fashionable. That doesn't bother me, as I think Disney at its best was always more tasteful in terms of its theming than other places in the sense that they put thought into the use of colour, shapes, designs, etc. It just so happens that what is considered tasteful changes over time, and a lot of the stuff being replaced now is from 30 or more years ago.

As for them being all over the place, the counterpoint would be exactly something like the Contemporary rooms, which are far from tasteful.

Exactly…. so when these changes are made they are considered very dramatic and major because Disney hasn’t been consistently updating these places over time. Instead their doing huge renovations to catch up to modern times.

View attachment 677510

Yep I wish things were that simple on this board.

 

[LittleBuford]

They were brown View attachment 677566View attachment 677567

Thanks!

 

[MinnieWaffles]

In another 30 years, Disney will change the blue and yellow to another colour and people will go, "Hey! I preferred the old colour like it was in the 2020s! Bring it back!"

Tastes change, styles change. The current trend for minimalist hotel rooms will turn into another trend entirely in 10 years.

 

[BuddyThomas]

The next time I get perplexed and annoyed at people whining about a ride that hasn’t been built yet or complaining about a movie that hasn’t been released yet, I will just need to remind myself that there are 36 pages and counting of people crying about the color of a road sign.

 

[Casper Gutman]

In another 30 years, Disney will change the blue and yellow to another colour and people will go, "Hey! I preferred the old colour like it was in the 2020s! Bring it back!"

Tastes change, styles change. The current trend for minimalist hotel rooms will turn into another trend entirely in 10 years.

This assumes the current WDW is building a substantial new generation of fans and that the signs will be perceived by those fans as a distinct enough part of “the bubble” to matter.