by | January 5th, 2010

HOBO SYMBOLS

This weekend I was at an antique store. At that antique store I found of the grails. It’s a book that’s full of kickass stuff! Learn more about that below, but FIRST, look at what’s in the back. Hobo Symbols. I know you’ve been walking around in the sewers and/or streets wondering what those marks were made with chalk. Check them all out right here right now.

*Yes, I found a book called “Symbols, Signs, & Signets.” It’s full of everything a symbologist or, alternatively, a graphic designer, could ever want to feast their black and white (and no grays inbetween) eyeballs on. Icons and icons and icons forever! Check out the cover and details below in the gallery, then also see a little explanation of the hobo marks.

I’m not sure weather this is offensive to all those street people out there. If you are a street person and would like to file a complaint, please leave a comment. But I must say, you hobos are really awesome for making this great sign system!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies on the street category.

HOBO SIGNS

  • http://www.joshclement.com josh

    i remember that dishonest man one from a flashback in ‘mad men’.

    • Chris Burns

      oh super neat

  • tudza

    I don’t think there is such a thing as a symbologist really, except in the mind of that person who wrote The Stuff I Made Up about Da Vinci Code.

    Can you post scans of the whole section on hobo signs somewhere?

    • Chris Burns

      i agree with your comment about the da vinci code – but i wish there really was such a thing. i really doooooooooooooooooooooooooo! also do you need the scan for a school project or something? i could scan it eventually, but for now, photos.

  • Diaz

    mad groovy, man

    what’s the book called?
    what else is in there?

    you can’t leave us hanging on this thread

    • Chris Burns

      Symbols, Signs, & Signets — in the gallery there’s close pics of inside the front cover for more info und etc etc — plus i’ll be making more posts eventually with the rest of the contents probably

  • http://oglobo.globo.com Dardo Robinson

    Could you send me those scans?

    Best regards from Brazil, great post!

  • izza

    hahaha, thats awesome! thanks for sharing

  • swatchaholic

    Swatch designed a watch back in ’99 with hobo symbols on it. Link below shows picture.

    http://www.squiggly.com/us/en/swatch/urban-slang-GK328.htm

    • Chris Burns

      AMAZING! Nice looking out!

      EVERYONE – add that to my birthday list

  • Sherman Warren

    Artist ReBecca Gozion has been using these symbols in her work for years!

    It’s one of the obscure languages she’s studied.

    You can see her work at http://www.rebeccagozion.com

    • Chris Burns

      fantastic!

  • http://asciirose.com/doug/ DUG1138

    This was one of my favorite books, as a child. I love the section on Alchemy too.

  • bookgrrrrl

    actually, there is such a thing as a semiologist or semiotician. these are scholars who study the history and meaning of symbols (one of the very many things dan brown, the author of the appallingly historically inaccurate da vinci code book, knows little to nothing about). perhaps the most famous semiotician is umberto eco, author of “the name of the rose” and “foucault’s pendulum” amongst other books. he is at the university of bologna and is one of the world’s leading intellectuals.

    your book is truly a delightful find. the history of hobos is actually quite interesting (homeless people today are not known by this term), and since you’ve purchased the book it might be interesting to look into it a bit further.

    • Chris Burns

      Yeah I was hesitant to use the word “HOBO”, but, since it was the title already, I stuck with it. – I’m definitely going to check into this man Eco, sounds interesting! Thank you!

  • Miss

    I’m going to be homeless as of tonight. I pray that these help.
    Thanks for posting them


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