Glen Guyett’s signs were works of art planted in plain sight along the streets of Phoenix.
The prolific artist and designer, who died on Jan. 5, created signs not only functional but fun to look at. They shimmered, curved and flashed their way into the everyday lives of Valley residents for decades.
Guyett didn’t dream up signs that blended in. His signs for businesses like Mr. Lucky’s nightclub, folksy restaurant Bill Johnson’s Big Apple and dozens of local motels were neon-equpped, playful and unapologetically bold.
Long before his signs became nostalgia touchstones, they were expressions of an artist having fun with scale, form and light. Guyette’s designs leaned into midcentury modern flair, mixing clean geometry with a sense of whimsy and scale. The result felt both futuristic and deeply rooted in place. Over time, it coalesced into what many now call the “Phoenix style.”…